Senior Director, AI & Digital Transformation, Operations

Posted Yesterday
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North Chicago, IL, USA
Hybrid
207K-393K Annually
Senior level
Healthtech • Pharmaceutical
The Role
Leads AbbVie Operations’ enterprise AI and digital transformation strategy across supply chain, quality, product development, engineering, and security. Owns the multi-year digital roadmap, architecture standards, governance, investment planning, value realization, and scaled deployment of Industry 4.0/5.0 technologies. Builds executive partnerships, vendor ecosystems, digital capabilities, and high-performing teams while ensuring GxP compliance, data integrity, and cybersecurity across global manufacturing operations.
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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 Senior Director, AI & Digital Transformation, Operations will define and drive the enterprise-level digital strategy for AbbVie Operations, spanning Supply Chain, Quality (including QC), Product Development Science & Technology (PDS&T), Engineering, and Security. Reporting to the VP of Operations AI and Digital Transformation, this role sets the multi-year digital vision, architecture principles, and investment roadmap that connect Industry 4.0/5.0 capabilities, data and AI platforms, and site-level execution to measurable business value. The Sr. Director serves as a senior digital voice of Operations with the Operations Leadership Team, Business Technology Solutions (BTS), and enterprise governance forums, ensuring Operations is positioned as an industry leader in digitally enabled, compliant, and resilient manufacturing and supply.

Strategy and Roadmap

  • Digital vision and strategy: Define and own the 3-to-5-year Operations digital strategy and target-state architecture across Supply Chain, Quality/QC, PDS&T, Engineering, and Security, aligned to enterprise, Operations, and AI strategies.
  • Integrated roadmap: Translate strategy into a prioritized, sequenced, and funded roadmap (including LRP resource and investment planning) that balances near-term value capture with long-term capability building.
  • Technology foresight: Scan, benchmark, and assess emerging technologies (e.g., connected worker, digital twins, MES/MOM, autonomous operations, GenAI/agentic AI, robotics, advanced analytics) against industry peers and recommend adoption pathways.

Architecture, Data, and Governance

  • Standards and platforms: Establish common digital standards, reference architectures, and data foundations (e.g., shopfloor integration layer, unified namespace, data products) that enable reuse and scale across sites and functions and avoid duplicative solutions.
  • Governance and compliance: Chair or co-lead digital governance and technology review forums with BTS, Quality, and Security; ensure GxP/data integrity, computer system assurance, cybersecurity (IT/OT), and regulatory expectations are built into every digital initiative.

Value Realization and Execution

  • Portfolio value management: Define business cases, KPIs, and benefit-tracking for the digital portfolio (e.g., yield, right-first-time, cycle time, inventory, deviations, labor productivity, EHS) and report realized value to the Ops Leadership Team and Finance.
  • Scaled deployment: Partner with functional leaders, site leadership, BTS, and Global Engineering & Automation to move proven pilots to standardized, multi-site deployment with clear ownership and adoption plans.
  • Partner ecosystem: Develop strategic relationships with technology vendors, startups, academia, and industry consortia; shape sourcing strategy with Procurement.

Leadership and Change

  • Organization and culture: Build and lead a high-performing digital strategy, architecture, and portfolio team; develop talent, digital fluency, and a continuous improvement and innovation culture across Operations. 
  • Executive engagement: Represent Operations Digital Strategy in enterprise forums (e.g., Enterprise AI SteerCo), communicating progress, risks, and investment needs to senior executives

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Science, Computer Science, or a related technical field required; Master’s or MBA preferred.
  • Minimum of 15–18 years of experience in biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, or regulated manufacturing operations, digital, or technology roles, including 8+ years leading enterprise-scale digital strategy or transformation in a senior leadership capacity.
  • Proven track record of setting multi-year digital roadmaps and delivering scaled, measurable value across multiple sites and functions (manufacturing, supply chain, quality/QC, engineering, PDS&T).
  • Deep understanding of Industry 4.0/5.0 and digital manufacturing technologies (MES/MOM, IIoT, data platforms, digital twins, advanced process control, robotics/automation, AI/ML and GenAI) and their application in GxP environments.
  • Working knowledge of GxP/GMP, data integrity (ALCOA+), computer system assurance, and OT/IT cybersecurity expectations for pharma operations.
  • Experience establishing digital governance, architecture standards, and investment/benefit-management frameworks in partnership with IT/BTS and Finance.
  • Demonstrated executive presence and ability to influence senior leaders, build coalitions, and navigate a complex global matrix organization.
  • Strong change leadership skills, with experience driving adoption of new technologies and ways of working at scale.
  • Experience building and developing leaders and multidisciplinary teams; consulting or external technology-partner experience is a plus. 
  • Excellent strategic thinking, communication, and storytelling skills, with the ability to translate complex technology concepts into business outcomes.

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 long-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

Skills Required

  • Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Science, Computer Science, or a related technical field
  • Master’s degree or MBA
  • 15–18 years of experience in biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, regulated manufacturing operations, digital, or technology roles
  • At least 8 years leading enterprise-scale digital strategy or transformation in a senior leadership capacity
  • Track record of setting multi-year digital roadmaps and delivering measurable value across multiple sites and functions
  • Deep knowledge of Industry 4.0/5.0 and digital manufacturing technologies, including MES/MOM, IIoT, data platforms, digital twins, robotics, automation, AI/ML, and GenAI
  • Working knowledge of GxP/GMP, ALCOA+ data integrity, computer system assurance, and OT/IT cybersecurity in pharmaceutical operations
  • Experience establishing digital governance, architecture standards, and investment and benefit-management frameworks
  • Executive presence and ability to influence senior leaders in a complex global matrix organization
  • Strong change leadership experience driving technology adoption at scale
  • Experience building and developing leaders and multidisciplinary teams
  • Consulting or external technology-partner experience
  • Excellent strategic thinking, communication, and storytelling skills

AbbVie Compensation & Benefits Highlights

The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about AbbVie and has not been reviewed or approved by AbbVie.

  • Retirement Support — Retirement programs are portrayed as a standout, with a dollar‑for‑dollar 401(k) match up to 6% and an additional annual company contribution based on age and service. Feedback suggests this materially boosts perceived total compensation for many U.S. employees.
  • Parental & Family Support — Paid parental and caregiver leave are emphasized, including up to 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave for all parents and 4 weeks of paid caregiver leave in the U.S. Feedback suggests these policies are a meaningful differentiator for employees balancing family needs.
  • Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time off is described as extensive, with tiered vacation that scales with tenure, 17 company holidays, and two paid volunteer days in the U.S. Feedback suggests the breadth of leave contributes notably to overall benefits satisfaction.

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The Company
HQ: North Chicago, IL
56,000 Employees
Year Founded: 2013

What We Do

AbbVie is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on creating medicines and solutions that put impact first — for patients, communities, and our world. We aim to address complex health issues and enhance people's lives through our core therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, aesthetics and other areas of unmet need.

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