Director, Automation
Posted Sep 11, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
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
You'd build a virtual community of practice made up of site automation leaders plus a direct global staff. How do you build a technical community across sites with their own priorities?
What they are checking: Whether they can lead site automation leaders who do not report to them, building shared standards through influence rather than authority.
How do you set a technical standard that sites will follow rather than work around?
What they are checking: Governance that lands, the hard part of a global technical role
How do you develop technical depth in automation engineers spread across the world?
What they are checking: Whether they have a real plan to grow technical depth in engineers across sites, since a global function is only as strong as its people.
What would you do
How do you handle control system cybersecurity on plant equipment that was never designed for it?
What they are checking: A risk this role owns whether the posting names it or not
An automation failure stops production at a site. What's your role in the first twenty-four hours?
What they are checking: Leadership in an incident they'd be accountable for but not present at
How do you support a site automation manager whose problem you can't solve remotely?
What they are checking: Whether they know when to travel, send experts or escalate, because remote advice has limits when a plant's control system is struggling.
This is based at North Chicago with global responsibility. What travel would this realistically involve, and does that work for you?
What they are checking: Whether they have honestly considered the travel a global role requires, because a mismatch on this usually surfaces only after someone has started.
About the work
This role has global responsibility for process control across AbbVie's operations. Walk me through an automation program you've led at more than one site.
What they are checking: Whether they have truly led automation across several plants at once, because a global role demands coordination that single-site experience does not build.
What control platforms have you worked with, and how do you approach a site running something different from the standard?
What they are checking: Whether they know several control platforms and can work sensibly with legacy systems, rather than forcing every site onto one standard overnight.
What does good practice look like for control system validation in a regulated manufacturing environment?
What they are checking: Whether they understand how control systems are validated under GMP, since automation changes at a drug plant carry real regulatory consequences.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by AbbVie.