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Project Engineering Manager

AbbVie · North Chicago, IL · Full time · Engineering

Posted Aug 19, 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 project heading for an overrun. What was the earliest sign, and what did you do?

What they are checking: Early detection and intervention on a capital project.

Describe developing an engineer on your team into someone who could run a project alone.

What they are checking: The personnel and training management this role owns.

This leads the project engineering department at North Chicago with the site capital plan and department budget. What do you want to know about the size of the capital program, the team and the site's expansion plans?

What they are checking: Checking the scale of the program before taking it on.

What would you do

Two projects both need the same engineer and both have senior sponsors. How do you decide?

What they are checking: The difficult priority decisions this posting explicitly names.

Energy sustainability is part of this role. How do you build a sustainability case that survives a capital review?

What they are checking: Making a sustainability project compete financially.

How do you ensure environment, health and safety compliance across projects run by different engineers and contractors?

What they are checking: Safety accountability across a department, not a single project.

About the work

This owns the site capital plan. Walk me through how you build next fiscal year's plan and what usually gets cut.

What they are checking: Capital planning judgment, including the hard prioritization.

How do you deliver a last best estimate that finance can rely on when projects are still moving?

What they are checking: The forecast discipline this posting names by its internal term.

How do you build a capital long-range plan for a site where the manufacturing needs may change?

What they are checking: Long-range planning under genuine uncertainty.

How do you run asset management and project lifecycle programs so equipment is replaced before it fails rather than after?

What they are checking: The asset and lifecycle program this posting includes.

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The full job description

As published by AbbVie.

An engineering professional leader responsible for capital strategy vision and master plan development. Drive the capital long range plan program, annual capital plan management, and financial compliance. Lead team of engineers to implement facilities, utilities, and equipment capital projects. Responsibilities Provides daily leadership to the Project Engineering department. These responsibilities include personnel management, training management, department organizational structure and project management. This position directly supervises the activities of Project Engineering personnel consisting of a mix of exempt, nonexempt, and contractors. • Lead the project strategic planning of next fiscal year capital plan. • Administer and lead the annual site capital plan and department budget. • Deliver capital plan last best estimates (LBE) as per the established frequency by finance and project accounting. • Makes difficult decisions regarding priorities between projects. Responsible for achieving the projects and capital plan financial targets in support of business objectives and life cycle costs. • Administer asset management, project lifecycle, and energy sustainability Programs. • Drive the site capital long range plan from development to submission. • Assure fulfillments of corporate policies and procedures. Ensure compliance of environmental, health, and safety (EHS) requirements and obligations. Promote continuous improvement and consider EHS aspects during the project design and change process. • Ensure that the required engineering and commissioning documents are filed in the Technical Library and drawing (CAD) repository system is up to date. • Responsible of capital project definition, request capital expenditure (RCE) development, engineering cost estimate, design, project plan integration, construction, and compliance with commissioning and qualification requirements. • Oversite of Site Master Plan • Bachelor’s Degree in engineering, science, or closely related discipline is desired, or equivalent technical experience plus demonstrated competence, with a desired 10+ years of significant engineering and/or operational experience. A post-graduate education/degree is desired and may contribute towards the desired years of experience. • Strong Engineering lead role experience in the Biopharma industry. Demonstrated consistent technical contributions and accomplishments. Significant contribution to product or process development or improvement through creative application of technical effort will equally be recognized. • Able to interact and communicate with Senior Management and other groups within AbbVie engineering and maintains strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders and collaborators. • Has demonstrated competency with financial systems and in fiscal control. • Computer literate including but not limited to Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Project, Outlook), AutoCAD, SAP, among others. • Listens to and understands other’s point of view and articulates tactfully and respectfully one’s own perspective orally, in writing, and in presentations. Possesses a strong technical knowledge and application of concepts, practices, and procedures. Works on problems of complex scope where analysis of situations or data involves multiple competing factors. Exercises judgment and advises management as to the appropriate actions. 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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