Senior Administrative Assistant

AbbVie•North Chicago, IL

5h•$27 - $49•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Administrative Assistant provides advanced, high-judgment administrative and operational support to the Vice President, Global Business Platforms, and their broader leadership team within a large, matrixed, global application development organization spanning Commercial IT. This organization is a substantial application development function across Commercial IT, operating a shared services model that supports tens of thousands of internal and external customers, a team of 200+ employees and 1,000+ non-employees, and a combined operating and capital budget of more than $100 million. Given the scale, complexity, and executive visibility of this organization, the Senior Administrative Assistant serves as a critical enabler of leadership productivity - managing complex calendars across multiple senior stakeholders, leading logistics for large-scale organizational events, administering key collaboration systems, and executing select financial and procurement processing - all while maintaining composure, discretion, and professionalism in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment with diverse executive stakeholders across Commercial Operations and Business Unit IT. This position demands superior organizational abilities, sound judgment under pressure, and the capability to collaborate effectively with senior executives, Business Unit IT leaders, and external vendors to ensure smooth calendar management, event execution, and operational efficiency across a large, complex, global organization. The successful candidate will be responsible for cultivating and maintaining professional relationships across a diverse and matrixed stakeholder base to support leadership priorities and keep operations running seamlessly. Ideal candidates will demonstrate the ability to build rapport and communicate professionally, be highly organized, self-motivated, and driven to anticipate needs before they arise. The role requires the ability to navigate between high-level executive support and detailed operational tactics within a fast-moving technology organization. The individual must possess composure and grace under pressure, discretion in handling sensitive and confidential information, and a strong professional presence when interfacing with executive leadership and external partners.

Requirements

High school diploma
Minimum 3–5 years of administrative experience, including supporting senior/executive-level leaders (VP or above).
Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to build trust, listen, and manage competing expectations/demands across a diverse and matrixed stakeholder base.
Demonstrated experience planning and executing large-scale events with multiple external vendors.
Excellent attention to detail and organizational skills; ability to manage multiple competing priorities under deadline pressure in a fast-paced, technology-driven environment.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a team environment.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and corporate travel/expense systems.
Proven track record of reliable execution. Keeps calm and executes while self-managing time and priorities.
Demonstrated resilience and composure in high-stress, fast-changing situations, sound judgment under pressure.
Be proactive and always think, act, and communicate in advance.

Nice To Haves

Associate's or Bachelor's Degree a plus.
Experience supporting multiple leaders concurrently preferred.
Experience with purchase order creation, invoice/AP processing, or procurement systems (e.g., SAP, Ariba, Concur) strongly preferred.
Working knowledge of SharePoint administration (site/user management) preferred.
Familiarity with procurement processes and internal controls/governance standards.
Experience coordinating with facilities, catering, and event vendors.
Understanding of the pharmaceutical/biopharmaceutical business environment and/or exposure to a technology/IT organization.
Experience supporting leaders who operate in large, global, matrixed organizations with diverse executive stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Manage and proactively prioritize the VP's calendar, along with calendars for other senior leaders across the organization as needed; anticipate and resolve scheduling conflicts across a heavily matrixed stakeholder base before they escalate.
Monitor and triage executive correspondence (email, calls) from a diverse set of internal executive stakeholders, Business Unit IT leaders, and external technology vendors/partners, draft responses, and flag priority actions.
When necessary, coordinate meeting logistics, compile briefing/meeting materials, and prepare or revise presentations and business documents to support governance reviews, portfolio updates, and executive stakeholder communications.
Book and coordinate complex domestic and international travel arrangements for the VP and other senior leaders, reflecting the organization's global footprint across geographies and business units.
Process related expense reports accurately and in a timely manner, ensuring compliance with company travel policy.
Plan and execute large-scale organizational events (e.g., Global Town Halls, leadership offsites, all-hands meetings for a 1,200+ person organization), including vendor sourcing, contracting, budget tracking, on-site logistics, and post-event follow-up.
Own logistics for team building and engagement activities (e.g., summer picnics, holiday events) that foster a culture of inclusion, agility, innovation, and continuous improvement across a large, globally distributed team.
Foster and facilitate departmental reviews, town halls, and cultural/social activities in partnership with organizational leaders and Business Unit IT partners.
Administer SharePoint sites for the organization from a user-access perspective - managing permissions, onboarding/offboarding users across a large employee and non-employee population and maintaining site structure in line with governance policies.
Maintain departmental files and confidential/business-sensitive information (including matters related to budget, vendor contracts, and organizational strategy) in compliance with corporate and legal guidelines.
Support new employee and contractor office setup and onboarding, reflecting the scale of the organization's employee and non-employee workforce.
Process financial transactions as needed, including creating purchase orders, routing/paying invoices, and reconciling related records in compliance with company purchasing policies — supporting an organization managing significant operating and capital budgets and a broad landscape of technology vendor and professional services contracts.
Manage procurement of office supplies and stationery for the organization, tracking inventory and vendor relationships.
Identify and proactively flag cost-saving or process-efficiency opportunities in day-to-day office operations, aligned with the organization's broader focus on total cost of ownership and productivity.
Serve as a trusted point of contact for the VP and leadership team, ensuring effective communication and coordination among Commercial Operations executives, Business Unit IT leaders, and cross-functional partners.
Build and maintain relationships with technology vendors, external partners, facilities, IT, and cross-functional teams to ensure seamless execution of events and operational needs.