Director, Optimization & Strategic Initiatives
About The Position
The Director, Optimization & Strategic Initiatives is responsible for leading enterprise-wide optimization efforts and strategic transformation initiatives that advance AbbVie's customer engagement, analytics, and operating model evolution. This role serves as a key partner across Marketing, Analytics & Performance Excellence (APEX), Brand Excellence, Customer Engagement Strategy & Innovation, Medical, Commercial Operations, and Technology teams to drive execution of AI-enabled, data-driven business capabilities. The Director will lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of strategic programs that enhance customer engagement effectiveness, accelerate organizational readiness, optimize cross-functional processes, and deliver measurable business impact through closed-loop performance management. This position plays a critical leadership role in advancing LOOP readiness and adoption by integrating people, process, data, technology, and governance capabilities that enable more personalized, coordinated, and measurable customer engagement.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree (MBA, MPH, MS, or related discipline) preferred.
- 10+ years of progressive experience in analytics, business strategy, commercial operations, marketing excellence, management consulting, transformation, or related functions.
- Demonstrated success leading complex, cross-functional strategic initiatives.
- Strong business acumen with ability to connect strategy, operations, analytics, and execution.
- Experience in organizational transformation, change management, and process optimization.
- Exceptional executive communication and stakeholder management skills.
- Proven ability to influence senior leaders and drive alignment across diverse functions.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with experience leveraging data to drive decisions.
Nice To Haves
- Pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare, or life sciences experience.
- Experience with omnichannel engagement, customer strategy, commercial excellence, or customer experience programs.
- Knowledge of AI-enabled business processes and advanced analytics applications.
- Experience implementing enterprise operating model transformations and large-scale change initiatives.
Responsibilities
- Lead enterprise and franchise-level strategic initiatives that improve commercial effectiveness, customer engagement, and organizational performance.
- Translate enterprise strategies into actionable roadmaps, operating models, governance structures, and measurable business outcomes.
- Serve as a thought partner to senior leaders in evaluating business opportunities, identifying capability gaps, and developing transformation strategies.
- Build business cases and executive recommendations that support investment decisions and organizational change initiatives.
- Champion adoption of new ways of working and foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Drive implementation and ongoing optimization of LOOP capabilities across brands and therapeutic areas.
- Partner with Integrated Brand Teams (IBTs) to ensure readiness across strategic planning, content, customer journey orchestration, measurement, and operational execution.
- Lead assessments of brand readiness, identifying opportunities, risks, dependencies, and required interventions.
- Establish frameworks that embed LOOP principles into annual planning and business processes.
- Monitor readiness milestones and support execution of roadmap deliverables across functions.
- Identify and prioritize opportunities to simplify, standardize, and optimize business processes across Commercial, Medical, and Analytics organizations.
- Lead cross-functional process redesign initiatives that improve efficiency, scalability, and customer impact.
- Develop and implement governance models, best practices, and operating procedures that support sustainable execution.
- Drive integration of strategic initiatives into enterprise planning processes and ways of working, including 1Path and related transformation efforts.
- Establish closed-loop measurement frameworks that evaluate initiative effectiveness and inform future strategy.
- Partner with Analytics, Data Science, and Business Intelligence teams to develop actionable performance insights.
- Define KPIs, success metrics, and executive dashboards that enable proactive decision-making.
- Leverage customer, field, market, and operational data to identify optimization opportunities and support continuous improvement.
- Translate insights into strategic recommendations that improve customer experience and business performance.
- Collaborate with Technology, Data, and Digital teams to advance AI-enabled capabilities and data-driven decision making.
- Help prioritize and operationalize new platforms, tools, and technologies that support customer engagement and business optimization.
- Assess data availability, technology readiness, and critical insight gaps to support strategic initiatives.
- Drive adoption of emerging capabilities that enhance personalization, omnichannel execution, and measurement.
- Influence and align senior stakeholders across Marketing, Medical, Commercial Excellence, Analytics, Operations, and Technology organizations.
- Facilitate executive-level governance forums and strategic planning discussions.
- Lead cross-functional teams and initiative workstreams, often without direct authority.
- Develop communications, presentations, and executive updates that effectively articulate progress, risks, and business impact.
Benefits
- paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick)
- medical/dental/vision insurance
- 401(k)
- long-term incentive programs
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
