Senior Director, Finance
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
You would ensure results comply with AbbVie policy, Sarbanes-Oxley and generally accepted accounting principles, and enhance internal controls. Tell me about a control weakness you found and closed.
What they are checking: Whether they have personally found and fixed a control gap, which shows they own compliance instead of leaving it to auditors.
Tell me about a time you had to tell a senior leader that a program's spending would not fit the plan.
What they are checking: Whether they deliver unwelcome budget news early, clearly and with options, because finance only earns trust by being honest about overruns.
This is a senior director seat in North Chicago supporting research and development finance, alongside several other AbbVie finance roles posted at once. Why the research side rather than commercial?
What they are checking: Whether they truly want research finance and understand how it differs, rather than taking whichever senior finance opening came first.
What would you do
You would drive the plan, update, latest best estimate and long-range plan cycles. How do you get research and development leaders to commit to numbers when the science is uncertain?
What they are checking: Whether they can get firm numbers from scientists facing real uncertainty, using ranges and stated assumptions rather than forcing false precision.
How do you develop contingency plans when performance is tracking behind?
What they are checking: Whether they spot shortfalls early and bring options to leaders, instead of simply reporting a miss after it happens.
How do you present research and development financial performance to leaders who think in programs rather than cost centers?
What they are checking: Whether they can frame financial results around programs and milestones, so scientific leaders understand and actually use the numbers.
About the work
This role leads financial reporting and planning for research and development finance. What makes research and development finance different from commercial finance?
What they are checking: Whether they understand that R&D spend runs for years before any revenue, so planning and tracking must follow programs and milestones.
You would lead the monthly, quarterly and annual close. How do you shorten a close without losing accuracy?
What they are checking: Whether they have practical ways to speed up the close, like automation and earlier reconciliations, without letting accuracy slip.
You work with internal and external audit through all audit cycles. How do you make an audit uneventful?
What they are checking: Whether they prepare documentation and answers ahead of time, so audits go smoothly and do not pull the team off its work.
What do you look at to tell whether research and development spend is productive rather than just large?
What they are checking: Whether they think about what R&D spending delivers, like milestones and pipeline progress, rather than only keeping costs in line.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by AbbVie.