AbbVie Posted November 9, 2026

Associate Scientist II - Formulation

North Chicago, IL Full-time
Notify me about similar jobs

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 Drug Product Design and Development (DPDD) group within the Synthetic Molecule CMC organization at AbbVie is responsible for the design and development of drug products that enable the delivery of AbbVie’s candidate synthetic molecules to support various stages of clinical evaluation, from proof of concept to pivotal studies and life cycle innovation. DPDD collaborates with cross functional teams to devise an integrated and phase appropriate drug product development strategy, design and execute studies to develop bioavailable, stable and manufacturable drug products, and ensure timely delivery of clinical supplies. DPDD is also accountable for optimizing formulation and manufacturing processes to develop commercializable drug products for Phase 3 clinical studies, meeting the needs of the patients we serve and ensuring consistent production of high-quality drug products.

Job Description

AbbVie's DPDD organization is seeking a highly motivated and talented scientist to join our team based in North Chicago, IL. This position focuses on the execution of a formulation strategy, using tools and tests to help understand the performance of formulations; working closely with Formulations project team representatives to drive candidate molecules to the clinic.

Key Responsibilities

Prepare formulations using a wide range of techniques and equipment, from small scale lab experiments to pilot scale in a GMP suite.

Assist in design and selection of formulations using analytical techniques and tests to determine suitability and performance.

Demonstrate strong data interpretation skills, ability to troubleshoot experiments and instrumentation, suggest, design, and pursue relevant experiments.

Ability to learn and understand new experimental techniques and be able to place data in proper scientific context by consulting and citing relevant literature.

Maintain excellent documentation of all work in electronic lab notebooks, including test methods and protocols.

Present results and experimental information in team meetings.

Qualifications

Associate Scientist I/II – Formulation

About AbbVie

AbbVie’s mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines 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, eye care, virology, women’s health, and gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across its Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at  www.abbvie.com . Follow @abbvie on  Twitter ,  Facebook ,  Instagram ,  YouTube  and  LinkedIn .

​Description

The Drug Product Design and Development (DPDD) group within the Synthetic Molecule CMC organization at AbbVie is responsible for the design and development of drug products that enable the delivery of AbbVie’s candidate synthetic molecules to support various stages of clinical evaluation, from proof of concept to pivotal studies and life cycle innovation. DPDD collaborates with cross functional teams to devise an integrated and phase appropriate drug product development strategy, design and execute studies to develop bioavailable, stable and manufacturable drug products, and ensure timely delivery of clinical supplies. DPDD is also accountable for optimizing formulation and manufacturing processes to develop commercializable drug products for Phase 3 clinical studies, meeting the needs of the patients we serve and ensuring consistent production of high-quality drug products.

Job Description

AbbVie's DPDD organization is seeking a highly motivated and talented scientist to join our team based in North Chicago, IL. This position focuses on the execution of a formulation strategy, using tools and tests to help understand the performance of formulations; working closely with Formulations project team representatives to drive candidate molecules to the clinic.

Key Responsibilities

Prepare formulations using a wide range of techniques and equipment, from small scale lab experiments to pilot scale in a GMP suite.

Assist in design and selection of formulations using analytical techniques and tests to determine suitability and performance.

Demonstrate strong data interpretation skills, ability to troubleshoot experiments and instrumentation, suggest, design, and pursue relevant experiments.

Ability to learn and understand new experimental techniques and be able to place data in proper scientific context by consulting and citing relevant literature.

Maintain excellent documentation of all work in electronic lab notebooks, including test methods and protocols.

Present results and experimental information in team meetings.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s Degree, or equivalent education, with typically 3 or more years’ experience or Master’s Degree or equivalent education (no additional experience) in Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field.

Theoretical and practical knowledge to carry out job function.

Understanding of the potential impact of physicochemical and biopharmaceutical properties on oral absorption.

Working knowledge of drug formulation concepts and dosage forms, including excipients and their function.

Experience with formulation preparation (e.g. blending, milling, tablet compression, capsule filling, coating) as well as analytical approaches toward understanding formulation performance (e.g. disintegration, tablet hardness, density properties, particle size, friability).

Excellent oral and written communication skills.

Strong organizational, planning and troubleshooting skills.

Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and adapt to changing conditions.

Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a cross-functional team setting.

Job level will be commensurate with experience

Key Competencies:

Builds strong relationships with peers and cross functionally with partners outside of the team to enable higher performance.

Learns fast, grasps the “essence” and can change the course quickly where indicated.

Raises the bar and is never satisfied with the status quo.

Creates a learning environment, open to suggestions and experimentation for improvement.

Embraces the ideas of others, nurtures innovation and manages innovation to reality.

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 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 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
Associate
Function
Manufacturing & CMC
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
North Chicago, IL
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 690 comparable Associate Manufacturing & CMC roles across 100 biopharma companies.

690Comparable roles tracked
639Currently active
100Companies hiring similar roles
39Countries represented

Salary context

155 of 690 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 $58,656/yr – $110,500/yr
Lowest disclosed · Warehouse Associate I (M-F 11am-7:30pm) · AbbVie $16/hr – $29/hr (≈ $33,280–$60,320/yr)
Highest disclosed · Advisor, Bioanalytical Chemistry · Lilly $168,000/yr – $268,400/yr
Peer group range $46,800 – $218,200 (median $143,350)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 690 comparable roles

United States332
France57
India47
Germany39
Ireland25
Japan22

+ 33 more countries

Seniority mix

690 of 690 peers have a known seniority level

Manager351
Intern/Fellow/Postdoc198
Associate141

Therapeutic area mix

11 of 690 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Vaccines & Infectious Disease7
Rare Disease3
Immunology1

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 Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Devens Devens, United States Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Biogen Research Triangle Park, United States Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
AbbVie Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country

Open in 3 locations

North Chicago, United StatesWorcester, United StatesWaltham, United States
60%similar
Biogen Research Triangle Park, United States Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Merck Rahway, New Jersey, United States of America Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country

Notify me about similar jobs

Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.

Or follow a whole field: get every new Manufacturing & CMC job in the United States, and choose locations and companies.

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%
Research Advisor, Drug Product - SMDD
Lilly · Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America · Associate
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Associate Scientific Technical Engineer II, PDS&T CMC
AbbVie · North Chicago, IL · Associate
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Manufacturing Associate IV, OSM/OPM (ASO) (Days)
Biogen · Research Triangle Park, United States · Associate
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Manufacturing Associate I - Nights (Covington, OH, US, 45318)
Perrigo · Covington, United States · Associate
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.