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Principal AI Engineer II

AbbVie · North Chicago, IL · Full time · Information Technology

Posted Aug 26, 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

You'd set standards and roadmaps as a discipline expert. How do you get engineering teams to follow a standard you wrote?

What they are checking: Whether they can influence engineering teams to follow standards without direct authority, which is essential at the principal level.

What would you do

You'd take production solutions from prototype through development, testing, validation, deployment and monitoring. Where do most artificial intelligence projects die between prototype and production?

What they are checking: Whether they know from experience why AI projects stall before production, such as data, evaluation, security or ownership gaps.

You'd build reusable services, developer tools and components for enterprise adoption. What makes an internal developer tool get used?

What they are checking: Whether they understand what drives adoption of internal tools, since a platform only matters if engineering teams actually use it.

Validation in a pharmaceutical company has a specific meaning. How do you validate a system whose outputs vary?

What they are checking: Whether they understand validation in a regulated pharma setting and can apply it to probabilistic AI systems with variable outputs.

A team wants to put a model into a workflow where an error would reach a patient or a regulator. How do you handle that request?

What they are checking: Whether they can judge when AI is too risky for patient or regulatory workflows, which is the most important judgment in this setting.

This is at Principal AI Engineer II level at North Chicago. What would you want to know about the platform's current state and adoption before you took it?

What they are checking: Whether they would ask about the platform's current state and adoption before committing, showing they plan for real conditions.

About the work

This role defines artificial intelligence engineering strategy, architecture and standards for the enterprise. Walk me through a platform you have architected and shipped.

What they are checking: Whether they have architected and shipped real AI platforms, which shows ownership at the enterprise level this role requires.

You'd establish practices for evaluation, testing, versioning and release management. How do you version something whose behavior depends on a model you do not control?

What they are checking: Whether they can version and release systems that depend on outside models, a distinctive engineering challenge in enterprise AI.

You'd integrate with cloud services and enterprise data, security, identity and infrastructure environments. Which integration is hardest in a large company, and why?

What they are checking: Whether they understand the practical challenges of enterprise integration, such as identity, security and data access, which often determine success.

What does observability and performance monitoring mean for an artificial intelligence service, as opposed to a conventional one?

What they are checking: Whether they understand how monitoring AI services differs from conventional systems, including output quality, drift and cost tracking.

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The full job description

As published by AbbVie.

As a discipline expert and technology leader, the Principal AI Engineer II will define and advance the strategy, architecture, and engineering practices required to develop, deploy, and scale artificial intelligence solutions across AbbVie. This role will investigate, identify, and implement state-of-the-art technology platforms that drive productivity and efficiency gains in own function and throughout multiple business areas. Technical leader acting at a group, department, and cross-functional levels. Responsible for managing the Data, Solutions, Business, and/or technology environments and tying them to the Enterprise Architecture and other architectures designs. Responsibilities: • Define and advance AI engineering strategy, architecture, standards, and roadmaps aligned with AbbVie’s business and technology objectives. • Architect and build secure, scalable, reusable AI platforms, services, developer tools, and components that support enterprise adoption. • Lead production-grade AI solutions from ideation and prototyping through development, testing, validation, deployment, monitoring, continuous improvement, and retirement. • Integrate AI platforms with AWS services and enterprise data, software, security, identity, and infrastructure environments. • Establish practices for evaluation, testing, versioning, release management, observability, performance monitoring, incident response, and operational support. • Apply risk-based approaches to compliance, GxP, data integrity, privacy, cybersecurity, documentation, traceability, human oversight, and responsible AI. • Partner with Quality, Regulatory, Legal, Privacy, Information Security, scientific, technical, and business stakeholders to deliver fit-for-purpose solutions. • Serve as a trusted technical advisor, facilitate alignment, influence decisions without direct authority, and communicate complex tradeoffs and recommendations to technical and non-technical audiences. • Evaluate emerging technologies, lead innovation and proof-of-concept efforts, and guide promising solutions into sustainable production capabilities. • Mentor engineers, advance engineering maturity, promote knowledge sharing, and represent AbbVie in relevant technical communities and partner engagements. Required • Bachelor’s degree with 9 years’ experience, Master’s degree with 8 years’ experience, or PhD with 4 years’ in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science, Engineering, or a related technical discipline. • Demonstrated experience designing, deploying, and operating production-scale AI and machine learning systems. • Strong experience in AI/platform engineering, including scalable platforms, reusable components, and production-grade AI solutions. • Demonstrated experience designing, building, deploying, and supporting solutions using AWS systems and services. • Strong software and cloud engineering practices, including secure design, automated testing, CI/CD, containerization, monitoring, and operational support. • Experience working in a regulated environment, preferably pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare, medical device, or life sciences. • Experience supporting the full solution lifecycle, including feasibility, design, development, testing, validation, deployment, and ongoing operations. • Strong understanding of risk management, validation, change control, data integrity, cybersecurity, privacy, documentation, and quality requirements. • Demonstrated ability to manage complex stakeholders, influence technical and business decisions, and collaborate across organizational boundaries. • Excellent communication skills with senior leaders, technical teams, scientific experts, business partners, and external collaborators. • Demonstrated innovation and mentoring experience, including advancing engineering practices and delivering measurable impact. Preferred • Experience with enterprise AI governance, responsible AI, model validation, human oversight, and AI lifecycle management. • Experience with MLOps and production engineering, including model evaluation, APIs, microservices, CI/CD, observability, and infrastructure as code. • Open-source contributions or technical thought leadership through publications, patents, or industry working groups. • Experience leading cross-functional product development from feasibility through validation and production implementation. • Enterprise AI or platform experience, including AWS architecture, governance, security, and integration with enterprise environments. 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. 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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