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 DescriptionJoin the Madison Peptide Therapeutics (MPT) Engineering team as a Senior Software Instrumentation Engineer and help advance cutting-edge peptide array synthesis technology. In this role, you will develop, enhance, and maintain software that operates internally developed laboratory instruments and synthesizers in a fast-paced biotech research environment.
You will work at the intersection of software, hardware, and science, applying your expertise in Linux-based C++ development to interface with sensors, actuators, pumps, motors, cameras, and other electronic devices. Your work will support instrument operation, system performance, data visibility, workflow efficiency, and product quality.
This role also contributes to workflow applications that enable operators to configure and run instruments, as well as software tools that support quality and compliance processes. As a senior member of an Agile engineering team, you will help solve complex technical challenges, lead initiatives, mentor junior engineers, and deliver reliable solutions that increase throughput, reduce cost, and advance scientific capabilities.
Key Responsibilities
- Design, develop, test, troubleshoot, and maintain Linux-based software for internally developed peptide array synthesizers and laboratory instrumentation.
- Develop and integrate machine-control software for sensors, actuators, pumps, motors, cameras, and other electronic devices.
- Apply software engineering expertise across system architecture, programming, data integration, machine control, data analysis, and visualization.
- Define and execute software testing and validation activities to ensure the quality, reliability, performance, and maintainability of instrument software.
- Support the deployment, configuration, operation, and troubleshooting of software applications in a biotech research and manufacturing environment.
- May lead technical initiatives and mentor junior engineers, contributing to design decisions, technical direction, knowledge sharing, and team development.
- Design and conduct experiments, engineering studies, and system characterization activities to evaluate instrument behavior and inform design improvements.
- Collaborate with cross-functional partners, including scientists, electrical and mechanical engineers, operations managers, quality personnel, and IT staff, to gather requirements and deliver effective solutions.
- Follow software development best practices, including version control, coding standards, code reviews, automated testing, documentation, Agile planning, and lifecycle management.
- Communicate technical information clearly through design documentation, engineering reports, presentations, status updates, and discussions with engineering leadership and project stakeholders.
You will be accountable for delivering robust, maintainable, and compliant software solutions within your assigned technical scope while helping ensure that instrument systems meet operational, quality, safety, data-security, and business requirements.
QualificationsRequired Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree with 10+ years of relevant experience, master’s degree with 8+ years of relevant experience, or Ph.D. with no additional experience.
Proficiency in C and C++ development in a Linux environment.
Strong understanding of object lifecycles and manual memory management in C/C++, including:
Pointers and dynamic memory allocation
Ownership and object lifetimes
Memory leaks
Dangling pointers and use-after-free errors
Deallocation and resource cleanup
At least 2 years of experience developing software for laboratory, scientific, medical, or other complex instrumentation.
Understanding of software architecture and core technical concepts, including:
Service-oriented architecture
Multithreading and concurrency
Semaphores, mutual exclusion, and synchronization
XML and JSON messaging
Familiarity with software development methodologies and demonstrated commitment to Agile practices.
Strong analytical, troubleshooting, communication, and collaboration skills.
Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary environment involving software, hardware, science, operations, and quality functions.
Preferred Qualifications
Proficiency in one or more additional programming languages, such as Python, C#, or Java.
Experience with electronics, embedded systems, or machine-control applications.
Experience interfacing with devices using RS-232, RS-485, TCP/IP, or similar communication protocols.
Experience integrating with Tecan, Hamilton, or comparable liquid-handling platforms.
Experience with AI-assisted software development, machine learning, or data-driven engineering applications.
Experience using Git and GitHub for source-code management and collaborative development.
Experience with one or more database technologies, including:
Windows software development
Relational databases
Graph databases
Time-series databases
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 roleat the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on manyfactors 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 isearned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, incentive, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that areallocable 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 absolutediscretion, 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 with 10+ years of relevant experience, master's degree with 8+ years, or Ph.D. with no additional experience
- Proficiency in C and C++ development in a Linux environment
- Understanding of manual memory management, pointers, dynamic allocation, ownership, object lifetimes, memory leaks, dangling pointers, use-after-free errors, and resource cleanup
- At least 2 years of experience developing software for laboratory, scientific, medical, or complex instrumentation
- Understanding of service-oriented architecture, multithreading, concurrency, semaphores, mutual exclusion, synchronization, XML, and JSON messaging
- Familiarity with software development methodologies and commitment to Agile practices
- Strong analytical, troubleshooting, communication, and collaboration skills
- Ability to work in a multidisciplinary software, hardware, science, operations, and quality environment
- Proficiency in Python, C#, or Java
- Experience with electronics, embedded systems, or machine-control applications
- Experience with RS-232, RS-485, TCP/IP, or similar communication protocols
- Experience integrating Tecan, Hamilton, or comparable liquid-handling platforms
- Experience with AI-assisted software development, machine learning, or data-driven engineering applications
- Experience using Git and GitHub
- Experience with Windows software development or relational, graph, or time-series databases
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
AbbVie Insights
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.
