Director, Computational HitGen / LeadGen Team Lead
Posted Aug 6, 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
The posting asks you to maintain a scientific presence outside AbbVie through publication and conferences. How do you balance that against delivery on the portfolio?
What they are checking: Whether they have a realistic plan for balancing outside scientific visibility with portfolio work, because both are expected and time is limited.
You would lead a global team. How do you develop computational scientists whose specialties differ from your own?
What they are checking: Whether they can develop scientists whose expertise differs from their own, by setting direction and removing obstacles rather than directing technical details.
This asks for roughly eighteen years with a bachelor's, less with advanced degrees, leading a global team in computational drug discovery at North Chicago. What would you want to know about the team's current capability?
What they are checking: Whether they ask what team they would inherit before saying yes, since a leader's first year depends heavily on existing skills and gaps.
What would you do
You would work with small molecule leadership to identify gaps where computational predictions are needed. How do you find a gap that the chemists have not asked you about?
What they are checking: Whether they find problems where computation can help before being asked, which turns a support group into a real partner in discovery.
How do you convince a medicinal chemist to act on a computational prediction they doubt?
What they are checking: Influence with the scientists whose decisions this work exists to change.
You would establish processes for selecting approaches that suit each project. How do you standardize without stopping people using judgment?
What they are checking: Whether they can create consistent processes without removing scientific judgment, since rigid rules in research can block good decisions.
About the work
This role leads computational methods for hit generation and lead generation across a small molecule portfolio. Where do computational predictions genuinely change a discovery decision today?
What they are checking: Whether they can say honestly where computational methods drive decisions and where they do not, since overselling erodes chemists' trust quickly.
You would guide the team in benchmarking models to establish their domain of applicability. How do you decide a model can be trusted for a given program?
What they are checking: Validation rigor, which is what separates useful computational chemistry from noise.
Walk me through choosing between a physics-based approach and a machine learning approach for a given prediction.
What they are checking: Whether they choose methods based on the data and the question in front of them, rather than defaulting to whatever they personally prefer.
The posting describes this as defining how AbbVie leverages AI-native drug discovery. What does that phrase mean to you in practice?
What they are checking: Whether they can convert a slogan into a concrete program.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by AbbVie.