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Associate Director, CMC Portfolio Management

AbbVie · North Chicago, IL · Full time · Research

Posted Jun 2, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a time you used scenario planning to help a team make a decision.

What they are checking: Whether they use scenario planning to give teams clear choices, rather than a single plan that breaks when assumptions change.

Tell me about a time you became the strategic voice of your team to senior leaders.

What they are checking: Whether they have grown from tracking tasks into advising leaders on strategy, which this role expects them to do regularly.

What would you do

A Program Development Director wants a timeline you know is not realistic. How do you respond?

What they are checking: Whether they hold firm on realistic timelines with senior partners, since overpromising creates bigger problems later in development.

How would you support pre-clinical timelines for early biologics where there is a lot of uncertainty?

What they are checking: Whether they can plan sensibly when early-stage science is uncertain, building flexibility rather than false precision into timelines.

Two programs need the same pilot plant slot. How do you help the organization decide?

What they are checking: Whether they can lay out tradeoffs clearly when programs compete for scarce capacity, helping leaders make fair, informed choices.

About the work

Walk me through how you would build a CMC plan for an early-stage biologic that needs a device.

What they are checking: Whether they understand how CMC and device timelines depend on each other, since a delay in one often stalls the whole program.

How do you build timeline swim lanes that senior leaders can read quickly?

What they are checking: Whether they can present complex plans visually so senior leaders grasp them quickly, which speeds decisions across the portfolio.

How do you run a team meeting so it ends with decisions, owners and dates?

What they are checking: Whether they run meetings that end in decisions and owners, because unproductive meetings slow complex development programs.

How do you keep project plans accurate across many complex programs at once?

What they are checking: Whether they keep plans and data accurate across many programs, because portfolio decisions depend on information people can trust.

What CMC activities usually drive the critical path for a drug development program?

What they are checking: Knowledge of drug substance, drug product, stability and device work.

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The full job description

As published by AbbVie.

The Associate Director, CMC Portfolio Management leads with the development and maintenance of Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) project plans for Product Presentation & Device Strategy Teams (PPDST) using standardized project management tools and processes. These CMC plans are used for decision making on drug development teams and across the R&D portfolio. Responsibilities include maintaining accurate PPDST rosters, generation of timeline swim lanes, and scenario planning interacting with Program Development Directors and key external stakeholders within R&D/Ops/Commercial. Additional responsibilities include Early Biologics Excellence (EBE) pre-clinical timeline support. The candidate is expected to quickly excel at program management responsibilities and seek to establish themselves as a strategic leader of their teams and strong representative of the Development Sciences organization to senior leaders and cross-functional partners. Responsibilities: • Independently provide advanced and extensive project management support to multiple complex (e.g. early-mid stage, requiring a device, etc.) drug development projects, including creation and maintenance of CMC technical plans in Asset Management Platform (AMP), PPDST roster management, and timeline swim lanes for relevant program reviews. • Leads the PPDST Team meetings, including setting agenda topics, capturing action items, and driving discussions with PPDST members. Drives PPDST team accountability to meet project deliverables. Develops multiple project planning scenarios in collaboration with PPDST team members; identifies, monitors, and analyzes business risks. Recognizes when corrective action and planning are necessary and conducts root cause analyses (escalating recommendations to PPDST Team). • Manage activities to ensure functions have the right tools, reports, and AMP data for accurate resource estimates. Supports organization/communication of knowledge management materials (e.g. SharePoint/Team sites, etc.) for PPDST teams. • Independently identifies opportunities for improvement of departmental work processes and manages large and small cross-functional process improvement initiatives. Contributes to defining departmental vision and strategy. Converts departmental and cross-functional goals to tasks and coordinates activities to meet goals. Estimates and manages requirements to achieve defined objectives. • Lead multiple process improvement teams through execution on defined objectives and keep management informed of progress and achieved project milestones. Apply advanced and extensive project management principles and techniques to the coordination and completion of assigned goals and tasks. Prioritize tasks with effective use of time. • Support and advise peer Project Managers/PPDST Co-Chairs on monthly project plan issues and timelines for maintenance and information reporting. Provide data entry for change requests. • Apply advanced project management tools for metrics collection and conduct advanced analysis of project data. Develop guidelines and checklists. Utilize and implement tools to identify novel solutions for metrics collection, data analysis and process improvement. • Serves as local expert for business procedures and recommends solutions to R&D (Development Sciences, Regulatory, etc). Develop and provide advanced training courses, presentations, and guidance to foster best practices. Mentor junior staff on training, presentation development, and delivery. • Establish and maintain strong network within department and external stakeholders. Utilize established organizational network to identify opportunities, gaps and synergies consistent with departmental strategy. Actively manages cross-functional and departmental team behaviors, mediates internal team disputes, and facilitates establishment of high performing teams. May manage Sr. Specialists and/or Program Managers within the department. • Interacts with all levels of employees in support of project coordination. Effectively influences senior R&D leaders regarding project initiatives and direction. Defines performance expectations and assesses progress against plans, processes, and practices to determine effectiveness and areas for process improvement. • Bachelors degree required in a technical or scientific related discipline and 10+ years professional work experience in the pharmaceutical or biotech industry; or Masters degree with 8+ years of work experience; or Doctorate degree with 4+ years of work experience in same disciplines. • Note: Higher education may compensate for years of experience; years of experience may compensate for education • Accreditation in a project management or process improvement discipline highly preferred (e.g. Project Management Professional, LEAN Six Sigma, etc.). • 4+ years Project Management experience, including leadership of a cross-functional team required. Must be able to demonstrate knowledge of project management principles. Ability to work independently and represent sound strategies is required. • Must have clear leadership skills that minimally include: strong written and effective interpersonal communication; capability to clearly present, influence, and logically justify proposals; sound judgment; negotiation and conflict management; effective communication across cultures and disciplines; relationship building and fostering teamwork; and training experience. • Job requires knowledge of the drug development process. • Cross-functional and global project team leadership experience required. • Expertise in the tools and techniques of Project Management and/or Business Excellence (e.g., MS Office software, MS Project, Qlikview, Spotfire, etc.) required. • CMC experience required. Key Stakeholders: Development project program directors/PPDST Co-Chairs, Asset PMTs, PPDST/AST development team representatives, Dev. Sci. Business Operations, Dev. Sci Finance, and CMC Portfolio Management group. 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 thisposting 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 anduntil 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. US & Puerto Rico only - to learn more, visit https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/equal-employment-opportunity-employer.html US & Puerto Rico applicants seeking a reasonable accommodation, click here to learn more: https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/reasonable-accommodations.html

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