Associate Director, Strategic Initiatives

AbbVie•North Chicago, IL

6h•$141,500 - $268,500•Onsite

About The Position

The Associate Director, Strategic Initiatives is responsible for leading high-priority, enterprise-level initiatives that advance Clinical Development Operations’ strategic objectives and strengthen organizational performance. As a member of the CDO Strategic Initiative Management team, the role translates strategic priorities into executable initiatives by shaping the strategy and delivery approach, establishing cross-functional alignment, defining funding and resource requirements, and maintaining accountability for results. The Associate Director leads initiatives from early definition and business-case development through execution, implementation, and transition to sustained operations. The role serves as a strategic thought partner to CDO leaders and initiative sponsors, bringing structure to complex or ambiguous business challenges, identifying critical decisions and tradeoffs, and ensuring that initiatives deliver measurable business value.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent required, preferably in a scientific, business, healthcare, operational, or related field. Advanced degree preferred.
Typically 8 or more years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, drug development, clinical operations, strategy, business operations, finance, program management, or a related discipline.
Demonstrated experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives in a global matrixed organization.
Strong ability to translate strategy into executable plans, measurable outcomes, and clear organizational accountabilities.
Experience developing business cases, resource models, funding proposals, investment recommendations, or financial assessments.
Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders, facilitate difficult decisions, and build alignment across stakeholders with differing priorities.
Strong strategic thinking, problem-solving, communication, and executive-presentation capabilities.
Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous environments, establish structure, and maintain momentum across multiple interdependent workstreams.
Strong program and initiative management skills, including governance, risk management, dependency management, change leadership, and outcome measurement.

Nice To Haves

Experience within Clinical Development Operations or across multiple drug-development functions preferred.
Formal training or certification in project management, change management, process improvement, strategy, or related disciplines is desirable.

Responsibilities

Lead strategic initiatives: Provide end-to-end leadership for complex, high-priority functional initiatives, from initial strategy development and initiative definition through execution, implementation, and delivery of intended outcomes.
Develop initiative strategy and approach: Partner with executive sponsors, functional leaders, and subject-matter experts to assess business needs, clarify the problem to be solved, evaluate strategic options, and define the recommended path forward.
Translate strategy into execution: Convert strategic priorities into integrated roadmaps, deliverables, milestones, decision points, resource requirements, success measures, and clear accountabilities.
Define funding and resource needs: Develop and maintain a clear view of the financial, headcount, technology, vendor, and functional resources required to deliver each initiative. Partner with Finance and business leaders to develop funding requests, evaluate tradeoffs, and align investments with organizational priorities.
Provide cross-functional leadership: Lead matrixed teams across CDO and broader R&D functions, ensuring alignment on objectives, scope, roles, interdependencies, decisions, and expected outcomes.
Strengthen business cases: Develop compelling, fact-based business cases that articulate the strategic rationale, anticipated value, resource requirements, implementation considerations, risks, and measures of success.
Drive governance and executive decision-making: Establish fit-for-purpose governance and provide leaders with concise, decision-oriented updates that clearly communicate progress, risks, dependencies, financial implications, and required actions.
Manage overall delivery: Maintain accountability for integrated initiative plans and deliverables, proactively addressing barriers, resolving cross-functional issues, managing dependencies, and escalating decisions when leadership intervention is required.
Adapt strategy as conditions evolve: Continuously monitor initiative performance, emerging business needs, organizational constraints, and stakeholder dynamics. Proactively recommend adjustments to strategy, scope, sequencing, investment priorities, or execution approach to maintain alignment with evolving objectives.
Measure impact and sustain outcomes: Define outcome-based success metrics at initiative outset; track delivery against intended value milestones; and partner with functional owners to embed capabilities into steady-state operations to ensure benefits are realized.
Lead and develop others: Provide direction and coaching to initiative team members and extended matrix teams. The role may also provide direct people leadership based on organizational needs.