Director, Global Forecasting COE Standards & Training
About the role
The Director, Global Forecasting Standards & Training leads the vision and direction for AbbVie's global forecasting standards, overseeing the development, documentation, and maintenance of these standards. They also manage a team that trains forecasters, develops training content, and ensures adherence to standards.
Responsibilities
Owns the vision and direction for AbbVie's Global Forecasting Standards—defining the frameworks, methodologies, and best practices that govern forecasting activity across all business units globally.
Leads the team in the ongoing development, documentation, and maintenance of AbbVie Global Forecasting Standards, ensuring they reflect current methodology guidance, evolving business needs, and external best practice.
Maintains a network of internal and external resources to inform continuous improvement of AbbVie's standards, incorporating best-in-class practices from the broader industry.
Partners with functional forecasting leaders and Forecast Champions to ensure standards are grounded in the realities of local forecasting environments.
Sets the strategic direction for AbbVie's forecasting training curriculum, including defining scope, sequencing, and learning objectives.
Designs, develops, and deploys training content across the forecasting community, encompassing onboarding programs, methodology-focused modules, advanced and elective modules, and access to external training programs.
Executes change management and adoption programs that support rollout of new standards, tools, and processes, partnering closely with AbbVie's internal Change Management function to align on approach and leverage enterprise resources and expertise.
Directs Forecaster Engagement Liaisons to ensure consistent application of standards and to surface adoption challenges requiring escalation or strategic response.
Cultivates and manages the Forecast Champions network, enabling peer-to-peer reinforcement of COE standards and practices within local forecasting teams.
Establishes regular forums and communication cadences, delivered by the Liaisons, to keep forecasters informed of standards updates and training opportunities.
Serves as a subject matter authority on forecasting methodology, advising forecasters and finance leaders on how to address novel or complex forecasting challenges.
Provides guidance on analog research, event modeling, and scenario analysis approaches across therapeutic areas and geographies.
Provides guidance on cross-functional initiatives (e.g., launches, LOE planning, label changes) where forecasting methodology expertise is critical.
Leads a team responsible for the execution of training delivery, standards documentation, engagement programs, and change management initiatives across the enterprise forecasting community.
Owns prioritization and work planning for the team, ensuring resources are allocated against the highest-value activities and that individual workloads reflect both organizational needs and team members’ development goals.
Provides regular feedback, coaching, and career development support to direct reports.
Models AbbVie’s Ways of Working and fosters a team culture of intellectual curiosity, inclusivity, and continuous improvement.
Recommends and implements structural changes when needed to support the team’s mission as the COE evolves.
Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in a quantitative field (Finance, Economics, Data Science, Engineering, Life Sciences, or related); advanced degree preferred.
10+ years of relevant experience in the pharmaceutical, biotech, or life sciences industries in quantitative or analytical roles.
10+ years of direct forecasting experience, including hands-on development and maintenance of forecasting models.
Demonstrated ability to set direction and drive adoption across a decentralized stakeholder community without formal authority; influence and credibility are crucial to drive impact in this role.
Deep familiarity with common pharmaceutical data sources (IQVIA TRx/NBRx, 852/867, patient flow, epidemiology) and their application in strategic decision-making.
Demonstrated experience designing and leading training or capability-building programs in a corporate or commercial setting.
Strong communication skills, including dynamic executive presence, analytical storytelling, excellent presentation development, and ability to adapt content for diverse audiences.
Proven ability to influence without direct authority across cross-functional and cross-cultural environments.
Strong stakeholder management skills, including the ability to constructively challenge business partners and forecasting leadership.
Preferred
Experience developing or maintaining standards and governance frameworks within a center of excellence or comparable organizational structure.
Expertise in purpose-built forecasting tools (e.g., Forecast Horizon, ForecastPro, FlexiCast) and their role in enabling forecasting at scale.
Familiarity with data visualization or analytical tools (e.g., PowerBI, SQL, Tableau).
International or multi-geography forecasting experience across product lifecycle.