AbbVie Posted October 21, 2026

Senior Scientist I, Engineering - Design Verification Engineer

North Chicago, IL 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

We are looking for an experienced Senior Scientist I, Engineering – Design Verification Engineer to join our Combination Product Development & Drug Delivery Team to contribute to the development of exciting new drug / device combination products.

As a Senior Scientist I, Engineering – Design Verification Engineer you would be part of a multi-disciplinary team of professionals working at the intersection of engineering and biopharmaceuticals. If you are a self-motivated & communicative person who thrives on solving complex problems and are excited by the idea of taking on the toughest health challenges, this opportunity might be for you.

Responsibilities: 

Serve as Subject Matter Expert (SME) on lab capabilities, including GMP and non-GMP equipment, software, and data acquisition systems for Design Verification testing.

Responsible for equipment and software qualification, SOPs and work instructions, resolving issues, training operators, and representing combination product development on cross-functionally validated systems.

Lead lab verification activities, including design verification protocol development, test method development, test execution, data analysis and documentation, and report writing. Support investigations and issue resolutions. Present results to cross-functional teams.

Utilize volumetric accuracy equipment and force testing machine. Familiarity with Zwick, viscometers, climate chambers, etc. is a plus.

Support data analysis using statistics, experience with MiniTab is a plus.

Develop, validate, and transfer test methods.

Utilize machine shop equipment, SolidWorks, and 3D printers to design and verify test method fixtures.

Experience with SolidWorks, Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) software and electronic DHF tools such as Polarian are preferred.

Work in an independent manner under the guidance of a supervisor or technical lead.

Comply with applicable policies and procedures, regulatory and safety requirements.

Work on cross-functional teams including Quality, Regulatory Affairs, Clinical Team, and global partners

Qualifications

Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical or Biomedical engineering or equivalent education and 10+ years of experience, Master’s Degree or equivalent education and typically 8+ years of experience, PhD and 0+ years of exp.

3+ years of experience in medical device or combination products is required. Experience with design control, risk management, and regulatory standards including ISO compliance, FDA and ASTM standards, and regulatory knowledge.

Knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Design Controls, Good Documentation Practices (GDP), and FDA regulations.

Preferred Qualifications 

Significant experience and understanding of development and verification of complex combination products such as On-Body-Delivery-Devices and continuous pumps

Significant experience with operation and maintenance of a Universal Test Machine (UTM), preferably Zwick

Strong communication skills (both written and verbal) including the ability to influence without direct authority and ability to present to auditors on equipment qualification and data integrity.

Regulated device testing processes, including detailed verification and validation methodologies. Documentation experience including technical reports, design verification plans, protocols, etc.

Strong understanding of engineering fundamentals with strong problem solving and analytical skills.

Knowledge in basic statistics and Six Sigma statistical techniques is a plus.

Self-driver with proven track record of actively engaging and working in a matrixed environment with cross-functional teams, strong decision making, and completing quality deliverables on time.

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
Senior
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
North Chicago, IL
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 439 comparable Senior Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 52 biopharma companies.

439Comparable roles tracked
398Currently active
52Companies hiring similar roles
18Countries represented

Salary context

220 of 439 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 $96,500/yr – $183,500/yr
Lowest disclosed · Senior Animal Behaviorist - Primate · Labcorp $70,000/yr – $80,000/yr
Highest disclosed · Senior Principal Scientist, Quantitative Biosciences · Merck $214,100/yr – $337,000/yr
Peer group range $75,000 – $275,550 (median $165,300)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 439 comparable roles

United States331
China15
India13
United Kingdom13
Switzerland10
Belgium9

+ 12 more countries

Seniority mix

439 of 439 peers have a known seniority level

Senior226
Principal171
Associate Director42

Therapeutic area mix

48 of 439 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Immunology15
Neuroscience14
Oncology14
Cardiovascular / CVRM3
Gastroenterology1
Dermatology & Aesthetics1

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
Merck Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America Senior
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Pharmacia & Upjohn Company Groton, United States Senior
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Pharmacia & Upjohn Company Groton, United States Senior
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
AbbVie South San Francisco, CA Senior
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
AbbVie North Chicago, IL Senior
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
AbbVie North Chicago, IL Senior
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%
Sr. Dir, Biology-Discovery
Merck · Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Senior Scientist I, Cell Line Development
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Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Sr Scientist, Drug Metabolism
Gilead Sciences, Inc. · Foster City, United States · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
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Sr Scientist, Inflammation Biomarkers and Translational Research
Gilead Sciences, Inc. · Foster City, United States · Senior
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.