ZipRecruiter

Log In

1

Drug Development Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

AbbVie

Director, Clinical Pharmacology

North Chicago, IL · On-site

$160K/yr

Supports strategic planning for drug development activities and projects to achieve departmental strategies, goals, and objectives. Utilizes scientific expertise to provide appropriate interpretation ...

previous page

Showing results 41-60

All JobsDrug Development JobsDrug Development Jobs in Illinois

Drug Development information

See Illinois salary details

$32K

$75K

$128.9K

How much do drug development jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 22, 2026, the average yearly pay for drug development in Illinois is $75,040.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $56,700.00 and $87,700.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is drug development?

Drug development is the process of bringing a new pharmaceutical drug to market. It involves several stages, including drug discovery, preclinical research, clinical trials, and regulatory approval. Each stage is designed to ensure the safety, efficacy, and quality of the drug before it can be made available to patients. The entire process can take several years and requires collaboration between scientists, clinicians, regulatory agencies, and pharmaceutical companies.

What are the typical stages of collaboration between different teams in a drug development role?

In drug development, professionals regularly collaborate across multidisciplinary teams, including research scientists, clinical trial coordinators, regulatory affairs specialists, and manufacturing experts. Early stages involve close work with research and discovery teams to identify promising compounds, followed by coordination with clinical teams during trial phases, and finally with regulatory and production teams as the drug moves toward approval and commercialization. Effective communication and cross-functional teamwork are essential, as each stage relies on timely data sharing and joint problem-solving to navigate complex challenges.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in drug development, and why are they important?

To thrive in Drug Development, you need a strong background in pharmaceutical sciences, biology, or chemistry, often supported by an advanced degree (e.g., PhD, PharmD, or MSc). Familiarity with regulatory compliance, clinical trial management systems, and data analysis software such as SAS or R is typically required. Excellent problem-solving, project management, and cross-functional communication skills help professionals excel in this multidisciplinary field. These competencies ensure that new drugs are developed safely, efficiently, and in accordance with regulatory standards.

What is the difference between Drug Development vs Pharmacologist?

AspectDrug DevelopmentPharmacologist
Required CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, or related fields; often requires experience in clinical trialsDegree in Pharmacology, Pharmacy, or related fields; may require licensing or certification for clinical practice
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, pharmaceutical companies, clinical trial sitesResearch labs, hospitals, academic institutions, regulatory agencies
Industry UsageDeveloping new drugs, overseeing clinical trials, regulatory submissionsStudying drug effects, mechanisms, safety, and efficacy; advising on drug use

While both roles are integral to the pharmaceutical industry, Drug Development focuses on creating and bringing new drugs to market through research, testing, and regulatory processes. Pharmacologists primarily study how drugs interact with biological systems, often working in research or clinical settings to understand drug effects and safety. The two roles often collaborate but differ in their core responsibilities and career focus.

How much do drug development professionals make?

Drug development professionals, including roles such as research scientists and clinical trial managers, typically earn salaries ranging from $70,000 to over $130,000 annually, depending on experience, education, and location. Senior positions or those with specialized skills and certifications can earn higher salaries, especially in biotech and pharmaceutical companies.

Is drug development a good career?

Drug development is a challenging and rewarding career that involves research, clinical trials, and regulatory processes to bring new medications to market. It requires strong scientific knowledge, attention to detail, and often collaboration across multidisciplinary teams. The field offers opportunities for growth, innovation, and contributing to public health, but can also involve long hours and high responsibility.

What career develops drugs?

A career in drug development typically involves roles such as pharmacologist, medicinal chemist, clinical researcher, or regulatory affairs specialist. These professionals work in laboratories, research facilities, or pharmaceutical companies to discover, test, and bring new drugs to market, often requiring knowledge of biology, chemistry, and regulatory processes.

What are popular job titles related to Drug Development jobs in Illinois?

For Drug Development jobs in Illinois, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Drug Development jobs in Illinois look for?

The top searched job categories for Drug Development jobs in Illinois are:

What cities in Illinois are hiring for Drug Development jobs?

