Senior Engineer, Process Development - AbbVie

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 – immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. 

This position is an individual contributor function, working with a team of scientists, engineers and laboratory support personnel to provide technical support to the Neurotoxin & Biologics Process Science (NBPS) at AbbVie. The NBPS supports the R&D Biologics pipeline through drug substance process development (via fermentation and purification) and manufacturing of DS for discovery, bioanalytical and pre-clinical toxicology studies.

The primary function of this role is to provide engineering support to the NBPS team with a focus in process controls and instrumentation but also supports the planning and execution of small to medium sized capital projects involving process equipment. In addition to project engineering, other responsibilities may include collaboration with bioprocessing engineers, scientist and lab operations on the introduction of new processes and technologies into the NBPS development labs. Additionally, this role will provide day-to-day lab support as needed including troubleshooting of process equipment and control systems.

Responsibilities:

• Designs, programs and tests software configuration changes to Distributed Control Systems and Programmable Logic Controllers to support process changes and new equipment. Documentation of configuration changes including generating/updating functional specifications and P&IDs.
• Troubleshoots equipment problems, performs root cause analysis and identifies corrective actions.
• Responsible for troubleshooting and maintaining SCADA systems. Identify and resolve hardware and software issues, perform regular maintenance tasks as needed, and ensure that the system is running smoothly.
• Provide technical support to users of the system; help users troubleshoot problems, answer questions, and provide training on how to use the system effectively.
• Designs and specifies control system hardware including controllers and instrumentation as required to support capital projects. Evaluates new technologies for application for process development and implementation.
• Plans and executes small to medium sized capital projects involving process equipment and/or controls including preparation of scope documents, cost estimates and requests for capital expenditure.
• Manages execution including design and commissioning/qualification. Controls project budget and prepares monthly progress reports.
• Estimates and coordinates resources needed (materials, budget, time and people) to accomplish assigned individual tasks. Anticipates future directions. Benchmarks internally and externally.
• Recognizes changes in the environment and present resources as indicators of future problems and opportunities; prepares for such eventualities.
• Independently executes the design of processes/equipment/systems by applying standard engineering theories, concepts, and techniques within the discipline. Independently investigates, conducts tests or experiments.
• Improve methods/designs/processes. Recognizes and implements good ideas/innovations/costs reductions; consistently generates/adopts original solutions to problems and reduces them to practices.
• Mentor others by sharing technical expertise and providing feedback and guidance. Resolves underlying problems.
• Identifies full range of customer/client needs and proposes solutions to address them; makes alterations in products or services to better meet (recognized or unrecognized) customer needs.

• A bachelor’s degree in engineering (Chemical, or Mechanical preferred) with a desired 6 - 8 years of significant engineering and/or operational experience. Additional post-graduate education may contribute towards the desired years of experience.
• Has a technical background in pharmaceutical, biologics, or similar industries (preferred).
• Possesses a working technical knowledge of fermentation process control systems.
• Possesses a working technical knowledge of fermentation process control systems including hardware, software, and instrumentation.
• Experience and familiarity with distributed control systems (SCADA and Ignition preferred) and Programmable Logic Controllers (Allen Bradley preferred).
• Experience with the planning and execution of small to mid-size capital projects including cost estimating, design, construction, scheduling, and cost control. construction, scheduling, and cost control.
• Working technical knowledge and application of concepts, practices, and procedures.
• Ability to work on problems of moderate scope where analysis of situations or data requires a review of identifiable factors.
• Demonstrate judgement within defined procedures and practices to determine appropriate action.

Attributes:

• Must work in BSL2 and BSL3 select agent and toxin laboratories.
• Interacts well with diverse groups within engineering and maintains strong working relationships with internal and external collaborators and vendors.
• Listens to and understands others' points of view and articulates tactfully and respectfully one's own perspective orally, in writing, and in presentations.
• Works well with other engineers in a collaborative, fast-paced goal-driven environment.
• Can maintain effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work tasks or schedule, adjusting effectively to work within new work structures, processes, and requirements.
• Possesses interpersonal skills to negotiate and reconcile differences.

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 posting based 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 or less 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 paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole and absolute discretion, consistent with applicable law. ​​

AbbVie is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives, serving our community and embracing diversity and inclusion.  It is AbbVie’s policy to employ qualified persons of the greatest ability without discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy), physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, status as a protected veteran, or any other legally protected group status.