Principal Research Scientist I Engineer ( Onsite-North Chicago, IL ) Full-time

Job Opportunity at AbbVie

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.

Chemical Engineers support API projects through all the phases of late stage development, commercialization, product life cycle. This position will be responsible to ensure processes can be run safely, addressing scale-up issues and developing and implementing robust API process steps from the lab to a manufacturing environment. Once commercialized, the process engineer is responsible for continuous improvement activities, technical transfer to manufacturing sites, and resolution of technical manufacturing issues in a commercial setting. Effective cross functional interactions with quality and regulatory functions and on-site manufacturing personnel is key for successful job performance.

Lead research and/or project activities with a group of scientists within the individual's area of expertise by effectively mentoring, guiding, and/or supervising scientific personnel. Independently conceive, execute, and communicate novel multi-disciplinary research or development strategies that achieve project and area goals. Serve as a lead scientist on his/her own project and contribute scientific insights into multiple other projects. Oversee the design, implementation, and optimization of peptide synthesis processes from development to commercialization.

Desired skills:

• Conceives, designs, conducts research and development for major process to be commercialized.
• Leads the development of processes and programs to optimize or achieve the plant efficiency, product quality, cost control, customer specification or product design changes.
• Leads the technical investigative troubleshooting of product failures and recommends remediation direction.
• Primary author of publications, presentations, regulatory documents, and/or primary inventor of patents.
• Experience and/or education with API and/or natural product processes in pharmaceuticals. Peptide development and/or manufacturing experience is desirable.

Major Responsibilities:

• Conceptualizes and implements approaches using combinations of engineering scientific principles.
• Effectively function as a principal investigator, generating original technical ideas and research or development strategies.
• Utilizes knowledge of engineering, literature, and experience to guide decision for complex situations.
• Independently responsible for project science within his/her area of expertise on one or more project teams.
• Make significant contributions to project team through lab based, or other work environments, activities.
• Generate new scientific proposals and lead those efforts. Anticipate and critically evaluate scientific or regulatory advances or competitive threats and respond with appropriate new strategies.
• Recognized and sought out as an expert in his/her discipline within the company and possibly externally.
• Applies extensive, advanced scientific knowledge to multidisciplinary projects.
• Assures experimental quality through sound experimental design and provides advice on experimental design.
• Implements new technical alternatives for research from literature review, industry knowledge, and development experience.
• Applies computer skills (including word processing, spreadsheets, instrumentation related to corporate network systems and advanced technical software) and author advanced techniques or models (e.g., programming and control algorithms or simulations).
• Applies advanced technical writing skills to produce reports and documents; write independently; evaluates the writing of others. Utilizes numerous analytical instruments, trains others in their operation.
• Anticipates, recognizes, and resolves problems. Functions as an expert in technical/functional areas.

Level of Leadership Activities:

• Leads resolution of compliance quality issues and documents drafting.
• Presents results of projects both internally and externally.
• Reviews and critiques presentations for others.
• Establishes project operation criteria and technical standards for excellence. Generates new product ideas.
• Prepares and aligns impact goals with department divisional goals.
• Actively participates in cross-functional technology transfer teams including team members from development and manufacturing.

Level of Interpersonal Skill:

• Functions as a technical role model and resource/consultant to others.
• Interacts and leads cross functional teams and shares information. Has demonstrated technical leadership in a multi-disciplinary environment.
• Strong verbal, written and presentation skills.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent education and typically 15+ years of experience,
• Master's Degree or equivalent education and typically 12+ years of experience,
• PhD or equivalent education and typically 6+ years of experience,
• Possess thorough theoretical and practical understanding of own scientific discipline

Additional Information:

• The compensation range described below is the range of possible base pay compensation that the Company believes in good faith it will pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors including geographic location, and we may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future.
• We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick), medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.
• This job is eligible to participate in our short-term incentive programs.
• This job is eligible to participate in our long-term incentive programs

AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives and serving our community. Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled.