Biotech & Pharma TN Sponsorship Jobs in Illinois
Illinois is one of the strongest states for biotech and pharma TN visa sponsorship, anchored by major employers like AbbVie, Baxter International, and Takeda in the Chicago metro corridor. The state's dense concentration of research hospitals, CROs, and pharmaceutical manufacturers creates consistent demand for Canadian and Mexican professionals in scientific and technical roles.
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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
AbbVie is searching for an in-house Associate General Counsel for our IP Due Diligence group, part of AbbVie’s Intellectual Property, Transactions, and Innovation legal team. This position will support AbbVie's business development activities, including mergers and acquisitions, licensing deals, option agreements, and venture transactions, and will be based in our offices in North Chicago, IL, Waltham, MA, South San Francisco, CA, or Irvine, CA with a hybrid work model (on site 3+ days/week).
Acting individually and in cross-functional teams, the Associate General Counsel will lead and execute IP due diligence for business development transactions, assess intellectual property risk and opportunity across AbbVie's pipeline and target portfolios, and provide strategic IP counsel in support of AbbVie's M&A, licensing, option, and venture activities.
Responsibilities:
- Lead and execute comprehensive IP due diligence for M&A, licensing, option, and venture transactions, assessing patent coverage, freedom-to-operate, validity, enforceability, and competitive landscape
- Provide legal advice and counsel to cross-functional business development, R&D, and commercial teams on IP matters arising in the context of transactions and strategic partnerships
- Analyze and assess third-party patent portfolios and competitive landscapes, including claim scope, prosecution history, litigation exposure, and conduct patent landscaping across counterparty portfolios or various mechanisms-of-action to identify strategic risks, white-space opportunities, and competitive intelligence insights in support of transaction structuring and risk mitigation
- Prepare and present clear, actionable due diligence reports and risk assessments to senior legal, business, and scientific stakeholders
- Partner with external counsel and internal scientific teams to conduct prior art searches, validity assessments, and freedom-to-operate analyses in support of transaction due diligence
- Lead and support negotiations in connection with licensing, M&A, option, and venture transactions, working closely with business development and legal colleagues
- Build and manage productive relationships with science, evaluation, and business development teams to ensure IP considerations are integrated throughout the deal lifecycle
- Interact regularly with IP team leadership to provide updates on transaction diligence activities, escalate key risks, and align on IP strategy
- Participate in technology assessment and cross-functional teams supporting R&D external opportunity diligence, evaluating the IP implications of in-licensing, co-development, and acquisition targets
- Support and, where appropriate, manage patent prosecution activities across a range of modalities, including complex and simple biologics, peptides, small molecule pharmaceuticals, or device-related inventions, coordinating with outside counsel and internal R&D teams to develop and execute prosecution strategies aligned with business objectives
Qualifications
- JD degree from an accredited law school, active state bar admission enabling in-house practice (specific state not required), and registration to practice before the USPTO as a patent attorney
- ~8 years of experience practicing patent law as a patent attorney at a law firm and/or life sciences company, with substantial experience conducting IP due diligence in a pharmaceutical or biotechnology context
- Prior due diligence experience in simple biologics, complex biologics, peptides, and other small molecule pharmaceuticals
- Experience with biosimilars or generics portfolios
- Technical background relevant for pharmaceutical IP due diligence, such as:
- Experience with small molecule and/or biological pharmaceutical discovery & development, and/or
- Technical degree in a relevant field, such as molecular biology, biotechnology, biochemistry, biology, chemistry, chemical engineering, or biomedical engineering
- Strong legal, analytical, communication, collaboration, and people skills
- Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects to meet deadlines
Preferred Qualifications:
- Prior pharma or biotech due diligence experience in M&A, licensing, or option deal transactions
- Experience with biosimilars or generic pharmaceutical patent portfolios
- Experience advising on venture transactions or strategic collaborations with IP components
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
TN Biotech & Pharma Job Roles in Illinois
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Search Biotech & Pharma Jobs in IllinoisBiotech & Pharma TN Sponsorship Jobs in Illinois: Frequently Asked Questions
Which biotech and pharma companies sponsor TN visas in Illinois?
Illinois is home to several large pharmaceutical and biotech employers with established TN visa sponsorship programs. AbbVie, headquartered in North Chicago, regularly hires across research, regulatory, and clinical functions. Baxter International operates extensively in Deerfield, and Takeda Pharmaceuticals has a significant presence in Bannockburn. Smaller CROs and specialty biotech firms in the Chicago metro area also sponsor TN workers, particularly for scientific and analytical roles.
Which cities in Illinois have the most biotech and pharma TN sponsorship jobs?
The northern suburbs of Chicago, often called the Illinois Biotech Corridor, concentrate the most activity. Communities like North Chicago, Deerfield, Waukegan, and Bannockburn host major pharmaceutical headquarters. Chicago itself has a growing life sciences cluster near the Illinois Medical District and Fulton Market neighborhoods. Rockford and the greater Chicagoland area also have manufacturing and quality-focused pharma operations that hire internationally.
What types of biotech and pharma roles typically qualify for TN sponsorship?
TN-eligible roles in biotech and pharma generally require at least a bachelor's degree in a specific scientific field. Commonly qualifying positions include biochemists, microbiologists, pharmacists, medical laboratory technologists, scientific research analysts, and regulatory affairs specialists with relevant credentials. Roles like clinical research associates and bioinformatics scientists may qualify when the job duties and degree field align with TN occupation categories. Sponsoring employers confirm eligibility when making an offer.
How do I find biotech and pharma TN sponsorship jobs in Illinois?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for this search. You can filter by TN visa type, select Illinois as your target state, and browse biotech and pharma roles from employers who are actively open to sponsoring TN workers. This removes the guesswork of cold-applying to companies that may not sponsor. Migrate Mate's listings are curated for internationally mobile candidates, making it faster to identify Illinois-based opportunities aligned with your credentials and TN eligibility.
Are there any Illinois-specific considerations for biotech and pharma TN sponsorship?
Illinois does not impose state-level restrictions on TN employment, but the state's pharma industry has a strong compliance culture. Many Illinois employers, particularly publicly traded pharmaceutical companies, maintain formal immigration programs with legal counsel, which generally means more structured onboarding for TN workers. Positions requiring DEA registration or state pharmacy licensure add credential steps beyond the TN itself, so confirming those requirements with the employer before starting the process is important.