Cities in Illinois with the most Drug Development job openings:

Drug Development jobs near you
Infographic showing various Drug Development job openings in Illinois as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 86% Full Time, 11% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 89% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $75,040 per year, or $36.1 per hour.

Senior Scientist I, Translational Research

Tempus

Chicago, IL • On-site, Remote

$115K - $175K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 26 days ago

Job description

Passionate about precision medicine and advancing the healthcare industry?

Recent advancements in underlying technology have finally made it possible for AI to impact clinical care in a meaningful way. Tempus' proprietary platform connects an entire ecosystem of real-world evidence to deliver real-time, actionable insights to physicians, providing critical information about the right treatments for the right patients, at the right time.

Responsibilities: Partner with our pharma clients to design, develop and execute computational research projects leveragingthe Tempus platform to advance precision medicine research programs. Analyze and integrate large diverse clinical and molecular datasets to extract insights and drive new researchopportunities. Stay ahead of research and industry trends in oncology drug development, and identify specific areas wherethe Tempus platform can establish new markets. Become an expert in our biopharma partners' strategy, pipeline and portfolio to proactively determine allareas that the Tempus platform could add value to the drug development process of our partners. Develop and drive global account strategy in coordination with the account team. Document, summarize and communicate highly technical results and methods clearly to non-technicalaudiences. Work directly with clients to co-architect solutions and projects that leverage the Tempus platform to solvecustomers' challenges and maintain R&D relationships as the trusted technical advisor. Author whitepapers and illustrate the value of multimodal analysis and AI in drug discovery in coordinationwith our Research, Engineering & Data Science teams. Work with Product and Engineering teams to streamline workflow of computational analyze Contribute to the development of the portfolio by providing feedback to leadership regarding clientresponses and suggestions; maintain a solution-oriented mindset. Track progress against defined strategic objectives and goals; review progress/setbacks frequently wibroader Account Team and Tempus leadership. Travel approximately 25% of working time, domestically and internationally.Preferred Qualification PhD degree in a quantitative discipline (e.g. Biostatistics/Statistical Genetics, Cancer Genetics,Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Computational Immunology or similar). Alternatively, a PhD inMolecular Biology or Immunology combined with a very strong record of computational biology. Minimum 4+ years in drug development leveraging genomic and multimodal data for drug discovery anddevelopment . Strong understanding of molecular data and artificial intelligence in drug discovery with experienceintegrative modeling of multi-modal clinical and omics data. Proficient in R, Python, and SQ Previous experience working with large transcriptome data sets. Strong understanding of Cancer, Immunology, Clinical Trials and Real World Evidence Platforms . Prior consulting and/or client facing experience is highly desirable Thrive in a fast-paced environment and willing to shift priorities seamlessly.
Preferred Experience: Proven track record of developing solutions utilizing molecular and multimodal data. Demonstrated ability to influence without authority (both with internal and external stakeholders Proactive mindset that bridges ideas to implementable solutions, and can help move both internal andexternal stakeholders to quickly solve problems Experience with communicating insights and presenting concepts to diverse audiences. Strong peer-reviewed publication record. Experience with: Pandas, NumPy, SciPy, Scikit-learn, Jupyter Notebooks, RStudio, tidyverse, ggplot, Git,matplotlib, seaborn, HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, D3, Plot.ly, Flask, Dask, Docker, AWS. Team player mindset and ability to work in an interdisciplinary team. Goal orientation, self motivation, and drive to make a positive impact in healthcare.CHI: $100,000-$160,000NYC/SF: $115,000-$175,000

The expected salary range above is applicable if the role is performed from California and may vary for other locations (Colorado, Illinois, New York). Actual salary may vary based on qualifications and experience. Tempus offers a full range of benefits, which may include incentive compensation, restricted stock units, medical and other benefits depending on the position.

Additionally,for remote roles open to individuals in unincorporated Los Angeles - including remote roles-Tempus reasonably believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment: engaging positively with customers and other employees; accessing confidential information, including intellectual property, trade secrets, and protected health information; and appropriately handling such information in accordance with legal and ethical standards. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable law, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Apply