Principal Visa Sponsorship Jobs in Illinois
Principal visa sponsorship jobs in Illinois are concentrated in Chicago, where large school districts like Chicago Public Schools, technology firms, and consulting companies regularly hire for senior principal roles. The state's deep education sector, corporate headquarters, and growing tech presence in the West Loop and River North make Illinois a strong market for sponsored principal candidates.
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Company Description
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
The Process Chemistry group is responsible for inventing and executing the chemical processes for preparing active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) to enable toxicology studies, clinical trials, and drug product development for AbbVie’s pre-clinical and clinical candidates. We create valuable intellectual property through composition of matter, chemical processes, and technology, resulting in the development of safe and cost-effective commercial manufacturing processes.
AbbVie is seeking a highly skilled and innovative Principal Research Scientist I to contribute to chemical process research and development of small molecules, peptides, antibody-drug conjugates, and other modalities via expertise in biocatalysis. The selected candidate will contribute to the development of biocatalytic processes for the scalable synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), enzyme discovery, directed evolution campaigns, and application of AI/ML tools for the discovery and optimization of enzyme-catalyzed reactions. Deep expertise in biocatalysis, a strong foundation in synthetic organic chemistry, and the technical versatility to integrate modern computational and high-throughput experimentation tools into process development is required for this role.
Responsibilities:
- Contribute to the setting and implementation of strategies for solving complex synthetic problems in process development, via implementation of biocatalytic methods.
- Contribute to the identification and design of enzymes, application of recombinant DNA techniques, heterologous protein expression, and directed evolution methodologies to engineer biocatalysts with improved activity, selectivity, and stability in support of novel or improved synthetic transformations for API process development.
- Leverage AI/ML tools, bioinformatics platforms, and high-throughput experimentation (HTE) to accelerate enzyme screening, optimization, and process development cycles.
- Participate in and/or lead project teams associated with process development and characterization for small molecules, peptides, antibody-drug conjugates, and other modalities.
- Connect unrelated concepts to generate new ideas and always be on the lookout for the next big win.
- Author and review technical reports, regulatory documents, patents, and scientific publications, present findings at internal and external scientific forums.
- Understand and adhere to corporate standards regarding GxP compliance, code of conduct, safety, and appropriate handling of materials.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD Degree in organic chemistry with typically 14+ (BS), 12+ (MS) or 6+ (PhD) years of experience.
- Expertise in synthetic organic chemistry with demonstrated hands-on experience in biocatalysis, including enzyme screening, characterization, and application to synthetic transformations.
- Proficiency in recombinant DNA techniques and protein expression for enzyme production and engineering.
- Experience with high-throughput experimentation (HTE) platforms and data analysis workflows for rapid enzyme identification and reaction optimization.
- Demonstrated ability to employ AI/ML and data science approaches to solve complex chemical synthesis problems.
- Demonstrated ability in innovating new chemical and automation technologies.
- Proven scientific leadership; strong interpersonal and communication skills for facilitating collaborations.
- Experience in synthetic molecule process development.
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
Principal Job Roles in Illinois
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Search Principal Jobs in IllinoisPrincipal Jobs in Illinois: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for principals in Illinois?
Chicago Public Schools is among the most active employers for principal roles in Illinois, along with large consulting firms headquartered in Chicago such as Accenture and Deloitte for technology principal positions. Major tech employers in the region, including Motorola Solutions and Relativity, also sponsor H-1B visas for senior principal-level technical and product roles. Sponsorship availability varies by employer size and internal hiring needs.
Which visa types are most common for principal roles in Illinois?
The H-1B visa is the most common sponsorship pathway for principal roles in Illinois, particularly for technology principal, principal engineer, and principal consultant positions that require a specialized bachelor's degree or higher. Education-sector principals in K-12 settings may also qualify under H-1B if the role has a defined degree requirement. TN visas apply to Canadian and Mexican nationals in qualifying specialty occupations.
Which cities in Illinois have the most principal sponsorship jobs?
Chicago accounts for the overwhelming majority of principal visa sponsorship jobs in Illinois, driven by its concentration of corporate headquarters, large school districts, and technology companies in neighborhoods like the West Loop and River North. Naperville and Evanston also see principal-level hiring activity, particularly in education and healthcare administration, though at significantly lower volumes than Chicago.
How to find principal visa sponsorship jobs in Illinois?
Migrate Mate filters job listings specifically for roles where employers are open to visa sponsorship, making it easier to identify principal positions in Illinois without sorting through listings that exclude international candidates. You can search by role type and state to surface principal openings across education, technology, and consulting sectors in Chicago and surrounding areas. Regularly checking Migrate Mate helps as sponsoring employers post and fill these roles quickly.
Are there state-specific considerations for principal roles in Illinois?
Illinois requires principal licensure through the Illinois State Board of Education for K-12 school principal roles, which typically requires completing an approved preparation program and passing state assessments. International candidates pursuing education principal positions should verify credential recognition early in the process. For corporate or technical principal roles, Illinois follows federal H-1B prevailing wage standards, and Chicago's competitive market means most sponsoring employers post competitive compensation aligned with DOL wage levels.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored principal jobs in Illinois?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.