Position Summary
The Director, Global Automation Engineering is AbbVie's enterprise-wide authority for automation architecture, process control systems, and digital infrastructure across the global manufacturing network. This executive-level role carries full financial accountability for approximately $100 million in annual automation operating spend and provides strategic and technical leadership to a high-performing, enterprise-distributed team of automation and capital project engineers.
The Director is accountable for the development and execution of AbbVie's enterprise automation strategy, governing automation investments for a portfolio exceeding $3 billion over a five-year horizon. This leader establishes, owns, and continuously advances AbbVie's Factory of the Future automation vision — embedding its requirements into every new capital project and site modernization program to ensure consistent, compliant, and cutting-edge automation solutions are delivered across the enterprise.
The role serves as Design Authority for all automation and digital systems enterprise-wide, providing governance over standards, specifications, vendor qualification, and operational readiness throughout the full project lifecycle. As a member of AbbVie's senior engineering leadership community, this role exerts direct influence on enterprise technology direction, regulatory strategy, and long-range digital transformation.
Key Responsibilities
1. Strategic Automation Leadership
- Serve as AbbVie's enterprise automation authority and senior-most engineering leader for automation, process control, and digital infrastructure across all manufacturing sites globally.
- Define, own, and continuously evolve AbbVie's Factory of the Future automation strategy, ensuring its requirements are embedded in every new capital project, site modernization program, and technology investment decision.
- Exercise Design Authority for automation and digital systems across the enterprise manufacturing network, ensuring all technical decisions align with enterprise strategy, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices.
- Provide owner-side leadership for automation architecture, process control systems, and digital infrastructure supporting pharmaceutical manufacturing capital projects with a total portfolio value exceeding $3 billion.
- Drive enterprise-wide harmonization of automation standards, specifications, and engineering practices across all AbbVie manufacturing sites, eliminating fragmentation and reducing compliance risk.
- Deliver executive-level technical direction on automation technology selection, platform architecture, and long-range digital infrastructure roadmaps in support of enterprise business objectives.
2. Capital Project Ownership & Oversight
- Lead and provide owner-side oversight for automation scope across AbbVie's enterprise capital project portfolio, with full financial accountability for approximately $200 million in automation capital spend.
- Define automation deliverables, design requirements, and technical specifications for all capital projects, ensuring alignment with GxP, cybersecurity, and data integrity requirements from project inception through operational handover.
- Govern the selection, qualification, and performance management of automation vendors, system integrators, and engineering contractors enterprise-wide across all capital programs.
- Ensure Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), commissioning, qualification, and verification (CQV) activities are executed to the highest quality and regulatory standards at every project site.
- Oversee operational readiness and startup support for automation systems on all major capital projects, ensuring seamless transition from project completion to sustained manufacturing operations.
3. Technical Systems Ownership & Governance
- Own end-to-end automation architecture and enterprise-wide technical governance for Distributed Control Systems (DCS), Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), batch automation, SCADA, OSI-PI / data historian platforms, Environmental Monitoring Systems (EMS), Building Automation Systems (BAS), and associated digital infrastructure.
- Provide strategic oversight of cybersecurity programs for Operational Technology (OT) environments enterprise-wide, ensuring compliance with AbbVie cybersecurity policy, OT/IT convergence frameworks, and applicable regulatory requirements.
- Champion data integrity across all automated systems, ensuring design, validation, and lifecycle management practices meet current regulatory expectations including FDA 21 CFR Part 11, EU Annex 11, and GAMP 5.
- Lead the development and governance of enterprise automation standards, specifications, User Requirement Specifications (URS), Functional Design Specifications (FDS), and engineering best-practice libraries applicable across all sites.
- Drive integration of automation systems with enterprise digital platforms, Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), ERP, and cloud-based data solutions in support of AbbVie's Factory of the Future strategy.
4. People Leadership & Organizational Development
- Build, lead, develop, and retain a high-performing enterprise team of automation engineers, capital project engineers, and site automation leads operating across a matrixed, globally distributed organization.
- Foster a culture of technical excellence, continuous improvement, innovation, and accountability throughout the enterprise automation function.
- Establish clear performance expectations, structured development pathways, and robust succession plans to ensure long-term organizational capability and resilience.
- Mentor and coach engineers at all career stages, with particular emphasis on cultivating next-generation automation leadership talent across the enterprise network.
- Manage enterprise-level resource planning, workload allocation, and staffing strategies to meet the dynamic demands of a large global capital portfolio.
5. Governance, Standards & Compliance
- Own and maintain AbbVie's enterprise automation standards program, ensuring specifications and engineering guidelines are current, compliant, and consistently applied across every manufacturing site.
- Provide enterprise-wide governance and audit support for automation systems, including readiness for internal audits, regulatory inspections (FDA, EMA, and other global health authorities), and third-party assessments.
- Lead the development of enterprise automation training programs and competency frameworks to build and sustain capability across the full global manufacturing network.
- Oversee enterprise procurement strategy and support sourcing activities for automation hardware, software, and services, ensuring value delivery, quality assurance, and supply continuity.
- Ensure all automation activities are executed in full compliance with applicable GxP regulations, ISPE guidelines, ISA standards, and AbbVie Quality System requirements.