Director, Discovery AI Partnerships

Director Of Discovery Ai Partnerships

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.

The Director of Discovery AI Partnerships will play a critical leadership role in shaping and executing AbbVie's external AI innovation strategy in Discovery. This role sits at the intersection of AI technology, drug discovery, and strategic partnerships, and is responsible for leading complex AI‑centric external collaborations from sourcing through diligence and deal execution.

Reporting to the Head of Discovery AI Partnerships, the Director will operate with a high degree of autonomy and serve as a strategic thought partner to senior stakeholders. This role is ideal for a mission-driven leader who is passionate about science, understands the real-world impact AI solutions can deliver, brings a practical, down-to-earth approach, and is motivated by the potential for AI-enabled innovation to create meaningful benefits for patients.

Key Responsibilities:

• Deal sourcing: Closely monitor, interpret, and predict the evolving landscape and trends in AI and pharmaceuticals innovation, as they relate to all key therapeutic areas of AbbVie. Proactively search for, identify, and evaluate potential partnering opportunities from biopharma companies, AI companies, academic institutions, other non-profit research institutes, and life science venture capital investors globally (US, Europe, China, others)
• Diligence: Lead end-to-end scientific, technical, and strategic diligence for a wide range of AI-focused partnerships (e.g., with AI-driven drug discovery companies, Big Tech, research labs focused on foundational LLMs, data companies, academia), including hands-on technology assessments, market analysis, and risk evaluations
• Pilots, benchmarks, and technical evaluations: Design, negotiate, conduct, and analyze the results of pilots, benchmarks, and technical evaluations of AI models applied to drug discovery as part of the core diligence process to inform our investment decision. Technical depth to structure and conduct these pilots is critical part of this role.
• Deal flow management: Collaborate with key stakeholders and cross-functional teams to drive and ensure effective communication, efficient decision-making, and completion of AI/ML-related partnerships / deals in a timely manner.
• Apply strong scientific judgment and product‑oriented thinking to assess differentiation, scalability, integration potential, and long‑term value of AI platforms.
• Synthesize complex technical and scientific findings into clear, decision‑enabling recommendations for senior leadership and governance forums.
• Stay at the forefront of emerging AI trends and advancements in biopharma to inform strategic decision-making.
• Develop and maintain a strong network of AI experts, thought leaders, and innovators to ensure AbbVie remains at the forefront of AI developments.
• Proactively participate and represent AbbVie in industry forums, conferences, and consortia to strengthen external engagement and visibility in AI innovation.

Qualifications:

• Degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, AI, Statistics, Mathematics, Computational Biology, Computational Chemistry, Bioinformatics, Physics, Engineering, or related quantitative discipline.
• Bachelor's: 12+ years of relevant experience, including in AI/ML applications in life sciences or healthcare OR
• Master's: 10+ years of relevant experience, including in AI/ML applications in life sciences or healthcare OR
• PhD: 7+ years of relevant experience, including AI/ML applications in life sciences or health.
• Highly motivated with strong organizational and communication skills, excellent work ethic, and the ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a team environment.
• Experience leading AI-focused partnerships, external collaborations, or technology diligence within biopharma, biotech, healthcare, technology, or investment organizations; or strong product management or platform leadership experience within AI-native or technology companies.
• Strong strategic judgment, technical fluency, and ability to influence without authority.
• Management consulting experience at a Top-Tier consulting firm a plus.
• Experience applying AI in therapeutics discovery, including agentic AI approaches, strongly preferred.

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.

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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Pay Range: $182000 - 346000 USD

Where We Work

Role is primarily site- or office-based but can occasionally be performed remotely. Employees who are site/office-based and can occasionally perform their role virtually work both in the office and remotely*, following the policies and regulations in place at their location. US Employees must be in the office on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with flexibility to work remotely on Mondays and Fridays. Three days in the office is the minimum; some individuals or teams may require more in-office days due to meetings, business/project needs or their role.