Director, Research & Development Communications

The Director of Research & Development Communications is responsible for strategic planning and content development for AbbVie’s Chief Medical Officer and serving as lead communications counselor to the Clinical Development organization. The Director leads internal and external communications initiatives as they relate to data generation and thought leadership across AbbVie’s core areas of focus (oncology, immunology, neuroscience, eye care and virology) and AbbVie’s research sites globally. The Director reports to the Senior Director, R&D Communications and collaborates with cross-functional senior leaders across the enterprise.

Core Job Responsibilities

• Partner with the Vice President of Development and Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and CMO Chief of Staff to lead internal and external communications for the Development organization. This includes developing and implementing a communications strategy that reflects the goals of the Development organization and aligns with the broader Corporate Communications strategies.
• Sits on the CMO’s leadership team as the strategic communications advisor to Development senior leaders.
• · In close collaboration with the Senior Director, R&D Communications, lead content development and executive communications initiatives for AbbVie’s Chief Scientific Officer. This includes developing and implementing a communications strategy that reflects the goals of the broader R&D organization and demonstrates AbbVie’s thought leadership in the industry.
• Identifies and develops potential story ideas to elevate news of interest to the broader employee and external stakeholders, such as media.
• Prepares and briefs R&D leaders on message delivery, media engagement and external speaking opportunities.
• Coordinates closely with communications and HR counterparts at R&D sites to provide strategic counsel on local communications initiatives that support broader R&D goals.
• Contributes as a core member of the R&D team, assisting with annual planning, budget oversight and development of initiatives to support broader R&D and enterprise-wide goals.
• Develops creative, compelling content and presentations for both internal and external audiences that helps tell our R&D narrative both internally and externally.
• Interfaces and aligns with various division and corporate constituencies, including government affairs, investor relations, legal, finance, regulatory, medical, clinical and development operations.
• Conducts measurement to assess the impact of communications initiatives.

Basic Requirements

• PhD and scientific communications experience preferred. A bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism or life sciences field is required.
• Experience working with C-suite and senior level executives is preferred.
• Candidate must have deep understanding of the healthcare environment, media landscape and possess strong business and financial acumen.
• Minimum of 10-15 experience developing, presenting and implementing communications programs in a corporate setting.
• Must have strong executive presence, excellent writing skills and ability to work under tight deadlines with great attention to detail.
• Previous work in the biopharmaceutical R&D or related industry is preferred, but not required.
• Experience and interest in managing teams and multiple direct reports is also desired