New · posted Nov 4
AbbVie · Pharmaceuticals
Senior Director, Global Study Start Up
- North Chicago, IL +3 more
- On-site
- Full-time
- Director
The role
The Senior Director, Global Study Start-Up (SSU) is accountable for leading study start-up strategy, talent, and execution across the AbbVie portfolio. This role oversees AbbVie Global Study Startup group and drives consistent, high-quality delivery of global start-up milestones through strong talent leadership, proactive risk management, standardized and continuously improved processes, and scaled adoption of AI-enabled ways of working. The Senior Director serves as a key business partner across Clinical Study Leadership, Regulatory, Clinical Site Management, and other stakeholders to accelerate study activation while maintaining compliance. This role reports into Vice President, Neuroscience Clinical Study Leadership and Global Study Start Up.
What you need
What you'll do
1. Strategic Leadership & Operating Model
- Define and execute the long-term vision, strategy, and operating model for the Global Study Start-Up organization.
- Establish enterprise standards, governance, and performance expectations across therapeutic areas and geographies.
- Drive organizational design and workforce strategies to meet current and future portfolio demands.
- Lead transformation initiatives that improve scalability, efficiency, quality, and business impact.
2. Portfolio & Business Leadership
- Provide strategic oversight of start-up performance across the global portfolio.
- Advise senior Clinical Development and TA leaders on portfolio feasibility, activation strategy, resource allocation, and execution risk.
- Drive portfolio-level decision making through data-driven insights, predictive analytics, and scenario planning.
3. Innovation & Digital Transformation
- Champion modernization of study start-up through AI, automation, predictive analytics, and digital technologies.
- Evaluate and scale emerging technologies, vendors, and innovative capabilities.
4. Enterprise Leadership & Influence
- Represent Study Start-Up across governance forums and enterprise initiatives.
- Influence enterprise priorities, organizational strategies, and ways of working impacting clinical development performance.
5. Talent & Organizational Capability
- Build and sustain a high-performing leadership team through succession planning, talent development, and organizational effectiveness.
- Develop future leaders and establish enterprise capability-building strategies.
6. External Leadership
- Represent AbbVie in industry forums and strategic partnerships.
- Monitor industry, regulatory, and competitive trends and translate insights into organizational strategy.
- Bachelor's degree required; advanced scientific or business degree preferred.
- Minimum 15 years of pharmaceutical clinical development experience, including significant global leadership responsibility within Study Start-Up, Clinical Operations, or related functions.
- Demonstrated success leading large global organizations and complex matrix environments
- Proven experience developing organizational strategy and delivering transformational change at scale
- Track record influencing executive leadership and driving enterprise-wide initiatives.
- Expertise in global clinical development, study start-up strategy, regulatory environments, and portfolio management.
- Experience leading digital transformation, AI adoption, automation initiatives, and operational excellence programs.
- Strong financial, resource planning, workforce planning, and organizational design capabilities.
- Exceptional executive communication, stakeholder management, and change leadership skills.
Key Stakeholders: R&D Leadership team, Country Affiliate leadership
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 long-term incentive programs.
Note: No amount of pay is 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.
US & Puerto Rico only - to learn more, visit https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/equal-employment-opportunity-employer.html
Pay and benefits
$207,000 – $393,000 a year
Employer providedPaid time off
Medical/dental/vision insurance
401(k)
Long-term incentive programs
Where you'll work
North Chicago, IL +3 moreOn-siteOpen in Maps (opens in a new tab)
Also posted for: Irvine, CA · South San Francisco, CA · Florham Park, NJ
More jobs in North Chicago, IL +3 more
From the posting
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.
Equal opportunity, accessibility and legal noticesAbbVie's statements, word for word
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.
US & Puerto Rico applicants seeking a reasonable accommodation, click here to learn more:
Job intelligence
The context around this role
Live data · November 4, 2026
Salary intelligence
How the pay compares
This role's midpoint is 28% above the US median for Clinical Operations roles at this level.
This roleEmployer provided
Director roles in the US40 roles publishing pay
| Annual base pay | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| This role | $207,000 | — | $393,000 |
| All US (middle half) | $209,000 | $235,250 | $248,500 |
This role: AbbVie's own published range. Comparisons: the base pay employers published on open Clinical Operations roles at the same level on Regulatory Jobs, November 4, 2026. Nothing is estimated.
Career trajectory
Where this role sits in Clinical Operations
The general path across 104 open Clinical Operations roles on Regulatory Jobs, with the titles they carry most. Not AbbVie's own promotion track.
Career resources on Clinical Operations
Skills DNA
What this role leans on
How many of the posting's 39 duty, requirement and summary lines touch each area. The posting's emphasis, not a proficiency score.
- Collaboration and leadership11
- Clinical trial conduct5
- Documentation and SOPs2
- GMP and compliance1
- Quality systems and risk1
Regulatory intelligence
The rules, regulations and standards behind this role
The regulations, guidance and standards that govern Clinical Operations work in pharmaceuticals, each linked to the agency or standards body that publishes it.
- ICHICH E6(R3) good clinical practice(official source, opens in a new tab)The international standard for the design, conduct and reporting of clinical trials
- FDA21 CFR Part 312(official source, opens in a new tab)Investigational New Drug applications and sponsor duties in drug trials
- FDA21 CFR Part 50(official source, opens in a new tab)Protection of human subjects: informed consent in FDA-regulated trials
- FDA21 CFR Part 56(official source, opens in a new tab)Institutional review boards for FDA-regulated clinical investigations
- EUEU Clinical Trials Regulation 536/2014(official source, opens in a new tab)How clinical trials of medicines are authorized and run in the EU, through CTIS
- ICHICH E8(R1)(official source, opens in a new tab)General considerations for clinical studies and quality by design in trials
- HHS45 CFR Part 46 (Common Rule)(official source, opens in a new tab)The federal policy for the protection of human research subjects
- NIH42 CFR Part 11(official source, opens in a new tab)Clinical trial registration and results reporting on ClinicalTrials.gov
- FDAFDA Bioresearch Monitoring (BIMO)(official source, opens in a new tab)FDA inspections of clinical investigators, sponsors, IRBs and GLP labs
- FDA21 CFR Part 11(official source, opens in a new tab)FDA rules for electronic records and electronic signatures
- HHSHIPAA Privacy Rule(official source, opens in a new tab)Federal protections for individually identifiable health information
- EUGDPR (Regulation 2016/679)(official source, opens in a new tab)The EU General Data Protection Regulation for personal data, including health data
- ICHICH E9 and E9(R1)(official source, opens in a new tab)Statistical principles for clinical trials and estimands
- FDA21 CFR 314.80 and 600.80(official source, opens in a new tab)Postmarketing reporting of adverse drug and biologic experiences
- ICHICH E2A to E2F(official source, opens in a new tab)Clinical safety data management, expedited reporting and periodic safety reports
- ICHMedDRA(official source, opens in a new tab)The ICH medical terminology for coding adverse events and medical history
Company hiring pulse
AbbVie on Regulatory Jobs
- 114
- Open roles
- 62
- Distinct roles
- 16
- Locations
By discipline
- Clinical66 58%
- Regulatory24 21%
- Quality24 21%
By level
- Director62 54%
- Manager24 21%
- Senior & Principal12 11%
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Senior Director, Global Study Start Up at AbbVie
Open until filled. $207K–$393K a year, employer provided.