Associate Director, Chief of Staff – People Experience
About The Position
The Associate Director, Chief of Staff – People Experience (PE) serves as a strategic partner and trusted advisor to the PE Leadership Team, driving execution of the People Experience vision. As a core member of the leadership team, the role optimizes how the PE organization operates, prioritizes, plans, and delivers against its agenda. The Chief of Staff acts as an integrator, communicator, and accelerator, translating the vision into outcomes and helping the team function at its highest potential. This position focuses on optimizing the PE organization itself; broad HR optimization is a shared responsibility across the PE team. The role partners with the Head of People Experience and PE leaders to shape and communicate strategy, resolve execution gaps, manage strategic priorities and portfolios, and improve the PE operating model. It owns the organization’s business rhythms and planning processes, connects PE sub-functions and enterprise stakeholders, develops internal communications, supports change adoption, and strengthens team effectiveness, culture, and capabilities.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field.
- 7 or more years of progressive experience in HR, strategy, operations, or a related discipline.
- Demonstrated experience operating at a senior level and influencing without direct authority.
- Proven ability to manage complex, cross-functional initiatives in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.
- Strong written and verbal executive communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complexity for senior audiences.
- High learning agility, intellectual curiosity, and comfort navigating ambiguity.
Nice To Haves
- MBA or advanced degree.
- Prior Chief of Staff, HR Strategy, or HR Business Partner experience at a large, matrixed organization.
- Experience in the pharmaceutical, biotech, or life sciences industry.
- Familiarity with organizational design, change management, and workforce planning methodologies.
Responsibilities
- Partner with the Head of People Experience and PE leadership to define, refine, and cascade the PE vision and multi-year strategy.
- Identify and resolve strategic gaps, dependencies, and opportunities affecting execution of the PE agenda.
- Serve as a thought partner to senior PE leaders, bringing an enterprise perspective and anticipating organizational needs.
- Synthesize complex information into clear, compelling narratives for leadership and stakeholders.
- Continuously improve how the PE organization operates, including its structure, decision-making, and ways of working.
- Clarify roles, accountabilities, and interdependencies across PE sub-functions to reduce duplication and improve effectiveness.
- Identify operational inefficiencies within PE and implement scalable solutions to improve performance and output quality.
- Partner with PE leaders to assess and evolve the operating model as the team’s scope and strategy change.
- Manage the PE Leadership Team’s portfolio of strategic initiatives and ensure alignment with priorities and business outcomes.
- Drive prioritization frameworks, track progress against strategic goals and OKRs, escalate risks, and recommend course corrections.
- Partner with Finance and HR Operations on PE resource planning and investment decisions.
- Design and continuously improve PE business rhythms, including leadership meetings, planning cycles, business reviews, and all-hands communications.
- Prepare agendas, pre-reads, and follow-up actions for PE Leadership Team meetings.
- Coordinate annual and quarterly planning processes and connect PE plans to broader AbbVie enterprise cycles.
- Build and maintain a PE operating calendar for key milestones, deliverables, and decisions.
- Connect PE sub-functions and represent the PE Leadership Team in cross-functional forums, working groups, and enterprise planning processes.
- Build relationships with stakeholders across HR, Business HR, Finance, Communications, and other enabling functions.
- Develop internal communications such as leadership messages, town halls, strategy updates, and culture-building content.
- Champion change management practices to support adoption of PE programs, processes, and ways of working.
- Increase the PE team’s enterprise visibility and brand through strategic storytelling and engagement.
- Foster a high-performing, inclusive culture within the PE Leadership Team and broader PE organization.
- Lead special projects and initiatives that strengthen PE organizational effectiveness, engagement, and capability building.
- Model AbbVie’s values and the behaviors the PE team aspires to enable.
Benefits
- Paid time off, including vacation, holidays, and sick leave.
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance for eligible employees.
- 401(k) for eligible employees.
- Eligibility to participate in long-term incentive programs.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
