Senior Scientist II, Automation Engineering

About the role

The Technology and Therapeutic Platforms group has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Scientist, Automation Engineer to join the Advanced Chemistry Technologies (ACT) team at AbbVie. This scientist will develop and implement laboratory automation to support high-throughput organic synthesis in a drug discovery environment. The role will serve as a lead scientist on one or more projects, critically evaluate relevant scientific and technological advances, and integrate that knowledge into research programs. The successful candidate will drive scientific innovation, identify new methods and techniques, and collaborate across functions to support the drug discovery pipeline.

Responsibilities

• Lead research and automation efforts to expand the team’s high-throughput organic synthesis capabilities
• Design, implement, and maintain laboratory automation systems to increase throughput
• Write scripts for common liquid-handling platforms such as Tecan, Hamilton, and ChemSpeed
• Interpret experimental results, draw conclusions, and design iterative follow-up experiments
• Work independently while maintaining high productivity, efficiency, and scientific rigor
• Develop and implement new experimental protocols and techniques for drug discovery, with an emphasis on automation and high-throughput organic synthesis
• Demonstrate scientific initiative and creativity to resolve key project challenges
• Adapt quickly to changing priorities and shifting project needs

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Organic Chemistry or a related field and typically 12 years of experience OR Master’s Degree and typically 10 years of experience OR PhD and 4 years of experience
• Demonstrated scientific initiative and creativity in research or development activities
• Ability to identify and resolve key project challenges using available information and technical expertise
• Background in chemical engineering, chemistry, or automation engineering
• Experience in automation and medium- to high-throughput experimentation
• Experience with machine learning and data science techniques, including designing experiments to build and validate AI/ML tools
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with experience contributing to technical reports and publications

Key Leadership Competencies

• Builds strong relationships with peers and cross-functional partners to improve performance
• Learns quickly, understands the core issues, and adapts as needed
• Raises standards and continuously seeks improvement
• Creates a learning environment that encourages feedback and experimentation
• Values others’ ideas, fosters innovation, and balances creativity with practical execution

Pay

$109,500 - $208,500 USD