Senior Principal Research Engineer

AbbVie•North Chicago, IL

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 - immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care - and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Tik Tok.The Device & Combination Product Development (DCPD) team at AbbVie advances innovative drug delivery systems supporting AbbVie's therapeutic, eye care, and aesthetics portfolios. In this senior role, you will lead a global team and several programs to develop robust drug delivery platforms—ranging from autoinjectors to advanced electromechanical infusion pumps—ensuring safety, effectiveness, and process alignment. Working at the intersection of engineering and biopharmaceutics, you will elevate laboratory capabilities and drive multidisciplinary innovation through strategic execution.You will be working with a global cross-functional team to broaden the understanding and implementation of appropriate product and platform development principles within the established processes. It is expected that your collaboration will extend beyond just internal partners to external organizations and potential partners as well. The external activities will require you to develop and foster relationships with third-party development partners globally.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in a science-related field with typically 18+ years of relevant experience; Master's/PharmD with 16+ years; or PhD in a relevant science field with 10+ years of experience.
Deep technical expertise in device and integrated combination product development, including comprehensive understanding of pharmaceutical and delivery system processes.
Proven experience leading global teams and partnering across diverse groups internally and externally.
Experience in developing and implementing process changes and improvements for combination products or medical devices.
Experience in developing new engineering departments within a pharmaceutical or medical device company.
Demonstrated innovation and a record of successful new or improved product releases.
Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills with the ability to influence across scientific disciplines and organizational boundaries.

Responsibilities

Lead multi-site verification and testing strategies aligned with functional and scientific goals, collaborating across disciplines to integrate device and drug-product development.
Develop, harmonize, and streamline phase-appropriate verification and testing methodologies across AbbVie's delivery device portfolio. This also includes application of US and global applicable standards (ISO, AAMI, TIR, etc) in defining verification strategies.
Lead the Verification team: document and clarify roles and responsibilities within DCPD and across the broader organization.
Foster functional expertise by providing mentorship, training, and expert guidance to team members and leadership, while evaluating business challenges and ensuring alignment with DCPD goals.
Advance scientific knowledge by sharing insights, enabling organizational achievement, and advising on current and emerging issues.
Ensure compliance and quality in accordance with AbbVie policies through careful project planning, early risk assessment, and robust fallback strategies.
Identify and integrate emerging scientific and technological trends from internal and external sources to inform functional objectives and advance cross-discipline technology initiatives.