Senior Scientist II, Biologics Drug Product Development (lyophilization)

Senior Scientist II, Biologics Drug Product Development

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 Senior Scientist II, Biologics Drug Product Development, located in North Chicago, IL. We are seeking an accomplished scientist with a proven track record in biologics formulation development, lyophilization and solid-state characterization. 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, device development, product development science and technology, pilot plants and third-party manufacturers.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as subject matter expert in lyophilization process development, characterization and troubleshooting, and solid-state characterization.
• Lead the design and execution of biologics drug product formulation and process development, characterization and robustness studies.
• Lead scale-up and technology transfer activities of bioproducts to internal and external manufacturing sites.
• Keep abreast of the latest advances in biologics formulation, lyophilization and alternative drying technologies.
• Initiate and/or support scientific initiatives to drive innovation, continuously enhance capabilities and platforms, and improve business processes.
• Effectively and timely communicate development plans, risks, and mitigation plans to stakeholders and line management.
• Lead matrix drug product teams for one or more projects and represent Bio DPD in the cross-functional Product Presentation and Device Strategy Team (PPDST) and the CMC Team.
• May supervise and/or mentor junior level scientists and engineers.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelors, Masters, or PhD in pharmaceutics, pharmaceutical sciences, chemistry, chemical engineering, or related disciplines with 12+ (Bachelors), 10+ (Masters), or 4+ (PhD) years of relevant industry experience.
• Proven ability to solve critical scientific problems.
• Experience with biologics (proteins, conjugates, peptides and/or neurotoxins) and/or genetic medicine (AAV, LNPs, cell therapy) formulation and process development.
• Experience with lyophilization process design, characterization, scale-up, modeling and technology transfer.
• Experience with different solid-state characterization methods.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Understanding of relevant cGMP and regulatory guidance.
• Experience with sterile manufacturing unit operations (freeze-thaw, compounding, mixing, filtration and filling) development, characterization, scale-up and technology transfer.
• Experience in managing third party manufacturers.
• Experience with quality risk management and drug product control strategies.
• People management experience.

Key Competencies:

• Deep scientific knowledge and significant hands-on experience with biologics and/or genetic medicine formulation and process 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.

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

• This is an on-site opportunity located at AbbVie's HQ in IL.
• 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.