Senior Director, AI & Digital Transformation, Operations

Job Description

The Senior Director, AI & Digital Transformation, Operations will define and drive the enterprise-level digital strategy for AbbVie Operations, spanning Supply Chain, Quality (including QC), Product Development Science & Technology (PDS&T), Engineering, and Security. Reporting to the VP of Operations AI and Digital Transformation, this role sets the multi-year digital vision, architecture principles, and investment roadmap that connect Industry 4.0/5.0 capabilities, data and AI platforms, and site-level execution to measurable business value. The Sr. Director serves as a senior digital voice of Operations with the Operations Leadership Team, Business Technology Solutions (BTS), and enterprise governance forums, ensuring Operations is positioned as an industry leader in digitally enabled, compliant, and resilient manufacturing and supply.

Strategy and Roadmap

• Digital vision and strategy: Define and own the 3-to-5-year Operations digital strategy and target-state architecture across Supply Chain, Quality/QC, PDS&T, Engineering, and Security, aligned to enterprise, Operations, and AI strategies.
• Integrated roadmap: Translate strategy into a prioritized, sequenced, and funded roadmap (including LRP resource and investment planning) that balances near-term value capture with long-term capability building.
• Technology foresight: Scan, benchmark, and assess emerging technologies (e.g., connected worker, digital twins, MES/MOM, autonomous operations, GenAI/agentic AI, robotics, advanced analytics) against industry peers and recommend adoption pathways.

Architecture, Data, and Governance

• Standards and platforms: Establish common digital standards, reference architectures, and data foundations (e.g., shopfloor integration layer, unified namespace, data products) that enable reuse and scale across sites and functions and avoid duplicative solutions.
• Governance and compliance: Chair or co-lead digital governance and technology review forums with BTS, Quality, and Security; ensure GxP/data integrity, computer system assurance, cybersecurity (IT/OT), and regulatory expectations are built into every digital initiative.

Value Realization and Execution

• Portfolio value management: Define business cases, KPIs, and benefit-tracking for the digital portfolio (e.g., yield, right-first-time, cycle time, inventory, deviations, labor productivity, EHS) and report realized value to the Ops Leadership Team and Finance.
• Scaled deployment: Partner with functional leaders, site leadership, BTS, and Global Engineering & Automation to move proven pilots to standardized, multi-site deployment with clear ownership and adoption plans.
• Partner ecosystem: Develop strategic relationships with technology vendors, startups, academia, and industry consortia; shape sourcing strategy with Procurement.

Leadership and Change

• Organization and culture: Build and lead a high-performing digital strategy, architecture, and portfolio team; develop talent, digital fluency, and a continuous improvement and innovation culture across Operations.
• Executive engagement: Represent Operations Digital Strategy in enterprise forums (e.g., Enterprise AI SteerCo), communicating progress, risks, and investment needs to senior executives

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Science, Computer Science, or a related technical field required; Master’s or MBA preferred.
• Minimum of 15–18 years of experience in biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, or regulated manufacturing operations, digital, or technology roles, including 8+ years leading enterprise-scale digital strategy or transformation in a senior leadership capacity.
• Proven track record of setting multi-year digital roadmaps and delivering scaled, measurable value across multiple sites and functions (manufacturing, supply chain, quality/QC, engineering, PDS&T).
• Deep understanding of Industry 4.0/5.0 and digital manufacturing technologies (MES/MOM, IIoT, data platforms, digital twins, advanced process control, robotics/automation, AI/ML and GenAI) and their application in GxP environments.
• Working knowledge of GxP/GMP, data integrity (ALCOA+), computer system assurance, and OT/IT cybersecurity expectations for pharma operations.
• Experience establishing digital governance, architecture standards, and investment/benefit-management frameworks in partnership with IT/BTS and Finance.
• Demonstrated executive presence and ability to influence senior leaders, build coalitions, and navigate a complex global matrix organization.
• Strong change leadership skills, with experience driving adoption of new technologies and ways of working at scale.
• Experience building and developing leaders and multidisciplinary teams; consulting or external technology-partner experience is a plus.
• Excellent strategic thinking, communication, and storytelling skills, with the ability to translate complex technology concepts into business outcomes.

Additional Information

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