AbbVie Posted July 8, 2026

Principal Manufacturing Automation Engineer

Branchburg, NJ Full-time
Manufacturing & CMC Principal

AbbVie is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

Company Description

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

Job Description

The Principal Automation Engineer will be responsible for identifying and developing automation technologies and Manufacturing control systems to improve site productivity and quality and safety performance. The Principal Automation Engineer will be the technical lead for automation development and the site Subject Matter Expert (SME) for new and existing Manufacturing control systems.

Responsibilities

•Identify opportunities for automation improvements to Manufacturing productivity, quality, and EHS (environmental, health, and safety), including technology options, vendor identification, and project business cases.

•Develops moderate to complex control configuration or programming in accordance with design documents to meet functional requirements.

•Acts as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Automation Applications, leading the design and deployment of automated visual systems, aggregation, and other track and trace systems on packaging and manufacturing lines.

•Lead and support site digitalization, AI, robotics and Factory of the Future initiatives.

•Integrates vision inspection technologies (cameras, lighting, optics) with track and trace hardware (printers, scanners) to form a cohesive quality and identification system.

•Ensures seamless data flow and integration from vision and track-and-trace systems to control systems (PLCs, printers, scanners) and enterprise-level software (ERP or MES).

•Leads the development and execution of OT Systems lifecycle deliverables, including validation activities and associated documentation like System Functional and Design Specifications.

•Implements tools for OT Systems administration and maintenance, such as operating system (OS) and antivirus updates, user account management, and critical data backup.

•Establishes project management techniques to monitor, report on, and control automation projects according to size and criticality (medium to large projects). Supports capital projects when automation expertise is required.

•Conforms to EHS management system requirements and compliance obligations, promotes continuous improvement, and considers EHS aspects during the design and change process.

•Diagnoses and troubleshoots OT System hardware, software, and networking issues, replace defective components as needed. Responsible for implementing and validating OT systems upgrades and data migrations for DCS, PLC’s, SCADA, and Data Historian systems.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field is required.

Minimum 10 years experience developing and maintaining automation software and equipment and PLC systems in a manufacturing environment; AI and machine learning experience, including experience with new technology development for new product introductions.

Direct experience with system development and validation, including development of system specifications (DS, FS, URS) and risk-based validation strategies, and validation protocol development and execution.

Demonstrated knowledge of 21 CFR Part 11 requirements for automated systems in the pharmaceutical or medical device industries.

Demonstrated problem solving skills and innovative thinking to develop and implement untested solutions.

Ability to provide technical program leadership, including external vendor management and lead cross-functional team including internal and external resources.

Preferred:

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering is Highly Desired

(10) years of experience with Automation Equipment specifically in SCADA and PLC programming in ladder logic and instructional texts is Highly Desired

Experience with HMI graphics development and management is Highly Desired

Experience with commissioning and qualification activities, including computerized systems validation Highly Desired

Experience administering and/or configuring a data historian system is Highly Desired

Direct experience with common machine vision platforms (e.g., Cognex, Keyence, Omron, etc).  Solid understanding imaging principles, including lighting, optics and camera technology is Highly Desired.

Experience with serialization and aggregation systems. Knowledge of various marking technologies, including 1D/2D barcodes, QR codes and RFID Highly Desired.

Experience with robotics by implementing, and supporting advanced control systems, machine vision, and track-and-trace solutions Highly Desired

Experience in pharmaceutical and biotechnology or medical device manufacturing processes, including operational best practices and regulatory expectations Highly Desired.

Additional Information

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 thisposting 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 long-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 anduntil paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole and absolute discretion, consistent with applicable law.

AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives and serving our community.  Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled.

US & Puerto Rico only - to learn more, visit  https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/equal-employment-opportunity-employer.html

US & Puerto Rico applicants seeking a reasonable accommodation, click here to learn more:

https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/reasonable-accommodations.html

Job details

Seniority
Principal
Function
Manufacturing & CMC
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Branchburg, NJ
Employment type
Full-time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Manufacturing & CMC role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 393 comparable Principal Manufacturing & CMC roles across 56 biopharma companies.

393Comparable roles tracked
368Currently active
56Companies hiring similar roles
19Countries represented

Salary context

188 of 393 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject $109,500/yr – $208,500/yr
Lowest disclosed · Senior Scientist II – CMC Developmental Sciences · AbbVie $0/hr – $0/hr (≈ $0–$0/yr)
Highest disclosed · Director, Global Automation Engineering · AbbVie $182,000/yr – $346,000/yr
Peer group range $0 – $264,000 (median $150,600)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 393 comparable roles

United States282
India42
Singapore10
Ireland9
Netherlands7
Switzerland6

+ 13 more countries

Seniority mix

393 of 393 peers have a known seniority level

Senior251
Principal78
Director64

Therapeutic area mix

2 of 393 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology1
Vaccines & Infectious Disease1

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

60%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Lilly Louisville, Colorado, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Lilly Watertown, Massachusetts, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

60%
Senior/Principal Scientist, Bioprocess Purification Development
Lilly · Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Senior Principal Scientist, Analytical Sciences
Lilly · Watertown, Massachusetts, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Sr. Principal or Engineering Advisor - Agentic Lab Automation Integration
Lilly · Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Principal Scientist, Downstream Process Development
Merck · Rahway, New Jersey, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.