Principal Research Scientist II, siRNA

AbbVie•Worcester, MA

About The Position

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas including immunology, oncology and neuroscience - and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com . Follow @abbvie on LinkedIn, Facebook , Instagram , X and YouTube. The Biotherapeutic and Genetic Medicine (BGM) team at AbbVie is seeking an accomplished Principal Research Scientist to lead the overall strategy for a group and multi-disciplinary project teams. In this role, you will establish a high-throughput siRNA screening platform, drive pipeline innovation through next-generation delivery modalities, and deliver therapeutic leads across multiple disease areas.

Requirements

BS, MS, or PhD in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, or a related field with typically 8+ (PhD), 14+ (MS), or 16+ (BS) years of industry experience in biotech or pharma, and at least 5 years in a leadership/management role.
Proven track record in siRNA design and the application of chemical modifications for stability and hands-on experience with automation platforms and HTS data analysis.
Previous experience leading siRNA platform or portfolio programs targeting tissues beyond the liver is strictly required.
Demonstrated ability to advise discipline experts and functional leaders on identifying and mitigating technical and strategic risks.
Exceptional interpersonal skills with a proven ability to maintain productive working relationships with diverse internal teams and external collaborators.
A strong track record of presenting complex scientific data to internal and external stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Strategy: Define and drive the multi-year roadmap for the siRNA screening platform, ensuring alignment with therapeutic goals in neuroscience, oncology, and immunology. Collaborate with key stakeholders to balance resources between “platform-building” and “pipeline-driving.”
Execution: Oversee the transition of manual assays into robust, automated high-throughput screening (HTS) workflows to identify high-potency siRNA leads. Act as the primary contact between Discovery and Development Sciences (DMPK, Tox, and CMC) to ensure seamless molecule transition and scale-up readiness.
Innovation: Design and evaluate next-gen delivery modalities, specifically Antibody, Oligonucleotide Conjugates (AOCs) and tissue-specific ligand conjugates, utilizing advanced chemical modification patterns. Establish “fast-fail” in vivo screening models to rapidly validate functional siRNA delivery to extrahepatic tissues.
Leadership: Build, lead and develop a high-performing team of ~ 10 scientists, fostering a culture that is collaborative, agile, and courageous while managing laboratory infrastructure to maximize throughput.