Associate Scientist I/II, Preclinical Drug Delivery

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 – immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. 

The Molecular Profiling and Drug Delivery (MPDD) function within the Small Molecule CMC organization is accountable for a broad range of deliverables across various stages of drug discovery and development. During lead optimization and through candidate selection, MPDD scientists utilize state of the art automation and computational tools supported by expertise in biopharmaceutics, drug delivery, and solid-state chemistry to collaboratively progress candidates with higher probability of success into development and advise clinical formulation strategy. From candidate selection through clinical proof of concept and product launch, MPDD scientists work in cross functional teams to identify the commercial solid form of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and establish structure-property-performance correlations to help deliver robust commercial processes and align control strategies across drug substance and product. They also transition drug substance isolation processes and relevant physical characterization methods to commercial manufacturing sites and work within teams to ensure successful regulatory submissions. 

Preclinical Drug Delivery Scientists within AbbVie's MPDD organization work in a highly cross-functional environment to support projects through the early phases of development (Hit Generation through Candidate Selection). In early development, Preclinical Drug Delivery Scientists at AbbVie design formulation approaches for novel molecules by applying physicochemical principles to the drug delivery needs of specific in vivo models.  Formulations are prepared and characterized with state-of-the-art tools to ensure consistent and robust performance as lead molecules progress toward development milestones.  Through our wide-ranging internal collaborations, our scientists anticipate emerging drug delivery needs and work to proactively identify and apply novel materials and methods to our ever-expanding collection of formulation tools and techniques.  

AbbVie’s MPDD organization is seeking a highly motivated, talented, and creative scientist for an Associate Scientist I/II position. The successful candidate will apply basic physical pharmacy concepts to the design and preparation of preclinical formulations supporting in vivo assessment of novel discovery candidates across a wide range of therapeutic targets.  Excellent communication skills are essential in this highly interactive role that interfaces with multiple Discovery and Development organizations. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Pre-clinical formulation for pharmacokinetic (PK), pharmacodynamic (PD) and safety studies.  

• Preparation of vehicles, buffers and other standard solutions. 

• Physicochemical characterization of pharmaceutical active compounds and formulations  

• Thorough documentation of procedures, observations, and data into electronic notebooks 

• Application of data analysis techniques to provide context to experimental outcomes and outline next steps 

• Creating proper context for key data by referencing relevant scientific literature. 

• Understanding and adherence to corporate standards regarding business code of conduct, safety, appropriate handling of materials, GxP compliance, and animal care where applicable. 

• Impacting projects predominantly through lab activities. 

Basic: 

• BS with 0-3 years of experience, or a MS in in Chemical Engineering, Physical Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Materials Science, or prior industrial experience in a related field.  

Preferred: 

• Working knowledge of common formulation approaches for various routes of administration (i.e. intravenous, subcutaneous, intraperitoneal and oral) across multiple species. 

• Experience with analytical approaches toward physicochemical characterization of pharmaceutical dosage forms (i.e.HPLC, DSC, TGA, PXRD) 

• Strong organizational, planning and troubleshooting skills. 

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and adapt to changing conditions. 

• Excellent oral and written communication skills. 

• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in cross-functional team settings. 

• MS Word, Excel, Power Point proficiency. 

Key Competencies: 

• Independently generate precise, reliable and reproducible data in a timely manner. 

• Demonstrate experimental precision and strong data interpretation skills.  

• Perform routine tasks competently and with an eye for details, and independently scrutinize own and others’ data.  

• Learns fast, grasps the “essence” and can change the course quickly where indicated.  

• Raises the bar and is never satisfied with the status quo.  

• Creates a learning environment, open to suggestions and experimentation for improvement. 

• Embraces the ideas of others, nurtures innovation and manages innovation to reality. 

• Keep accurate and current experiments and/or records of research according to AbbVie policies. 

• Understand and adhere to corporate standards regarding code of conduct, safety, appropriate handling of materials and GxP compliance. 

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 role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors 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. ​

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Note: No amount of pay is a considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, incentive, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable 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 absolute discretion, consistent with applicable law. ​

AbbVie is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives, serving our community and embracing diversity and inclusion.  It is AbbVie’s policy to employ qualified persons of the greatest ability without discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy), physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, status as a protected veteran, or any other legally protected group status.