Senior Architect COTS Applications

AbbVie Inc
  • North Chicago, IL
    2 days ago

    Job Description

    Company Description

    About AbbVie

    AbbVies 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 peoples 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, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

    Job Description

    Serve as the architecture leader for the groups COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) application portfolio, building on deep, demonstrated expertise across enterprise application platforms, integrations, and vendor ecosystems to define, evolve, and operationalize the groups application strategy and technology roadmap. This role is intended for senior architects who have not only designed and delivered complex COTS-based solutions, but who have translated hard-won experience from challenging implementation, integration, and modernization programs into durable roadmaps, standards, and reference architectures - and who are ready to lead a team of architects doing the same.

    The Senior Architect, COTS Applications acts as both a hands-on COTS/integration platform expert and a technical authority and strategic advisor, shaping application direction across the portfolio while ensuring alignment to Enterprise Architecture, security, compliance, and business outcomes. Success in this role requires the ability to operate at multiple altitudes - applying deep solution-level judgment when needed, while also exercising enterprise-level influence to guide the team, peers, and business stakeholders toward coherent, modern application platforms that scale with AbbVies ambitions.

    Responsibilities:

    • Lead and develop a team of architects responsible for architectural oversight of COTS applications, integrations, and the technology roadmap within the group; set direction, coach on architectural rigor, and manage performance, growth, and staffing.
    • Define and advance the groups COTS application and integration strategies, translating long-term business and technology goals into actionable, multi-year architectural roadmaps.
    • Provide architectural leadership and oversight across major programs and initiatives - from vendor selection and COTS implementation through configuration, extension, integration, and lifecycle management - ensuring designs are cohesive, future-ready, and aligned to enterprise standards.
    • Establish and articulate what good looks like for COTS architecture, integration patterns, and configuration-vs-customization decisions through reference architectures, design patterns, and decision frameworks the team can consistently apply.
    • Partner closely with Business Relationship Managers (BRMs), Business System Consultants (BSCs), Business System Analysts (BSAs), and internal Software Engineering teams on ongoing projects, future project planning, demand intake, and solutioning - providing the technical expertise needed to shape business outcomes into sound architectural direction and ensure COTS solutions integrate cleanly with custom-built capabilities.
    • Serve as a senior architectural authority in governance and design forums, clearly framing trade-offs, risks, and recommendations across vendor capabilities, integration approaches, build-vs-buy-vs-configure decisions, and roadmap sequencing.
    • Guide the evolution of the groups COTS and integration landscape, balancing modernization, resilience, security, compliance, total cost of ownership, and vendor roadmap alignment in complex, regulated environments.
    • Partner closely with infrastructure, data, security, DevOps, and enterprise architecture teams to ensure the COTS application strategy is tightly integrated with broader platform and delivery ecosystems.
    • Mentor and develop architects and senior technologists, raising overall architectural maturity, integration/platform thinking, and modern application practices across the group.
    • Ensure adherence to corporate and divisional policies, including GxP, data security, and application lifecycle management, embedding compliance into architectural decisions by design.

    Qualifications

    Required:

    • Bachelors Degree with 9 years of relevant experience; OR Masters Degree with 8 years of experience; OR PhD with 4 years of experience in COTS application, integration, or enterprise application architecture roles.
    • Prior experience leading or managing a team of architects or senior technologists, including coaching, performance management, and capacity/demand planning across a portfolio.
    • Demonstrated leadership in designing and executing COTS application and integration strategies across large, heterogeneous portfolios, including SaaS, on-premise COTS, and hybrid integration landscapes.
    • Deep expertise in modern COTS and integration architecture practices, including configuration-first delivery, API/event-driven integration, iPaaS, identity and access, master data considerations, and security-by-design.
    • Track record of successfully guiding organizations through complex COTS implementation, upgrade, consolidation, or modernization programs involving legacy systems, technical debt, and organizational change.
    • Strong enterprise influence skills, with demonstrated comfort operating in governance forums, architectural review boards, vendor negotiations, and ambiguous problem spaces.
    • Ability to articulate complex architectural concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences - including business partners - driving alignment and informed decision-making.
    • Recognized as a trusted architectural leader and mentor, with a passion for elevating architectural rigor, platform thinking, and modern practices across teams.

    Preferred:

    • Experience in regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals preferred.

    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 Companys 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

    Numbers & Facts

    LocationNorth Chicago, IL

    Skills

    • Alliance/Partner Managementunmatched
    • Application Integrationunmatched
    • Application Programming Interface (API)unmatched
    • Architectural Designunmatched
    • Architectural Servicesunmatched
    • Biotech and Pharmaceuticalunmatched
    • Business Solutionsunmatched
    • Capacity and Performance Managementunmatched
    • Coachingunmatched
    • Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS)unmatched
    • Communication Skillsunmatched
    • Demand Forecasting/Planningunmatched
    • Design Patterns Programming Methodologiesunmatched
    • DevOpsunmatched
    • Ecosystemsunmatched
    • Enterprise Application Integration (EAI)unmatched
    • Enterprise Architectureunmatched
    • Enterprise Protectionunmatched
    • Facebookunmatched
    • GxPunmatched
    • Incentive Programsunmatched
    • Information/Data Security (InfoSec)unmatched
    • Leadershipunmatched
    • LinkedInunmatched
    • Maintain Complianceunmatched
    • Medical Productsunmatched
    • Mentoringunmatched
    • Negotiation Skillsunmatched
    • Performance Managementunmatched
    • Problem Solving Skillsunmatched
    • Project Planningunmatched
    • Security Architectureunmatched
    • Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)unmatched
    • Software Engineeringunmatched
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)unmatched
    • Systems Analysisunmatched
    • Team Lead/Managerunmatched
    • Technical Strategyunmatched
    • Total Cost of Ownershipunmatched
    • Vendor/Supplier Selectionunmatched
    • YouTubeunmatched

    Be found by employers

    5,500+ employers search our resume database daily. Add yours to get found by recruiters looking for candidates like you.

    Level up your application

    Professional resume templates

    Browse dozens of recruiter approved resume templates, layouts and formats. Choose your favorite and make it your own in minutes.

    Free resume templates

    Free resume builder

    Improve your existing resume or start from scratch and create a standout, ATS-friendly resume. Add job-specific content, download and apply.

    Free resume builder