Senior Principal Construction Engineer

Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 114,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

     

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Working at Abbott

At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and family, be your true self and live a full life. You’ll also have access to:

• Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of.
• Employees can qualify for free medical coverage in our Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO medical plan in the next calendar year.
• An excellent retirement savings plan with high employer contribution
• Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program and FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree.
• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries around the world and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.
• A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as a best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.

The Opportunity

This position works out of our Abbott Park, IL location within the GES Global Engineering Services Division.

As the Senior Principal Construction Engineer, you will be a strategic leader responsible for overseeing Abbott’s most critical and complex construction initiatives for GMP manufacturing facilities across all Abbott business units. This role sets the vision for construction excellence, drives innovation, and ensures alignment with global business objectives.

What You’ll Work On

• Provide strategic oversight and leadership for global GMP construction programs.
• Define and implement construction standards, policies, and governance frameworks.
• Lead cross-functional teams and influence senior stakeholders across the organization.
• Drive innovation in construction technologies and methodologies.
• Represent Abbott in industry forums and regulatory engagements.
• Develop long-term capital planning strategies and support portfolio management.
• Ensure alignment with sustainability, safety, and compliance goals.
• Shape Abbott’s global construction strategy, aligning with enterprise-wide capital investment goals.
• Lead governance reviews and ensure compliance with internal and external audit requirements.
• Experience and ability to plan and execute projects over $50MM
• Influence capital allocation decisions through scenario planning and risk-based analysis.
• Serve as a key advisor to executive leadership on construction-related matters.
• Strong experience and understanding of selecting and managing architectural/engineering firms.
• Strong experience and understanding of managing and procuring construction and general contractor firms.
• Strong understanding of the project lifecycle including planning, design execution, commissioning, and turnover.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Advocate for Abbott’s interests and oversee Construction Manager (CM) performance.
• Observe site activities and verify alignment with owner’s goals.
• Monitor safety compliance and escalate concerns.
• Independently verify quality and coordinate third-party inspections.
• Validate schedule progress and flag risks to milestones.
• Ensure resources are used efficiently and per contract.
• Review and approve/reject changes based on impact to owner.
• Validate pay applications and monitor budget and contingency usage.
• Escalate issues and facilitate resolution between parties.
• Provide Abbott program updates and translate technical issues.
• Verify regulatory compliance and support inspections.
• Coordinate turnover, validate readiness, and ensure documentation.
• Review Bill of Materials (BOM) for completeness and alignment with owner’s scope.
• Review bid packages for clarity, risk, and owner alignment.
• Participate in bid reviews, ensure transparency, and recommend selection.
• Approve awards based on owner’s criteria and budget.
• Verify Purchase Order (PO) issuance, delivery t