Director, Precision Medicine Immunology

Job Description:

The Precision Medicine group at Abbvie is committed to advancing drug development and patient care through building a deeper understanding of disease biology and developing biomarker tools to ensure that patients receive the right drug at the right time.  Abbvie is seeking a highly motivated and experienced translational scientist to build an internal Immunology Translational Research Lab.  The Scientific Director will function as a principal investigator, and will build and lead a team of laboratory scientists to generate original research, interrogate new hypothesis, and develop assays to drive precision medicine across Abbvie’s Immunology pipeline.   

Key Responsibilities:

• Define and implement translational research strategies for multiple Immunology programs.  Interrogate disease/target biology and interpret data from preclinical and clinical studies to conceive and execute novel scientific research internally or externally to support advancement of the Immunology pipeline.
• Design hypothesis driven experimental strategies to identify PD biomarkers, mechanisms of disease pathology and drug response/resistance, and inform on patient selection stratification and selection strategies.
• Initiate new areas of investigation and implement cutting-edge technologies that are scientifically meaningful, reliable and can be incorporated directly into clinical development programs.
• Build and lead an internal team of highly experienced and accomplished translational research scientists and develop productive collaborations with cross-functional teams.
• Build external collaborations that complement internal efforts to advance mechanistic understanding of therapeutics and inform development opportunities.
• Prepare and present summaries of translational data for discussions with key stake holders across multiple functional areas.

Qualifications:

• PhD and typically 10+ years of experience, Master’s Degree or equivalent education and typically 16+ years of experience, Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent education and typically 18+ years of experience in academia or industry.
• Background and expertise in Immunology is strongly preferred.  Experience in Rheumatology, Gastroenterology or Dermatology is a plus.
• Demonstrated excellence and productivity in independent research.  Demonstrated success as primary or senior author of publications, presentations and/or primary inventor of patents.
• Demonstrated ability to function as a principal investigator, generating original ideas and research or development strategies.
• Demonstrate creative ‘out of the box’ thinking to solve difficult problems.
• Experience managing teams of 10+ scientists (PhD/MS).  Experience with conducting translational research in clinical trials is a plus.

Key Leadership Competencies:

• Builds strong relationships with peers and cross functionally with partners to enable high performance.
• Learns fast, grasps difficult concepts, and can change course quickly where indicated.
• Strong communication and teamwork skills are essential as the candidate is expected to interact with diverse groups within Abbvie and through external collaborations.
• Raises the bar and is never satisfied with the status quo.
• Creates a learning environment, is open to suggestions and experimentation for improvement.
• Embraces the ideas of others, nurtures innovation and manages innovation to reality.

Strong interpersonal and communication skills with demonstrated ability to work within a team environment.