AbbVie Posted October 20, 2026

Pathology Associate Scientist II - Translational Medicine

Irvine, CA Full-time
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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 Pathology Laboratory within Local Delivery Translational Sciences (LDTS) develops, validates, and applies investigative pathology-based methods to support drug discovery, translational research, and nonclinical safety programs. The laboratory helps pathologists and scientists characterize compound-induced effects related to target-organ injury in animal and human tissues, characterize animal models of disease, develop target-engagement endpoints, evaluate local drug biodistribution, and address key questions that advance eyecare, aesthetics, and botulinum toxin development programs.

The Pathology Associate II is an experienced laboratory professional responsible for independently performing routine histology, specialized ocular histology, and related laboratory activities in support of nonclinical safety and investigative research studies. This role works closely with pathologists, scientists, and laboratory colleagues to coordinate study support, maintain laboratory equipment and supplies, manage pathology materials, and assist with specialized histology procedures such as immunohistochemistry (IHC) and special stains.

As a member of a small, collaborative team, the successful candidate will apply strong histology expertise, attention to detail, and sound laboratory judgment to support timely, high-quality study execution and efficient pathology laboratory operations.

Responsibilities

Independently perform routine histology procedures, including tissue trimming, embedding, microtomy, slide preparation, staining, and coverslipping.

Perform specialized ocular histology procedures and support preparation of ocular tissues for nonclinical safety and investigative studies.

Perform or assist with immunohistochemistry (IHC), special stains, and other pathology laboratory procedures according to established protocols.

Prepare, label, organize, track, archive, package, ship, and receive tissue blocks, slides, biological specimens, and other study-related materials.

Operate histology equipment, including tissue processors and automated staining systems, and coordinate routine maintenance, calibration, and troubleshooting activities.

Maintain accurate laboratory records, sample-tracking information, equipment documentation, and study-related documentation.

Support laboratory operations through inventory management, purchasing and stocking supplies, coordinating equipment service, and maintaining organized work areas.

Coordinate pathology materials and work schedules with pathologists, scientists, external contract research organizations (CROs), and colleagues at other sites.

Follow laboratory safety policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), quality procedures, and applicable compliance requirements.

Maintain awareness of current histology technologies and contribute to laboratory efficiency and continuous-improvement initiatives.

Collaborate effectively with pathologists, scientists, and laboratory staff to support study execution and departmental objectives.

Provide technical guidance or hands-on support to less experienced colleagues as assigned.

Qualifications

Required

Bachelor's degree with 2-4 years of relevant experience, a master's degree with 0-2 years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

Hands-on experience with routine histology procedures, including tissue trimming, embedding, microtomy, sectioning, staining, and slide preparation.

Experience operating and maintaining histology equipment, such as tissue processors and automated staining systems.

Experience packaging, shipping, receiving, and tracking histology specimens and materials.

Ability to independently manage assigned laboratory activities with minimal supervision while collaborating effectively in a team environment.

Strong attention to detail, organizational skills, communication skills, and commitment to producing high-quality work.

Ability to manage multiple assignments, follow established procedures, and maintain accurate documentation.

Preferred

Experience in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, contract research, or related life-sciences industry.

Hands-on experience with ocular histology.

Experience with immunohistochemistry (IHC) and automated platforms such as the Leica Bond RX.

Experience with special staining methods.

Experience with digital pathology and whole-slide imaging systems.

ASCP Histotechnician (HT) or Histotechnologist (HTL) certification.

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
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Irvine, CA
Employment type
Full-time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 187 comparable Associate Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 41 biopharma companies.

187Comparable roles tracked
170Currently active
41Companies hiring similar roles
18Countries represented

Salary context

65 of 187 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 · Lab Associate Flow Cytometry · IQVIA $34,700/yr – $72,300/yr
Highest disclosed · Advisor - Isotopic Chemistry · Lilly $153,000/yr – $246,400/yr
Peer group range $53,500 – $199,700 (median $90,200)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 187 comparable roles

United States123
France14
Germany11
Belgium7
United Kingdom6
Canada5

+ 12 more countries

Seniority mix

187 of 187 peers have a known seniority level

Intern/Fellow/Postdoc84
Associate77
Manager26

Therapeutic area mix

17 of 187 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology8
Neuroscience4
Immunology3
Cardiovascular / CVRM1
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
Amgen Inc. South San Francisco, United States Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Servier Boston, United States Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Amgen Inc. Thousand Oaks, United States Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Amgen Inc. Cambridge, United States Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
AbbVie North Chicago, IL Associate
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
AbbVie Worcester, MA 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 Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research 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%
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Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
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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.