About this opportunity
Company Description
About AbbVie: AbbVie is a global, research-driven biopharmaceutical company committed to developing innovative medicines and delivering excellence in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Job Description
As the Operations Leader, you will lead the production of high-quality pharmaceutical drug products in a dynamic and regulated environment. You will ensure your team consistently delivers on operational objectives, compliance standards, safety, and continuous improvement initiatives. This is a highly visible and rewarding leadership role for individuals committed to quality and operational excellence.
Key Responsibilities:
Oversee and execute all drug product manufacturing operations, ensuring compliance with internal and external regulatory standards (including cGMP, HPRA/FDA).
Provide leadership, direction, and motivation to a team of 8-45, ensuring effective performance, strong communication, and development of team members.
Plan staffing and material resources to guarantee smooth, efficient, and safe daily operations.
Coordinate onboarding, training, and ongoing skills development for team members.
Monitor and manage key performance indicators for the department (e.g., yield, production rate, resource usage, attendance, overtime).
Maintain accurate records and timely updates in manufacturing and personnel systems.
Foster a culture of safety, quality, innovation, and continuous improvement throughout the manufacturing area.
Collaborate with other shift leaders and cross-functional teams to deliver operational results and support site-wide projects.
Lead and support facility and equipment/process improvements and Operational Excellence (OpEx) initiatives.
Ensure compliance with safety, environmental, and quality SOPs, and manage adherence to all relevant procedures, policies, and regulations.
Support HR processes including performance management, annual reviews, and employee relations.
Lead the department in preparation for internal and external regulatory inspections/audits.
Demonstrate flexibility regarding shift work and working hour requirements to meet business demands.
Qualifications
Previous experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing, (Oral Solid dose experience preferred.)
Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
Proven ability to manage teams and optimize operational performance.
Diploma in a relevant science or engineering discipline and/or significant relevant experience.
At least 3 years of experience in batch processing within an FDA/HPRA regulated industry, including thorough knowledge of cGMP and pharmaceutical regulatory standards.
Minimum 3 years of supervisory experience in a highly automated manufacturing environment, preferably with demonstrated experience leading process improvements.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with a commitment to quality, accuracy, and a 'Right First Time' ethos.
Proven problem-solving abilities, a continuous improvement mindset, and a strong work ethic with integrity.
Additional Information
Why Join Us?
Work in a forward-thinking, innovative pharmaceutical setting with opportunities to make a tangible impact
Be part of a high-performance team culture with a focus on development and excellence
Competitive compensation, benefits, and career advancement potential
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
How this role compares
Computed from every other active Manufacturing & CMC role in our database, not just this employer's listings.
We currently track 2556 comparable Manufacturing & CMC roles across 173 biopharma companies.
Salary context
663 of 2556 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)
Peers share this role's job function. This posting doesn't list a seniority level, so peers aren't narrowed by seniority either -- the range below may span more levels than usual.
Where these roles are based
Top locations among the 2556 comparable roles
+ 50 more countries
Seniority mix
1172 of 2556 peers have a known seniority level
Therapeutic area mix
12 of 2556 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden
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.
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.
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.
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.