The Director, Optimization & Strategic Initiatives is responsible for leading enterprise-wide optimization efforts and strategic transformation initiatives that advance AbbVie's customer engagement, analytics, and operating model evolution. This role serves as a key partner across Marketing, Analytics & Performance Excellence (APEX), Brand Excellence, Customer Engagement Strategy & Innovation, Medical, Commercial Operations, and Technology teams to drive execution of AI-enabled, data-driven business capabilities.

The Director will lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of strategic programs that enhance customer engagement effectiveness, accelerate organizational readiness, optimize cross-functional processes, and deliver measurable business impact through closed-loop performance management.

This position plays a critical leadership role in advancing LOOP readiness and adoption by integrating people, process, data, technology, and governance capabilities that enable more personalized, coordinated, and measurable customer engagement.

Strategic Transformation Leadership

• Lead enterprise and franchise-level strategic initiatives that improve commercial effectiveness, customer engagement, and organizational performance.
• Translate enterprise strategies into actionable roadmaps, operating models, governance structures, and measurable business outcomes.
• Serve as a thought partner to senior leaders in evaluating business opportunities, identifying capability gaps, and developing transformation strategies.
• Build business cases and executive recommendations that support investment decisions and organizational change initiatives.
• Champion adoption of new ways of working and foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.

LOOP Optimization & Readiness

• Drive implementation and ongoing optimization of LOOP capabilities across brands and therapeutic areas.
• Partner with Integrated Brand Teams (IBTs) to ensure readiness across strategic planning, content, customer journey orchestration, measurement, and operational execution.
• Lead assessments of brand readiness, identifying opportunities, risks, dependencies, and required interventions.
• Establish frameworks that embed LOOP principles into annual planning and business processes.
• Monitor readiness milestones and support execution of roadmap deliverables across functions.

Business Process Excellence

• Identify and prioritize opportunities to simplify, standardize, and optimize business processes across Commercial, Medical, and Analytics organizations.
• Lead cross-functional process redesign initiatives that improve efficiency, scalability, and customer impact.
• Develop and implement governance models, best practices, and operating procedures that support sustainable execution.
• Drive integration of strategic initiatives into enterprise planning processes and ways of working, including 1Path and related transformation efforts.

Analytics, Measurement & Continuous Improvement

• Establish closed-loop measurement frameworks that evaluate initiative effectiveness and inform future strategy.
• Partner with Analytics, Data Science, and Business Intelligence teams to develop actionable performance insights.
• Define KPIs, success metrics, and executive dashboards that enable proactive decision-making.
• Leverage customer, field, market, and operational data to identify optimization opportunities and support continuous improvement.
• Translate insights into strategic recommendations that improve customer experience and business performance.

Data, Technology & AI Enablement

• Collaborate with Technology, Data, and Digital teams to advance AI-enabled capabilities and data-driven decision making.
• Help prioritize and operationalize new platforms, tools, and technologies that support customer engagement and business optimization.
• Assess data availability, technology readiness, and critical insight gaps to support strategic initiatives.
• Drive adoption of emerging capabilities that enhance personalization, omnichannel execution, and measurement.

Stakeholder Leadership

• Influence and align senior stakeholders across Marketing, Medical, Commercial Excellence, Analytics, Operations, and Technology organizations.
• Facilitate executive-level governance forums and strategic planning discussions.
• Lead cross-functional teams and initiative workstreams, often without direct authority.
• Develop communications, presentations, and executive updates that effectively articulate progress, risks, and business impact.