Senior Section Manager, Automation
AbbVie
August 13, 2026
On-site
North Chicago, IL
$124,500 - $236,500 USD yearly
Operations
Responsibilities:
- Set, direct, and control department and financial goals, budget, and objectives for the assigned automation area.
- Drive and lead the automation department to meet site/automation business strategies; manage cost center expenses, project budgets, and project delivery for plant/facility programs.
- Ensure compliance with applicable policies/procedures; deliver quality/effective key results via sound design, early risk assessments, and fallback strategies.
- Anticipate consequences (defects/failure modes) of process design changes; mitigate risk using early risk assessments and fallback strategies.
- Recommend and implement automation business strategies and controls to reduce costs, increase efficiencies, and drive world-class performance.
- Collaborate cross-functionally to define action plans, timelines, and budgets; manage/plan/assign automation resources.
- Analyze market forces (customers, suppliers, competitors, technologies, government regulations) and recommend responses; execute/direct novel automation design of products/processes/equipment/systems/facilities.
- Develop and manage staff (hiring, performance, talent development, clear expectations).
- Provide daily leadership to the Automation Team; manage training, org structure, and project management; directly supervise Project Engineering personnel.
- Lead strategic planning for the next fiscal year capital plan; administer annual site capital plan and department budget; deliver capital plan “last best estimates” (LBE).
- Prioritize projects to achieve financial targets supporting business objectives and life cycle costs.
- Administer asset management, project lifecycle, and energy sustainability programs; drive site capital long-range plan from development to submission.
- Ensure EHS compliance; promote continuous improvement and consider EHS aspects during design and change processes.
- Ensure engineering/commissioning documents are filed in the Technical Library and CAD repository is up to date.
- Lead capital project definition through RCE development, engineering cost estimate, design, project plan integration, construction, and commissioning/qualification compliance.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s in engineering/science or related field (or equivalent experience); 10+ years significant engineering and/or operational experience (post-graduate desired).
- Leadership and business acumen.
- DeltaV required.
- Pharmaceutical experience preferred.
- Change management expert.
- Experience with large-scale manufacturing expansions and builds.
- Strong engineering lead experience in biopharma; technical contributions to product/process development or improvement.
- Ability to communicate with senior management and maintain stakeholder relationships.
- Demonstrated competency with financial systems and fiscal control.
- Computer literate (Microsoft Office, AutoCAD, SAP, etc.).
- Set, direct, and control department and financial goals, budget, and objectives for the assigned automation area.
- Drive and lead the automation department to meet site/automation business strategies; manage cost center expenses, project budgets, and project delivery for plant/facility programs.
- Ensure compliance with applicable policies/procedures; deliver quality/effective key results via sound design, early risk assessments, and fallback strategies.
- Anticipate consequences (defects/failure modes) of process design changes; mitigate risk using early risk assessments and fallback strategies.
- Recommend and implement automation business strategies and controls to reduce costs, increase efficiencies, and drive world-class performance.
- Collaborate cross-functionally to define action plans, timelines, and budgets; manage/plan/assign automation resources.
- Analyze market forces (customers, suppliers, competitors, technologies, government regulations) and recommend responses; execute/direct novel automation design of products/processes/equipment/systems/facilities.
- Develop and manage staff (hiring, performance, talent development, clear expectations).
- Provide daily leadership to the Automation Team; manage training, org structure, and project management; directly supervise Project Engineering personnel.
- Lead strategic planning for the next fiscal year capital plan; administer annual site capital plan and department budget; deliver capital plan “last best estimates” (LBE).
- Prioritize projects to achieve financial targets supporting business objectives and life cycle costs.
- Administer asset management, project lifecycle, and energy sustainability programs; drive site capital long-range plan from development to submission.
- Ensure EHS compliance; promote continuous improvement and consider EHS aspects during design and change processes.
- Ensure engineering/commissioning documents are filed in the Technical Library and CAD repository is up to date.
- Lead capital project definition through RCE development, engineering cost estimate, design, project plan integration, construction, and commissioning/qualification compliance.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s in engineering/science or related field (or equivalent experience); 10+ years significant engineering and/or operational experience (post-graduate desired).
- Leadership and business acumen.
- DeltaV required.
- Pharmaceutical experience preferred.
- Change management expert.
- Experience with large-scale manufacturing expansions and builds.
- Strong engineering lead experience in biopharma; technical contributions to product/process development or improvement.
- Ability to communicate with senior management and maintain stakeholder relationships.
- Demonstrated competency with financial systems and fiscal control.
- Computer literate (Microsoft Office, AutoCAD, SAP, etc.).