R&D Manager

Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 114,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

About Abbott

Abbott is a global healthcare leader, creating breakthrough science to improve people’s health. We’re always looking towards the future, anticipating changes in medical science and technology.

Working at Abbott

At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and family, be your true self and live a full life. You’ll also have access to:

• Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of.
• Employees can qualify for free medical coverage in our Health Investment Plan ( HIP) PPO medical plan in the next calendar year.
• An excellent retirement savings plan with high employer contribution
• Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program and FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree.
• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries around the world and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.
• A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as a best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.

The Opportunity

Abbott Core Diagnostics Research and Development is part of Abbott’s Diagnostics family of businesses, bringing together exceptional teams of experts and industry leading technologies to support diagnostic testing which provides important information for treatment and management of diseases and other conditions.

The position of R&D Manager is within our Process Innovation and Development group in the Core Diagnostics R&D organization located in Abbott Park, IL (Lake County).  The primary function of the position is to manage the formulation research group with strong communication and collaboration skills and to develop the talent within the group while serving as a lead scientist.  Projects will include scientific oversight of reagent, calibrator, and control formulations and creation of robust manufacturing processes for these solutions.   Project output includes robust manufacturing process characterization and transfer to operations facilities.  The successful candidate will demonstrate the ability to lead a team to complete a variety of projects and to guide technical troubleshooting on a cross functional team.  The candidate will bring teams together to brainstorm technical challenges and to find the best solution possible to ensure successful project completion.  Strong scientific communication is essential to the role as is the ability to manage complex projects over a significant period.  This role will liaise between groups within the R&D organization (Assay Development, Discovery Research, Biologics Research, and sister Process Innovation and Development groups), as well as R&D Quality Assurance, Procurement, Supplier Quality, Regulatory Affairs, site-level Operations, and outside suppliers/vendors.  The ideal candidate will possess a strong scientific background with a PhD or equivalent work experience, excellent communication skills, the desire to direct others to complete tasks/projects, a team-centric attitude, and creative/innovative problem-solving skills.     

What You’ll Work On

• Designs, executes, and leads others to complete experiments related to the development and implementation of robust formulation manufacturing processes and develops talent within the group to further scientific advancement. 
• Communicates with assay technical teams, research teams, and the project management office to comprehend technical challenges and project timelines.
• Presents findings to peers and upper-level management and maintains detailed timelines to ensure task completion.
• Leads process characterization activities and interacts with manufacturing sites to ensure robust guard banding of relevant process steps to reduce overall process risk.
• Integrates data and identifies critical process variables.
• Facilitates process transfer and training at sites of manufacture.
• Trains upper and lower-level scientists as needed.
• Participates in lab safety.
• Presents scientific observations at internal technology reviews and external scientific venues (oral and written).
• Expertise and Problem Solving: Establishes criteria and technical standards for excellence; anticipates, recognizes, and resolves technical problems; identifies new directions for research.
• Responsible for implementing and maintaining the effectiveness of the quality system.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE YOU’LL BRING

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree with 10+ years, Master’s Degree with 6+ years of experience, PHD with 4+ years of experience in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Analytical Chemistry, or a related technical field

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in immunoassay and clinical chemistry reagent, calibrator, and control formulation with a focus in research and development, process design and development, and/or technical product operations.
• Proven track record of technical project management/oversite including investigation troubleshooting and root cause analysis.
• Ability to lead strategic projects over a multi-year time span and the desire to lead a team of scientists to meet project timelines.
• Experience in materials science with an emphasis on surface interactions, material characterization, rheology techniques, and complex solution formulation (including colloids, dispersions, emulsions, and foams) is a plus.
• Experience in materials science with an emphasis on surface interactions, material characterization, rheology techniques, and complex solution formulation (including colloids, dispersions, emulsions, and foams) is a plus.
• Prior experience in aspects of immunoassay and clinical chemistry diagnostics such as lateral flow, molecular diagnostics, ELISA-based assays, and/or digital and immunochromatographic devices preferred.
• Third party manufacturing site and vendor communication experience preferred.
• Candidates should work well in a team environment and have flexibility to work on changing priorities.

Learn more about our benefits that add real value to your life to help you live fully:  http://www.abbottbenefits.com/pages/candidate.aspx. Follow your career aspirations to Abbott for diverse opportunities with a company that provides growth and strength to build your future. Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to employee diversity. Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott, and Twitter @AbbottNews and @AbbottGlobal. 

The base pay for this position is

$111,300.00 – $222,700.00

In specific locations, the pay range may vary from the range posted.

JOB FAMILY:Research and Discovery

DIVISION:CRLB Core Lab

LOCATION:United States > Abbott Park : AP20

ADDITIONAL LOCATIONS:

WORK SHIFT:Standard

TRAVEL:Yes, 5 % of the Time

MEDICAL SURVEILLANCE:No

SIGNIFICANT WORK ACTIVITIES:Continuous sitting for prolonged periods (more than 2 consecutive hours in an 8 hour day), Continuous standing for prolonged periods (more than 2 consecutive hours in an 8 hour day)

Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer of Minorities/Women/Individuals with Disabilities/Protected Veterans.

EEO is the Law link - English: http://webstorage.abbott.com/common/External/EEO_English.pdf

EEO is the Law link - Espanol: http://webstorage.abbott.com/common/External/EEO_Spanish.pdf