Director, Optimization & Strategic Initiatives

Company Description

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 . Follow @abbvie on LinkedIn, Facebook , Instagram , X and YouTube.

Job Description

The Director, Optimization & Strategic Initiatives is responsible for leading enterprise-wide optimization efforts and strategic transformation initiatives that advance AbbVie's customer engagement, analytics, and operating model evolution. This role serves as a key partner across Marketing, Analytics & Performance Excellence (APEX), Brand Excellence, Customer Engagement Strategy & Innovation, Medical, Commercial Operations, and Technology teams to drive execution of AI-enabled, data-driven business capabilities.

The Director will lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of strategic programs that enhance customer engagement effectiveness, accelerate organizational readiness, optimize cross-functional processes, and deliver measurable business impact through closed-loop performance management.

This position plays a critical leadership role in advancing LOOP readiness and adoption by integrating people, process, data, technology, and governance capabilities that enable more personalized, coordinated, and measurable customer engagement.

Strategic Transformation Leadership

• Lead enterprise and franchise-level strategic initiatives that improve commercial effectiveness, customer engagement, and organizational performance.
• Translate enterprise strategies into actionable roadmaps, operating models, governance structures, and measurable business outcomes.
• Serve as a thought partner to senior leaders in evaluating business opportunities, identifying capability gaps, and developing transformation strategies.
• Build business cases and executive recommendations that support investment decisions and organizational change initiatives.
• Champion adoption of new ways of working and foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.

LOOP Optimization & Readiness

• Drive implementation and ongoing optimization of LOOP capabilities across brands and therapeutic areas.
• Partner with Integrated Brand Teams (IBTs) to ensure readiness across strategic planning, content, customer journey orchestration, measurement, and operational execution.
• Lead assessments of brand readiness, identifying opportunities, risks, dependencies, and required interventions.
• Establish frameworks that embed LOOP principles into annual planning and business processes.
• Monitor readiness milestones and support execution of roadmap deliverables across functions.

Business Process Excellence

• Identify and prioritize opportunities to simplify, standardize, and optimize business processes across Commercial, Medical, and Analytics organizations.
• Lead cross-functional process redesign initiatives that improve efficiency, scalability, and customer impact.
• Develop and implement governance models, best practices, and operating procedures that support sustainable execution.
• Drive integration of strategic initiatives into enterprise planning processes and ways of working, including 1Path and related transformation efforts.

Analytics, Measurement & Continuous Improvement

• Establish closed-loop measurement frameworks that evaluate initiative effectiveness and inform future strategy.
• Partner with Analytics, Data Science, and Business Intelligence teams to develop actionable performance insights.
• Define KPIs, success metrics, and executive dashboards that enable proactive decision-making.
• Leverage customer, field, market, and operational data to identify optimization opportunities and support continuous improvement.
• Translate insights into strategic recommendations that improve customer experience and business performance.

Data, Technology & AI Enablement

• Collaborate with Technology, Data, and Digital teams to advance AI-enabled capabilities and data-driven decision making.
• Help prioritize and operationalize new platforms, tools, and technologies that support customer engagement and business optimization.
• Assess data availability, technology readiness, and critical insight gaps to support strategic initiatives.
• Drive adoption of emerging capabilities that enhance personalization, omnichannel execution, and measurement.

Stakeholder Leadership

• Influence and align senior stakeholders across Marketing, Medical, Commercial Excellence, Analytics, Operations, and Technology organizations.
• Facilitate executive-level governance forums and strategic planning discussions.
• Lead cross-functional teams and initiative workstreams, often without direct authority.
• Develop communications, presentations, and executive updates that effectively articulate progress, risks, and business impact.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree (MBA, MPH, MS, or related discipline) preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in analytics, business strategy, commercial operations, marketing excellence, management consulting, transformation, or related functions.
• Demonstrated success leading complex, cross-functional strategic initiatives.
• Strong business acumen with ability to connect strategy, operations, analytics, and execution.
• Experience in organizational transformation, change management, and process optimization.
• Exceptional executive communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders and drive alignment across diverse functions.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with experience leveraging data to drive decisions.

Preferred

• Pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare, or life sciences experience.
• Experience with omnichannel engagement, customer strategy, commercial excellence, or customer experience programs.
• Knowledge of AI-enabled business processes and advanced analytics applications.
• Experience implementing enterprise operating model transformations and large-scale change initiatives.

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic Thinking
• Enterprise Leadership
• Cross-Functional Influence
• Change Leadership
• Process Excellence
• Customer-Centric Mindset
• Data-Driven Decision Making
• Innovation and Continuous Improvement
• Team Development and Coaching
• Executive Presence

Additional Information

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.​

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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