Development Director Jobs in Illinois
Development Director jobs in Illinois are in strong demand, with concentrated hiring in nonprofit organizations, higher education, healthcare systems, and arts and cultural institutions, serving candidates from fundraising coordinators stepping up to seasoned vice presidents of development. Chicago anchors the market by a wide margin, but Springfield and Evanston also generate consistent openings, with major employers including Northwestern University, Rush University Medical Center, and the Chicago Community Trust maintaining ongoing development leadership needs. Planned Giving and major gifts fundraising are the most sought-after specialties across Illinois listings. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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About AbbVie
AbbVie's 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 people's 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
Business Development is a critical pillar of AbbVie’s future growth, and Global Business Development Forecasting helps determine which external opportunities can create the greatest long-term value. The team brings commercial insight, analytical rigor, and strategic clarity to high-stakes BD decisions by translating science, market dynamics, competitive context, and uncertainty into actionable forecasts.
The Associate Director plays a high-impact and highly visible role in this process, leading forecasts and commercial perspectives that shape executive understanding of opportunity value, risk, and strategic fit. Working across R&D, Commercial, Pipeline Commercial Strategy, CBSO, BD Finance, and other partners, this role sits at the intersection of scientific innovation and commercial strategy and directly supports decisions that influence AbbVie’s future portfolio.
Success requires strong forecasting and commercial analytics expertise, rigorous assumption development, clear executive communication, and the ability to influence across a matrixed organization. Candidates should be curious, collaborative, comfortable with ambiguity, and able to create structure in fast-moving situations. For the right candidate, the role offers meaningful growth through exposure to senior leaders, enterprise-wide relationships, and deeper understanding of both R&D and Commercial strategy.
This role reports to the Director, Global Business Development Forecasting.
Responsibilities
- Lead commercial forecasting, market assessments, scenario analyses, and commercial P&Ls for BD opportunities, balancing analytical rigor with timely decision support in a fast-paced environment.
- Develop patient-based forecast models, pressure-test assumptions, and apply primary research, secondary data, epidemiology, competitive intelligence, market access input, and expert perspectives to build a well-supported commercial view.
- Partner broadly across BD, PCS, finance, market access, epidemiology, marketing analytics, and senior leadership to align assumptions, clarify risks and opportunities, and ensure commercial perspectives are reflected in deal valuation and governance discussions.
- Translate complex analyses into clear recommendations, executive-ready narratives, and decision options for senior leaders and governance forums, facilitating productive discussion around uncertainty, trade-offs, and strategic implications.
- Advance BD forecasting capabilities by sharing best practices, improving tools and processes, and helping create faster, more consistent, and audit-ready ways of working.
Qualifications
- Education and experience: 7+ years of relevant forecasting, market analytics, finance, or life sciences consulting experience in pharmaceutical, biotech, or related industries; MBA or other advanced degree preferred. Bachelor’s degree in finance/accounting or business required.
- Forecasting and analytics skills: Experience building forecast models in Excel and forecasting platforms such as IQVIA Forecast Horizon; ability to develop and/or utilize patient-flow modeling approaches, craft robust assumptions, and prepare evidence-based forecast inputs from epidemiology, secondary data, market research, treatment dynamics, competitive profiles, and expert input. Familiar with key data sources used to substantiate forecast recommendations and demonstrated ability to clearly document forecast assumption logic and rationale. Familiarity with using and crafting Target Product Profiles (TPPs), establishing and aligning analytical business rules and market definitions, and leveraging claims data analytics is also highly desirable.
- Business and therapeutic area knowledge: Experience supporting strategic decision making in specialized therapeutic areas such as Neuroscience, Immunology, Oncology, or other complex markets is preferred; ability to apply data, assumptions, and market context effectively is critical.
- Communication and influence: Strong executive communication skills, including the ability to tailor messages by audience, translate complex quantitative analyses into recommendations and decision options, and influence stakeholders across functions and cultures without direct authority.
- Project leadership: Strong project management skills in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment, with the ability to prioritize multiple workstreams, communicate trade-offs, escalate risks appropriately, and deliver high-quality work under time pressure.
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 Company's 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
See All 149+ Development Director Jobs in Illinois
Find roles in Illinois that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Development Director JobsDevelopment Director Jobs by City in Illinois
Where Illinois roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Development Director Job Market in Illinois
A snapshot from current Illinois openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- AbbVie10

- Molex3

- OSI3

- IQVIA2

- Atwell2

Top Industries Hiring
- Construction & Real Estate
- Education
- Manufacturing
- Technology & Software
- Marketing & Advertising
What Illinois Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in development director jobs across Illinois.
- Bachelor's degree in nonprofit management, communications, or a related field required
- Five or more years of progressively responsible fundraising or development experience
- Demonstrated success managing donor portfolios and meeting annual fund targets
- Proficiency with donor management software such as Raiser's Edge or Salesforce Nonprofit
- Experience planning and executing major gifts, planned giving, or capital campaigns
- Strong written and verbal communication skills for donor cultivation and board engagement
Development Director Jobs in Illinois: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a development director in Illinois?
Most development director roles in Illinois require a bachelor's degree in nonprofit management, communications, business, or a related field, with a master's degree increasingly preferred at larger institutions. Illinois does not require a state-issued license for this role, but the Certified Fund Raising Executive credential, administered by CFRE International, is widely recognized by Illinois employers as the professional standard. Candidates typically build the required years of major gifts or campaign management experience at Illinois nonprofits, universities, or healthcare systems before advancing to director level.
Which companies hire development directors in Illinois?
Employers hiring development directors in Illinois right now include AbbVie, Molex, and OSI, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Illinois's dense concentration of large nonprofits, research universities, and health systems in the Chicago metro makes it one of the more active states for development leadership hiring year-round.
Which Illinois cities have the most development director jobs?
Chicago, North Chicago, and Lisle have the most development director openings in Illinois. Chicago drives the overwhelming share of listings because it is home to the state's largest nonprofits, major hospital networks, and research universities, while smaller cities like Springfield and Evanston generate steady demand through state-affiliated institutions, community foundations, and liberal arts colleges anchored there.
Are there remote development director jobs in Illinois?
Yes, though they are less common than in purely analytical fields because development directors typically need to be present for donor meetings, board events, and internal leadership work. About 75% of development director openings tied to Illinois are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, with the remote-eligible share mostly concentrated in planned giving, grant writing leadership, and roles at smaller foundations that operate without a central office.
How can I get hired as a development director in Illinois with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is a development associate or annual fund coordinator role at a mid-size Illinois nonprofit or university, which provides the donor stewardship and solicitation experience hiring managers look for. Large Illinois institutions such as Advocate Health Care, the University of Illinois system, and the Chicago Public Library Foundation regularly hire entry-level development staff who move into leadership over time. Pursuing the CFRE credential while in an associate role signals seriousness and accelerates promotion consideration.
Where can I find and apply to development director jobs in Illinois?
You can find and apply to development director jobs in Illinois on Migrate Mate, which lists current Illinois openings updated regularly. Search the listings, find roles that match your background and preferred location, and apply directly to the employers posting them.
See All 149+ Development Director Jobs in Illinois
Find roles in Illinois that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Development Director Jobs