Director, Engineering, Technical Expert Sterile Fill
AbbVie · Durham, NC
- Level
- Director+
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Experience asked
- 15+ years
- Industry
- Pharma & life sciences
- Posted
- Today
The role in 30 seconds
A director-level manufacturing role at AbbVie (pharma & life sciences) in Durham, NC.
- They ask for
- 15+ years
- Tools it names
- FDA / GMP, Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ), EHS / safety
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 26, 2026
Manufacturing Engineer roles in North Carolina: typical posted base $97k–$143k.
Median of the low and high ends of 12 live postings that list pay, out of 41 manufacturing engineer openings in North Carolina, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
North Carolina plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 40 other live manufacturing postings in North Carolina.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- More than usual (15+ vs 4+)
Typical $89k–$134k, from 11 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 4+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Tooling 44%
- Lean 37%
- Team leadership 32%
- Root cause 32%
- New product launch 24%
- Six Sigma 22%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for FDA / GMP, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Manufacturing team at AbbVie
We found 2 people at this company and state: 2 in this kind of role. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
Write to Marilyn → (free) - 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
- How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: AbbVie in Durham
2 other open roles at this site · 2 people we found in manufacturing roles at AbbVie.
- Project Director / Manufacturing Director, Operations · Production · Director+
- Associate Director, Engineering · Manufacturing · Director+
Director, Engineering, Technical Expert Sterile Fill at AbbVie in other locations
AbbVie lists this title in 2 places. Pick the plant you can get to.
Full description from AbbVieAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Position Summary
The Director Engineering Technical Expert Sterile Fill provides enterprise-level technical leadership for sterile fill engineering across AbbVie’s strategic investment portfolio, with accountability for biologics sterile filling, Annex 1-aligned contamination control, aseptic processing design, barrier technology strategy, equipment / facility interfaces, GMP readiness, validation / CQV integration and technical assurance within Strategic Investments - Engineering.
The role shapes and governs engineering strategies for strategic investments by setting technical direction, aligning standards and assuring robust execution across priority capital programs, technology platforms and future manufacturing capabilities.
The role leads engineering activities associated with strategic investment programs, including new facility investments, technology platform deployments, capacity expansion, infrastructure enablement, lifecycle asset renewal and capability-building initiatives that materially impact long-term business performance.
The role partners with Strategic Investments leadership, operating sites, quality, EHS, validation / CQV and external engineering partners to make high-quality technical decisions, resolve complex risks and deliver business-aligned engineering outcomes.
Strategic Investments - Engineering Context
Strategic Investments - Engineering provides senior technical leadership, engineering governance, standards ownership and execution assurance across AbbVie’s strategic investment portfolio.
The organization supports strategic capital programs including new manufacturing facilities, technology platform deployments, capacity expansion, infrastructure enablement, lifecycle asset renewal and future capability investments.
Strategic Investments - Engineering roles are expected to establish clear technical direction, drive enterprise alignment, transfer lessons learned and enable consistent, high-quality engineering delivery across the strategic investment portfolio.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Investments - Engineering Governance and Standards
- ◆Establish, maintain and deploy global engineering standards, technical practices and governance expectations for biologics sterile fill engineering, Annex 1-aligned contamination control strategy, aseptic processing, barrier technologies, equipment / facility interfaces, GMP readiness, validation / CQV integration and technical assurance.
- ◆Drive consistent application of technical standards, design principles, lessons learned and engineering playbooks across regions, sites and capital projects.
- ◆Ensure discipline strategies directly support AbbVie’s strategic investment priorities, future manufacturing capability
requirements
and major capital program objectives.
- ✓Provide governance and escalation for technical decisions with material safety, quality, compliance, cost, schedule, operability or lifecycle impact.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Strategic Investment Leadership and Execution Support
- •Provide senior engineering leadership for strategic capital investments, including new facility builds, technology platform deployments, capacity projects, infrastructure enablement, lifecycle asset renewal and future capability investments.
- •Support front-end engineering, facility concept development, investment option evaluation, manufacturing capability assessments and site / platform planning activities.
- •Partner with Strategic Investments and project leadership to ensure technical assumptions, deliverables, risks and resource needs are integrated into capital program plans.
- •Apply enterprise lessons learned and strategic investment standards to improve project quality, decision speed, reliability and readiness across the portfolio.
Sterile Filling, Biologics Manufacturing and Annex 1 Compliance
- •Provide senior technical leadership for sterile filling of biologics and parenteral products, including vial, syringe, cartridge and bulk sterile transfer interfaces where relevant to strategic investment scope.
- •Ensure facility, equipment and process design decisions are aligned with EU GMP Annex 1 expectations for sterile medicinal products, including contamination control strategy, quality risk management, cleanroom classification, barrier technology and aseptic process control.
- •Govern technical strategy for isolators, restricted access barrier systems, Grade A critical zones, Grade B / C / D background environments, unidirectional airflow, first-air protection, glove systems, transfer systems and aseptic interventions.
- •Lead engineering input to contamination control strategy development, ensuring critical control points are embedded across facility design, equipment, utilities, personnel flows, material flows, cleaning, disinfection, environmental monitoring and maintenance access.
- •Partner with Quality, MS&T, Validation / CQV and Operations to ensure aseptic process simulations, media fill strategy, filter integrity testing, sterile filtration, container closure integrity, environmental monitoring and viable / non-viable particle control are considered in design and readiness decisions.
- •Provide technical challenge and risk-based decision support for interventions, line set-up, lyophilization interfaces, stopper / component handling, depyrogenation, sterilization, single-use systems, CIP / SIP interfaces and biologics product protection requirements.
- •Ensure sterile fill investment programs are designed for inspection readiness, robust contamination prevention, operational maintainability, product sterility assurance and reliable long-term biologics manufacturing performance.
Technical Leadership and Delivery
- •Lead technical decision-making for biologics sterile fill engineering, aseptic processing design, Annex 1 compliance expectations, contamination control strategy, barrier technology selection, equipment / facility interfaces, GMP readiness, validation / CQV integration and technical assurance across strategic investmen