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Senior Director, Global Study Start Up

AbbVie

Florham Park, NJJob$207K/yrSeen todaySeen in employer's feed today

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At a glance

Compensation
$207K/yr
Location
Florham Park, NJ
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Bachelor's degree

Job overview

The Senior Director, Global Study Start-Up leads strategy, talent, and execution across AbbVie’s global study start-up portfolio. The role sets organizational standards, oversees performance and resource planning, and advises clinical development leaders on feasibility, activation, and risk. It also drives digital transformation and process improvement, builds leadership capability, and represents AbbVie in enterprise governance and external industry partnerships.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Global Clinical DevelopmentStudy Start-Up StrategyRegulatory EnvironmentsPortfolio ManagementDigital TransformationAI AdoptionAutomationOperational ExcellenceFinancial PlanningResource PlanningWorkforce PlanningOrganizational DesignExecutive CommunicationStakeholder ManagementChange Leadership

Qualifications

Bachelor's DegreeAdvanced Scientific or Business Degree15+ Years Pharmaceutical Clinical Development ExperienceGlobal Leadership ResponsibilityLarge Global OrganizationsComplex Matrix EnvironmentsOrganizational Strategy DevelopmentTransformational Change at ScaleExecutive Leadership InfluenceEnterprise-Wide Initiatives

Benefits

Paid Time Off
Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401(k) Match

Full job description

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 www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on LinkedIn, (https://www.linkedin.com/company/abbvie/) Facebook, Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/abbvie/) , X (https://twitter.com/abbvie) and YouTube. (https://www.youtube.com/user/AbbVie)

Job Description

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.

Responsibilities:

  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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. External Leadership
  • Represent AbbVie in industry forums and strategic partnerships.

  • Monitor industry, regulatory, and competitive trends and translate insights into organizational strategy.

Qualifications

  • 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

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.

US & Puerto Rico only - to learn more, visit https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/equal-employment-opportunity-employer.html

US & Puerto Rico applicants seeking a reasonable accommodation, click here to learn more:

https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/reasonable-accommodations.html

Salary: $206,500

How this job compares

Set against the 607 open Clinical Operations jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 4, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$207K/yr
  • New Jersey median$154–207K/yr31 salary ranges
  • US median$125–164K/yr300 salary ranges

This rate, $207K, is 17% above the New Jersey median midpoint ($177K) — in the middle half of Clinical Operations salary ranges in New Jersey.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 32 open Clinical Operations jobs in New Jersey and 607 across the US. 18% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in New Jersey
Experience
This posting asks for at least 15 years of experience — more than three in four Clinical Operations postings that state a minimum ask for (median 5 years, across 509 postings).
Education
This posting asks for a bachelor's degree; 235 of the 607 open Clinical Operations jobs (39%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 4, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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