Principal Research Scientist I, Biologics Drug Product Development

About the role

Biologics Drug Product Development (Bio DPD), a part of Development Sciences within AbbVie's R&D, is a global organization that is responsible for drug product formulation and process development, and definition of the product presentation for biologics (proteins, conjugates, peptides, neurotoxins etc.) and genetic medicine (AAV, LNPs, Cell Therapy).

AbbVie is seeking a highly motivated candidate for the position of Principal Research Scientist I, located in North Chicago, IL. We are seeking an accomplished scientist with a proven track record in biologics drug product development. This position will be an integral part of the product development and CMC teams and will have strong collaborations with several stakeholders, including discovery research, analytical research and development, bioprocess development, combination products development, product development science and technology, pilot plants and third-party manufacturers.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the DP Team Lead and represent the Bio DPD function in the cross-functional Product Presentation and Device Strategy Team (PPDST) and the CMC Team for one or more pipeline programs spanning early- and late-stage development.
• Serve as a technical expert in ultra-high concentration co-formulation and product development.
• Lead the design and execution of biologics drug product formulation and process development, characterization and robustness studies.
• Lead drug product process scale-up and technology transfer activities to internal and external manufacturing sites.
• Effective and timely communication of development plans, risks, and mitigation plans to stakeholders and line management.
• Initiate and/or support scientific initiatives to drive innovation, continuously enhance capabilities and platforms, and improve business processes.
• Supervise a team of 2-3 scientists that may include other DP team leads.

Required Qualifications

• BS, MS, or PhD in Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related disciplines with 14+ (Bachelors), 12+ (Masters), or 6+ (PhD) years of relevant industry experience.
• Proven ability to solve critical scientific problems.
• Experience with biologics (proteins, conjugates, peptides and/or neurotoxins), parenteral synthetic molecules and/or genetic medicine (AAV, LNPs, cell therapy) drug product formulation development.
• Experience with sterile manufacturing unit operations (freeze-thaw, compounding, mixing, filtration and filling, lyophilization), characterization, scale-down models, simulation, scale-up, technology transfer, and batch record authoring.
• Experience leading drug product development workstream as the functional lead within cross-functional teams

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with development and commercialization of ultra-high concentration liquid formulations for fixed dose combination products.
• Hands-on experience with authoring regulatory filings for biologics and sterile parenteral products.
• Understanding of relevant cGMP and regulatory guidance for biologics and sterile parenteral products.
• Experience in managing third-party manufacturers of sterile parenteral products.
• Experience with quality risk management and control strategies for biologics and sterile parenteral products.

Key Competencies

• Deep scientific knowledge and significant hands-on experience with ultra-high co-formulation development and characterization.
• Effectively communicates to influence without authority, drives technical excellence, and inspires continuous improvement.
• Builds strong relationships with peers and cross-functional partners to enable higher performance.
• Connects ideas from disparate fields, integrates data and information quickly, and takes risks to achieve the highest performance.
• Raises the bar and is never satisfied with the status quo.
• Creates a learning environment, open to suggestions and experimentation for improvement.
• Embraces the ideas of others, nurtures innovation and manages innovation to reality

Additional Information

Applicable only to applicants applying to a position in any location with pay disclosure requirements under state or local law:

• 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 long-term incentive programs.

Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, incentive, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole and absolute discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company's sole and absolute discretion, consistent with applicable law.