Principal Research Scientist II

AbbVie’s mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas including immunology, oncology and neuroscience—and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio.

About the role

We are seeking a Device Technical Lead to join the Injection Device Development group within Operations. In this role, you will provide technical leadership for the development, evaluation, and lifecycle management of devices and combination products. You will serve as a key technical expert and cross-functional partner, helping drive robust design, regulatory readiness, and successful delivery of new or improved products.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute technical strategy aligned with functional goals and program priorities.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration with key stakeholders in operations, R&D, quality, regulatory, manufacturing, procurement, and device engineering.
• Provide expertise in device design, combination product development, design controls, verification and validation, risk management, and human factors.
• Ensure strong technical planning, early risk assessment, and effective mitigation strategies for major project outcomes.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, standards, and regulatory trends and translate insights into action.
• Drive innovation through improved tools, methods, and technologies that enhance performance, usability, manufacturability, and patient safety.
• Mentor and influence technical colleagues and project teams.
• Present technical concepts, study results, and recommendations to varied audiences.
• Contribute to technical decisions by assessing feasibility, risks, tradeoffs, and impacts to deliverables.
• Build strong relationships with internal and external collaborators to support successful development and launch.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field with 16 years of experience; Master’s degree or PhD with commensurate experience strongly preferred.
• Experience leading device or combination product development in a regulated environment.
• Knowledge of design controls (e.g., 21 CFR 820 / ISO 13485 (Design Controls), risk management, verification and validation, human factors, and product development lifecycle).
• Strong ability to turn technical strategy into executable plans.
• Demonstrated success with product launches, improvements, or technology implementation.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills.
• Experience mentoring others and influencing without direct authority.
• Working knowledge of regulatory expectations and industry standards.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and make sound decisions even when inputs appear ambiguous.

Benefits

• Comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick), medical/dental/vision insurance, and 401(k) for eligible employees.
• Eligibility to participate in long-term incentive programs.

Pay

The compensation range described is the range of possible base pay that AbbVie believes in good faith it will pay for this role at the time of posting, based on the job grade. Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on factors including geographic location. This range may be modified in the future.