HR Director, R&D China

About AbbVie

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

Position Purpose

The Business Human Resources Director, China R&D, serves as the strategic BHR leader for AbbVie’s China Research & Development organization and plays a critical role in advancing AbbVie’s China one R&D strategy and External Innovation (CEI) strategy.

This role partners closely with China and global R&D leaders to build the organizational, leadership and talent capabilities required to strengthen AbbVie’s R&D capabilities in China and better leverage China’s biopharmaceutical research and development ecosystem for the benefit of AbbVie.

The role is accountable for enabling the continued expansion of AbbVie’s R&D organization in China, developing world-class scientific and leadership talent, and strengthening China’s contribution to AbbVie’s global R&D pipeline and long-term innovation agenda.

Key Responsibilities

1. Advance the China External Innovation Strategy

• Partner with China and global R&D leaders to translate CEI priorities into an integrated people, organization and leadership strategy.
• Build the organizational capacity and capabilities required to strengthen AbbVie’s R&D presence and support continued expansion in China.
• Enable AbbVie to better leverage China’s biopharmaceutical research, scientific talent and innovation ecosystem in support of global R&D priorities.

2. Strategic Business Partnership

• Serve as a trusted advisor to China R&D leaders on business strategy, organization, leadership, talent and workforce matters.
• Partner with leaders to convert business priorities into clear people and organization plans, with defined outcomes and accountabilities.
• Influence strategic decisions through business understanding, data, external insights and organizational judgment.
• Anticipate people and organizational opportunities and risks associated with growth, transformation and evolving R&D priorities.
• Coach and challenge leaders constructively to strengthen decision quality, leadership impact and enterprise outcomes.

3. Organization Growth, Design & Effectiveness

• Lead strategic workforce planning and organization design to support the growth and evolution of the China R&D organization.
• Design structures, governance, operating models and ways of working that enable speed, accountability, innovation and effective global collaboration.
• Assess organizational capacity and future capability requirements, identify gaps and develop practical plans to address them.
• Lead the people and organization dimensions of transformation, integration and major change initiatives.
• Strengthen leadership team effectiveness and cross-functional collaboration across R&D, Commercial, Medical, Regulatory and other relevant functions.

4. Talent, Leadership & Succession

• Lead talent review, succession planning and leadership planning for the China R&D organization in line with global frameworks and business needs.
• Build strong internal and external pipelines for critical scientific, technical and leadership roles.
• Identify and accelerate high-potential talent and successors, with differentiated development and retention actions.
• Strengthen leadership capability and enterprise mindset, enabling leaders to operate effectively across functions, markets and geographies.
• Facilitate career development, internal mobility and global development opportunities for China R&D talent.

5. Talent Acquisition & Workforce Deployment

• Partner with Talent Acquisition and business leaders to develop proactive sourcing and hiring strategies for critical and hard-to-fill capabilities.
• Ensure talent acquisition, onboarding and workforce deployment keep pace with organizational expansion while maintaining quality and culture.
• Strengthen AbbVie’s employer proposition and reputation among scientific, technical and innovation talent in China.

6. Performance, Rewards, Engagement & Retention

• Lead annual performance, talent and compensation processes, ensuring rigor, fairness, differentiation and alignment with business priorities.
• Partner with Total Rewards to develop competitive and sustainable approaches for critical and scarce talent segments.
• Use engagement, retention and workforce data to identify organizational priorities and drive meaningful actions.
• Advise leaders on recognition, career growth, retention and employee experience during periods of growth and change.

7. Culture, Change & Enterprise Leadership

• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, inclusion, accountability, learning and high performance.
• Lead change management and stakeholder engagement for significant organization and workforce initiatives.
• Champion AbbVie’s leadership expectations and strengthen enterprise thinking beyond functional or geographic boundaries.
• Create an environment where diverse perspectives, scientific challenge and external collaboration can thrive.
• Help the organization scale without diluting AbbVie’s culture, leadership standards or ethical expectations.

8. Employee Relations, Compliance & Governance

• Provide leadership and sound judgment on complex employee relations and organizational matters.
• Ensure people decisions and HR practices comply with applicable employment laws, company policies and governance requirements.
• Promote consistent, ethical and transparent people practices across the organization.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Advanced degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, Organizational Development, Life Sciences or a related discipline preferred.

Experience

• Minimum 15 years of progressive HR experience in complex multinational organizations, including substantial strategic business partnering and leadership experience.
• Demonstrated experience partnering with senior leaders and leadership teams on organization, talent and transformation agendas.
• Experience supporting R&D, scientific, clinical, medical, innovation or other knowledge-based organizations strongly preferred.
• Proven track record in organization design, workforce planning, capability building, leadership development and talent strategy.
• Experience supporting significant organizational growth, transformation or integration in a global matrix environment.
• People leadership experience and demonstrated ability to develop HR talent.
• Strong understanding of the China talent market and employment environment. Exposure to the biopharmaceutical innovation ecosystem is preferred.
• Fluent English and Chinese communication skills, with the ability to influence effectively across cultures and organizational levels.

AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives and serving our community.  Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled. 

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