Director, CMC Product Development

AbbVie•North Chicago, IL

2d•$160,500 - $305,000

About The Position

The Director, CMC Product Development brings scientific insight, enterprise perspective, and cross-functional leadership to advance promising assets into differentiated medicines. As a key member of the Asset Strategy Team (AST) and leader of the CMC team, this role develops and drives an integrated CMC strategy that enables the overarching asset strategy. The Director serves as the asset’s single CMC spokesperson and integrator, connecting enterprise expertise to support alignment, informed decisions, and successful product development. The role leads multidisciplinary teams, influences asset-level strategy and investment decisions, and engages with senior leaders, external partners, and global health authorities. Its scope spans late-stage discovery through clinical development and technology and process transfer to commercial manufacturing. The position has 0–3 direct reports and may lead programs across modalities such as small molecules, biologics, antibody-drug conjugates, cell and gene therapies, toxins, devices, and implants. Assignments take account of the CMC Product Development Director’s experience and qualifications while offering opportunities to broaden experience and develop capabilities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and at least 12 years of relevant industry experience; Master’s degree and at least 10 years; or PhD and at least 8 years.
At least 3 years of experience as a CMC team leader or in a relevant role in a related CMC function.
Significant pharmaceutical development experience, strong interdisciplinary CMC expertise, and understanding of drug development, global regulatory and quality requirements, and CMC strategies across development stages.
Demonstrated ability to lead and influence highly matrixed, cross-functional teams, build alignment without relying on formal authority, and establish trust and credibility with team members, stakeholders, and senior leaders.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex scientific and technical information into clear strategic choices and recommendations for diverse audiences.
Strong leadership, interpersonal, negotiation, and influencing skills, sound scientific and business judgment, and the ability to make timely decisions.
Strategic thinking, adaptability, learning agility, and ability to navigate ambiguity, with curiosity and willingness to expand into new scientific areas, technologies, and modalities.

Nice To Haves

Experience developing biologics and/or other complex modalities, including antibody-drug conjugates, cell and gene therapies, and combination or device products.
Experience with strategic collaborations, due diligence, external innovation, or integrating externally developed assets or technologies into an internal development pipeline.
Demonstrated ability and interest in learning new modalities and scientific areas and applying existing CMC and development expertise to new technologies and increasingly complex programs.

Responsibilities

Serve as the CMC leader, integrator, and spokesperson on the Asset Strategy Team, connecting CMC strategy with the overarching asset strategy and ensuring clear, timely communication across the AST, CMC functions, and key stakeholders.
Lead and inspire matrixed, cross-functional Product Presentation and Device Strategy teams and CMC teams; align perspectives, facilitate decisions, and foster a collaborative and accountable team culture.
Develop, communicate, and drive integrated CMC strategies and development plans for complex assets, translating scientific and technical considerations into strategic choices, priorities, timelines, risks, and recommendations.
Communicate complex CMC topics clearly across organizational levels, surface risks and opportunities, and enable informed decisions by asset teams, senior leaders, and governance bodies.
Connect stakeholders across the development lifecycle, from late discovery through clinical development and technology transfer to commercial manufacturing, building alignment across CMC, Clinical, Regulatory, Quality, Operations, Preclinical Safety, ADME, Commercial, external partners, and other groups.
Mentor and develop CMC leaders and team members.
Build trust and credibility through scientific expertise, sound judgment, and influence; align priorities, resources, and timelines, navigate ambiguity, resolve issues, foster open dialogue, and build agreement on decisions that advance the asset.
Promote scientific excellence, inclusion, collaboration, candid dialogue, entrepreneurial thinking, accountability, and shared ownership of asset and portfolio success.
Lead a portfolio of programs across multiple modalities, with assignments matched to experience and qualifications while providing opportunities to broaden experience and build capabilities.