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Senior Principal Research Scientist Engineering

AbbVie · North Chicago, IL · Full time · Research

Posted May 6, 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 new technology or approach you introduced that made process development faster.

What they are checking: Whether they drive innovation that changes how the group works, not just individual projects.

Tell me about a cross-functional collaboration you built and kept going over time.

What they are checking: Whether they can sustain partnerships across functions, which the posting names directly.

How do you develop the scientists on a technical team you lead?

What they are checking: Whether they build team capability rather than doing the key work themselves.

What would you do

A process that worked at lab scale fails at pilot scale. How do you lead the team through it?

What they are checking: Whether they can diagnose scale-up problems using engineering fundamentals and keep the team focused.

You see a process risk on a project that is not yours. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they speak up proactively across projects, as the posting expects.

About the work

Walk me through how you would develop and scale a manufacturing process for an antibody-drug conjugate.

What they are checking: Whether they understand conjugation chemistry, purification and the containment needed for potent payloads.

How does process development for genetic medicines like LNPs differ from traditional biologics?

What they are checking: Whether they have real breadth across novel modalities, which the posting asks for.

How do you use process characterization to define a design space for a regulatory filing?

What they are checking: Whether they understand quality by design and how to support CMC regulatory content.

How do you use modeling or engineering principles to reduce the number of experiments needed?

What they are checking: Whether they apply chemical engineering fundamentals to make development more efficient.

How would you approach process development for a toxin or a cosmetic active ingredient?

What they are checking: Whether they can adapt their skills to unusual products the group supports.

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The full job description

As published by AbbVie.

Role Overview The successful Process Engineering candidate will play a key technical team leader role in the R&D Process Engineering function. In addition to a strong background in fundamentals of chemical engineering, the ideal candidate will have demonstrated experience in the biologics, peptides, ADC development and genetic medicines as a strong technical team leader. The candidate must have demonstrated initiative in building and sustaining cross-functional collaborations. In addition to leading the technical team, the successful candidate is also expected to lead the identification and development of novel approaches and technologies to enhance process development efficiency and commercialization of novel modalities. The candidate must exhibit a collaborative behavior in proactively identifying process challenges on a wide range of pipeline and innovation projects, take a leadership role in a cross-functional team to deliver specific project needs, and take on a scientific leadership role in developing and implementing solutions. Key Responsibilities: • Develop robust manufacturing processes, supporting assets including novel modalities through all phases of clinical development. • Lead project teams towards process development and characterization of new synthetic and large molecule assets. • Influence process development of toxins, cosmetic active ingredients and genetic medicines proactively. • Lead scale-up of laboratory processes in the pilot plant. • Set project strategies, define project responsibilities and timelines, and provide leadership in a matrixed team setting. • Address challenging problems with biochemical reactions, separations, and/or isolations using expertise in reaction kinetics, transport phenomena, and mathematical modeling. • Establish, communicate, and execute research plans. • Exhibit a collaborative nature in identifying process challenges on a wide range of projects and communicate findings and recommendations effectively by multi-disciplinary interactions with organic chemists, analytical chemists, process development engineers, pilot plant engineers, drug product development scientists, program managers, and regulatory affairs specialists. • Author and/or review technical documents summarizing process development efforts and contribute to regulatory filings. • Strengthen scientific brand of Process Engineering while providing mentorship to direct reports and process engineering colleagues. • BS, MS, or PhD in Chemical/Bio Engineering or a related field and 18+ (BS), 16+ (MS), or 10+ (PhD) years of relevant biopharmaceuticals industrial experience. • Ph.D. candidates with pertinent research exposure are also encouraged to apply. • Job level will be commensurate with academic and/or industrial work experience. • Candidates are expected to have a strong foundations in chemical engineering and the proven ability to demonstrate their skills in this field. • The candidate is expected to demonstrate the ability to solve challenging technical problems and champion next generation of innovative technologies to achieve project goals around novel modalities. • The candidate is required to be a strong team player and demonstrate scientific leadership, possessing effective oral and written communication skills for facilitating co-creation and leading cross-functional process development teams. 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 postingbased 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 orless 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 short-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 paidand 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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