Director, CMC Product Development

Job Description

As a Director, CMC Product Development, you will bring together scientific insight, enterprise perspective, and cross-functional leadership to help transform promising assets into differentiated medicines. As a key member of the Asset Strategy Team (AST) and leader of the CMC team, you will develop and drive an integrated CMC strategy that enables the overarching asset strategy. Serving as the single CMC spokesperson and integrator for the asset, you will connect expertise across the enterprise to drive alignment, informed decisions, and successful product development. This highly visible role offers a unique opportunity to lead multidisciplinary teams, influence asset-level strategy and investment decisions, and engage with senior leaders, external partners, and global health authorities from late discovery through clinical development and transfer to commercial manufacturing. Through scientific judgment, enterprise leadership, and matrix influence, you will navigate complexity, manage risks, align stakeholders, and help advance innovative therapies that meaningfully impact patients’ lives.

0-3 direct reports. Scope: from late-stage Discovery through clinical development to technology and process transfer to commercial manufacturing sites.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as the CMC leader, integrator, and spokesperson on the Asset Strategy Team (AST), connecting CMC strategy with the overarching asset strategy and ensuring clear, timely, and effective communication across the AST, CMC functions, and key stakeholders.
• Lead and inspire highly matrixed, cross-functional Product Presentation and Device Strategy teams (PPDST) and CMC teams, creating clarity of purpose, aligning diverse perspectives, facilitating effective decision-making, and building a collaborative and accountable team culture.
• Develop, communicate, and drive the integrated CMC strategy and development plan for complex assets, translating scientific and technical considerations into clear strategic choices, priorities, timelines, risks, and recommendations for teams and senior leaders.
• Communicate with impact across organizational levels, translating complex CMC topics into clear messages and recommendations, proactively surfacing risks and opportunities, and enabling informed decisions by asset teams, senior leaders, and governance bodies.
• Act as a connector across the organization and throughout the development lifecycle, from late discovery through clinical development and technology transfer to commercial manufacturing. Build strong relationships and alignment across CMC, Clinical, Regulatory, Quality, Operations, Preclinical Safety, ADME, Commercial, external partners, and other stakeholders, while mentoring and developing other CMC leaders and team members.
• Build and sustain trust and credibility with team members, stakeholders, and leadership, leading through natural authority, scientific credibility, sound judgment, and influence rather than hierarchy. Leverage that trust and influence to align priorities, resources, and timelines across functions, navigate ambiguity, resolve issues, foster open dialogue, and build alignment around decisions that successfully advance the asset.
• Shape and strengthen team culture by promoting scientific excellence, inclusion, collaboration, candid dialogue, entrepreneurial thinking, accountability, and a strong sense of shared ownership for the success of the asset and broader portfolio.
• Lead a portfolio of programs across multiple modalities, which may include small molecules, biologics, antibody-drug conjugates, cell and gene therapies, toxins, devices, and implants. Program assignments will consider the CMC PDD’s experience and qualifications to set them up for success, while providing opportunities to broaden their experience, build new capabilities, and grow in the role.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree with at least 12 years of relevant industry experience; Master’s degree with at least 10 years; or PhD with at least 8 years of relevant experience. At least 3 years of experience required in the role of CMC team leader or in relevant role in related CMC function.
• Significant experience in pharmaceutical development, with strong interdisciplinary CMC expertise and an understanding of drug development, global regulatory and quality requirements, and CMC strategies across development stages.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and influence highly matrixed, cross-functional teams, build alignment without relying on formal authority, and establish trust and credibility with team members, stakeholders, and senior leaders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex scientific and technical information into clear strategic choices and recommendations for diverse audiences.
• Strong leadership, interpersonal, negotiation, and influencing skills, combined with sound scientific and business judgment and the ability to make timely decisions.
• Demonstrated strategic thinking, adaptability, learning agility, and ability to navigate ambiguity, with the curiosity and willingness to expand into new scientific areas, technologies, and modalities.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience developing biologics and/or other complex modalities, including antibody-drug conjugates, cell and gene therapies, combination or device products.
• Experience with strategic collaborations, due diligence, external innovation, or integrating externally developed assets or technologies into an internal development pipeline.
• Demonstrated ability and interest in learning new modalities and scientific areas, applying existing CMC and development expertise to new technologies and increasingly complex programs.

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.​

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.

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