AbbVie · Mettawa, IL

Head of US Commercial Learning and Development at AbbVie — Mettawa, IL

Full-timeMettawa, ILPosted 2026-07-22Apply on SmartRecruiters

Full job description

The Head of Learning and Development, Commercial (US-based) is a senior, enterprise-level leader responsible for owning and driving the end-to-end Learning & Development strategy for AbbVie's US Commercial organization. This role serves as the primary L&D partner to senior Commercial leaders, ensuring that learning investment is tightly aligned with US commercial strategy, brand priorities, and portfolio launch objectives.

The Head of L&D, Commercial leads a high-performing team of L&D professionals and is accountable for building a future-ready US Commercial workforce through the design, execution, and continuous improvement of impactful, measurable learning programs. This includes developing critical capabilities across field sales forces, commercial managers, and newly promoted leaders to drive performance, accelerate launches, and sustain competitive advantage in the market.

Responsibilities

  • Partner with US Commercial VPs, Brand Team Leaders, and Sales Leaders to align learning priorities with US commercial strategy, brand priorities, and launch objectives — delivering high-quality therapeutic area and product knowledge training and capability programs within agreed timelines and to the highest standards.
  • Partner with Market Access and Patient Services to ensure field force training and capability development initiatives deliver measurable, in-market outcomes, continuously refining programs based on performance data and business feedback.
  • Leverage digital platforms, virtual learning technologies, and data to drive innovative, scalable, and experiential learning solutions that meet the evolving needs of the US Commercial organization and position AbbVie as a best-in-class learning organization.
  • Work with the Compliance Steering Committee to govern, document, and measure the development and execution of all US Commercial organization training on corporate policies, procedures, PhRMA guidelines, and AbbVie's Code of Business Conduct — ensuring compliance readiness across the entire commercial workforce.
  • Manage vendor relationships, training program budgets, and end-to-end program implementation; demonstrate cost efficiency and fiscal discipline through strategic vendor selection, and ongoing assessment of return on learning investment.
  • Partner with Enterprise Learning and cross-functional learning colleagues, bringing US Commercial perspective and best practices to enterprise-wide programs and ensuring alignment between US Commercial L&D and the broader AbbVie learning ecosystem.
  • Inspire, coach, and lead direct reports to set and achieve impactful, measurable learning and business outcomes — fostering a team culture of innovation, accountability, collaboration, and continuous professional development.

Required:

  • Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree in Business, Organizational Development, Learning & Development, or a related field strongly preferred.
  • 10+ years of progressive experience in Learning & Development, Sales Training, Commercial Excellence, or a related discipline within the pharmaceutical or life sciences industry.
  • Sales and/or sales management experience required at the District Manager level or above; Regional Director level or above strongly preferred.
  • Proven experience leading large-scale L&D strategies and programs in a complex, matrixed US Commercial organization with accountability for measurable business outcomes.
  • Demonstrated ability to partner effectively with senior Commercial leaders at the VP level and above, aligning learning investment and program design with strategic business priorities.
  • Experience managing teams, multi-million dollar budgets ($3MM+), and vendor relationships, with a track record of delivering results on time and within budget.

Preferred:

  • Experience operating within a high-performing matrix organization with cross-functional leadership responsibilities spanning multiple business units or therapeutic areas.
  • Strong working knowledge of pharmaceutical compliance regulations, including PhRMA guidelines, AbbVie Code of Business Conduct, and Operating Guidelines governing commercial training and promotional activity.
  • Proficiency with digital learning platforms, Learning Management Systems (LMS), and virtual delivery technologies; demonstrated ability to scale learning solutions through technology.
  • Demonstrated ability to design and implement evaluation frameworks that measure learning effectiveness and translate outcomes into quantifiable business impact.
  • Active engagement with external industry forums, professional learning networks, and key learning specialists to continuously inform, benchmark, and differentiate AbbVie's US Commercial L&D strategy.

Key Stakeholders

  • US Commercial VPs and Senior Leaders
  • Brand Team Leaders and Marketing Directors
  • US Sales Leaders
  • Enterprise Learning & Development Leadership
  • External Vendors and Learning Partners
  • 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.