AbbVie Posted August 27, 2026

Principal Research Scientist I/II Biologics Quality Control in Biologics Analytical R&D (all genders) (full-time, permanent)

Ludwigshafen, RP Full-time
Quality Principal
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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

People. Passion. Possibilities. Three words that make a world of difference.

More than a job. It's a chance to make a real difference.

Welcome to AbbVie! As part of an international company with 58,000 employees worldwide and around 3,500 employees in Germany, you will have the opportunity of addressing some of tomorrows unmet medical needs in close collaboration with your colleagues. Are you passionate about improving global health care? Do you want to contribute to improving patients' quality of life through your expertise? In a challenging work environment that offers opportunities of developing and increasing your own skills? Youve come to the right place!

Together, we break through – as Principal Research Scientist I/II Biologics Quality Control in Biologics Analytical R&D (all genders)

The Principal Scientist I/II will be an integral part of the Analytical Innovation and Mass Spectrometry Team in the Bio CMC division. The role involves supporting analytical aspects of biologics products with a focus on advancing AbbVie’s early-stage clinical programs. This position calls for an individual with a strong technical analytical background, demonstrated leadership skills and the ability to effectively communicate and work cross-functionally.

Make your mark:

Lead and mentor scientists specializing in separation-based assays including HPLC and capillary electrophoresis for sample testing to support biologics mab and DS process development, characterization, validation as well as GMP manufacturing investigation activities.

Serve as analytical representative in AbbVie's CMC teams, supporting early-stage biologics pipeline assets. Balance stakeholder expectations to ensure effective collaboration.

Serve as the subject matter expert for analytical test methods, providing expertise and support for method development, execution, and troubleshooting.

Evaluate and select effective analytical technologies and methods to meet program needs. Support automation and development of high-throughput analytical methods and drive timely delivery of high-quality testing results.

Participate in the preparation and review of technical documents for early-stage programs. Take responsibility for analytical test methods, their development and validation, test method transfer to internal and external partners, as well as perform batch release activities

Collaborate with other analytical teams in R&D and PDS&T on program transition, workflow and program strategic alignment. Provide guidance to peers on project management, analytical strategy, and technical skills related to separation techniques.

Communicate project data, issues and risks to relevant teams. Promote proactive risk resolution within and across functional areas to advance project objectives.

Demonstrate scientific excellence, advance science and innovation. Implement novel analytical techniques to enhance method robustness and expand analytical capabilities.

Qualifications

This is how you make a difference:

PhD in chemistry, biology, biochemistry, chemical engineering, or related technical discipline.  Minimum of 8+ years (PhD) of professional experience working in biotech/pharmaceutical setting.

Proven experience managing and leading analytical development and QC activities for biologic development, including mAbs, multi-specifics, antibody-drug conjugates, and fusion proteins.

Experience in the role of Head of Quality Control (HQC) according to § 12 AMWHV is a plus

Expertise in protein and impurity analysis techniques such as HPLC, capillary electrophoresis, and other relevant methods. Experience with mass spectrometry and ELISA is a plus.

Skilled in technical writing including experience in authoring, reviewing documents with regulatory impact

Strong people leadership skills and demonstrated ability to foster an engaging, inclusive and collaborative team environment.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, effectively managing relationships to enhance team decision-making.

Ability to work effectively across functions, anticipating and addressing overall program development needs.

Ability to quickly comprehend and adapt to new situations, with an open mindset and can-do attitude, demonstrating agility where necessary to address evolving project needs.

Ability to think critically and demonstrate troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.

Ability to lead and manage multiple projects of significant scope and complexity, while meeting all deliverables and timelines.

An independent, self-motivated, proactive individual who thrives in a fast-paced team environment.

What we offer you:

with a diverse work environment where you can have a real impact

with an open corporate culture

with an attractive salary

with an intensive onboarding process with a mentor at your side

with flexible work models for a healthy work-life balance

with a corporate health management that offers comprehensive health and exercise programs

with company social benefits

with a wide range of career opportunities in an international organization

with top-tier, attractive development opportunities

with a strong international network

At multiple times, we have been globally recognized as a "Great Place to Work" and we are proud to provide our employees with the flexibility to maintain a healthy work-life balance. We take our impact on the environment, and our communities seriously and therefore focus on giving something back on a regular basis. We are committed to equality, equity, diversity and inclusion (EED&I) – a commitment that is fundamental to us. This includes appreciating different perspectives, creating an inclusive culture and treating all employees with dignity and respect.

At AbbVie, your individual contributions count – help us move mountains together. Be a part of our success, grow with us and accomplish more than you could have imagined. Sounds like the perfect career opportunity for you? We look forward to receiving your application! All you need is a complete CV – we will discuss everything else with you in person.

Any questions? Feel free to email TalentAcquisition.de@abbvie.com– We look forward to hearing from you!

Additional Information

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
Quality
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Ludwigshafen, RP
Employment type
Full-time

How this role compares

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

We currently track 202 comparable Principal Quality roles across 54 biopharma companies.

202Comparable roles tracked
188Currently active
54Companies hiring similar roles
32Countries represented

Salary context

52 of 202 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 Not listed on this posting
Lowest disclosed · Quality Assurance Senior Specialist - Statistical Sorting · Lilly $18/hr – $35/hr (≈ $37,482–$72,592/yr)
Peer group range $55,037 – $265,000 (median $134,713)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 202 comparable roles

United States94
India18
Ireland12
Singapore10
China9
Japan6

+ 26 more countries

Seniority mix

202 of 202 peers have a known seniority level

Senior134
Director48
Principal20

Therapeutic area mix

0 of 202 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

No peers with a known therapeutic area yet.

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.

50%similar
Lilly Alzey, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany Senior
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
50%similar
Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany Director
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
50%similar
Perrigo Stuttgart, Germany Senior
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
45%similar
Lilly Lebanon, Indiana, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority
45%similar
Lilly Lebanon, Indiana, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority
45%similar
Novartis Cambridge (USA), United States Principal
Same function Same seniority

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.

50%
Senior Associate, Quality Assurance – Data Steward (m/w/d)
Lilly · Alzey, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Country
45%
Principal Scientist GMP Environmental Monitoring Lilly Medicine Foundry
Lilly · Lebanon, Indiana, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
45%
Principal QA Validation Specialist, Fill Finish
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc (USA) · Renss, United States · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
45%
Principal Analytical Scientist (Automation)
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc (USA) · Renss, United States · 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.