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Protein Engineering Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

VP of Engineering

Chicago, IL · On-site

$185K - $239K/yr

Our Tempo menu includes options that are protein-packed, fiber-rich, calorie and carb conscious ... The VP of Engineering oversees Home Chef's Engineering & Business Analytics Teams, which are ...

VP of Engineering

Chicago, IL · On-site

$185K - $239K/yr

Our Tempo menu includes options that are protein-packed, fiber-rich, calorie and carb conscious ... The VP of Engineering oversees Home Chef's Engineering & Business Analytics Teams, which are ...

Core Power ® High Protein Shakes, a sports nutrition drink to support post-workout recovery ... This role bridges fundamental molecular science with large-scale manufacturing and engineering ...

Core Power ® High Protein Shakes, a sports nutrition drink to support post-workout recovery ... This role bridges fundamental molecular science with large-scale manufacturing and engineering ...

Core Power High Protein Shakes, a sports nutrition drink to support post-workout recovery; fairlife ... This role bridges fundamental molecular science with large-scale manufacturing and engineering ...

Design and optimize new meat protein formulations while improving existing products to meet sensory ... Master's degree or higher in Meat Science, Food Science, Food Process Engineering , or a related ...

Senior Data Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$109K - $148K/yr

Core Power ® High Protein Shakes, a sports nutrition drink to support post-workout recovery ... Own the engineering lifecycle end to end: Git branching, pull requests, CI/CD pipelines in Azure ...

Senior Data Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$109K - $148K/yr

Core Power High Protein Shakes, a sports nutrition drink to support post-workout recovery; fairlife ... Own the engineering lifecycle end to end: Git branching, pull requests, CI/CD pipelines in Azure ...

Senior Data Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$109K - $148K/yr

Core Power ® High Protein Shakes, a sports nutrition drink to support post-workout recovery ... Own the engineering lifecycle end to end: Git branching, pull requests, CI/CD pipelines in Azure ...

Senior Dairy Processing Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$107K - $138K/yr

Core Power High Protein Shakes, a sports nutrition drink to support post-workout recovery; fairlife ... Lead initiatives and manage stakeholders across Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain. Milk ...

This role bridges fundamental molecular science with large-scale manufacturing and engineering ... Apply your deep understanding of milk protein chemistry (e.g., casein-whey interactions, mineral ...

Showing results 21-40

Protein Engineering information

See Chicago, IL salary details

$33.5K

$65K

$98.5K

How much do protein engineering jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 10, 2026, the average yearly pay for protein engineering in Chicago, IL is $64,965.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $48,500.00 and $74,300.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is protein engineering?

A Protein Engineering job involves designing, modifying, and optimizing proteins for specific applications in medicine, biotechnology, and industry. Scientists in this field use computational modeling, directed evolution, and genetic engineering to enhance protein functions. Roles may include developing enzymes for drug production, improving therapeutic proteins, or creating biomaterials. This work often requires expertise in molecular biology, biochemistry, and structural biology.

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

To thrive in Protein Engineering, you need a solid background in biochemistry, molecular biology, and genetic engineering, typically supported by a relevant advanced degree. Experience with laboratory techniques such as PCR, site-directed mutagenesis, protein expression/purification, and analytical tools like mass spectrometry or chromatography is essential. Strong problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and effective teamwork and communication skills help you stand out in this role. These competencies are crucial for designing novel proteins, collaborating in multidisciplinary teams, and ensuring successful project outcomes in biotech or pharmaceutical environments.

What are the typical daily responsibilities of someone working in protein engineering?

A typical day in Protein Engineering involves designing and conducting experiments to modify protein sequences, expressing and purifying proteins, and analyzing their structure or function using techniques like chromatography and spectroscopy. You will often document your results, troubleshoot unexpected findings, and present data to colleagues or project teams. Collaboration with scientists in molecular biology, bioinformatics, and structural biology is common to ensure robust experimental design and data interpretation. The role may also include literature reviews to stay updated with the latest research and participating in team meetings to plan next steps or project timelines.

How much do protein engineers make?

Protein engineers typically earn a median salary ranging from $70,000 to $120,000 annually, depending on experience, education, and location. Advanced skills in molecular biology, bioinformatics, and laboratory techniques can lead to higher compensation, especially in biotech or pharmaceutical industries.

What do protein engineers do?

Protein engineers design and modify proteins to improve their functions or create new ones, often using techniques like directed evolution and computational modeling. They work in research labs, utilizing tools such as gene editing and structural analysis to develop applications in medicine, agriculture, and industry.
What are the most commonly searched types of Protein Engineering jobs in Chicago, IL? The most popular types of Protein Engineering jobs in Chicago, IL are:
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Infographic showing various Protein Engineering job openings in Chicago, IL as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 90% Full Time, 5% Part Time, 4% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 86% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 10% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $64,965 per year, or $31.2 per hour.

Principal Research Scientist I - Bio CMC Developability Modeling

AbbVie

North Chicago, IL • On-site

$124K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted yesterday


AbbVie rating

8.6

Company rating: 8.6 out of 10

Based on 101 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

16th of 86 rated pharmaceutical


Job description

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
Overview
The Development Sciences Biologics Drug Product Development organization within AbbVie develops and characterizes drug product formulations and manufacturing processes to provide clinical dosage forms to enable the development of AbbVie's pipeline. AbbVie is seeking a highly motivated person to join the Biologics CMC Developability Team. Our team utilizes start-of-the-art biophysical and analytical instrumentation to assess candidates coming out of the Discovery pipeline. We collaboratively influence protein design paradigms to yield biologic candidates that will be successful drug products. Key to our success is developing models of protein structure and function to augment decision making in protein design and development. We utilize high throughput instrumentation and digital data systems to capture ML-ready data on industry leading datasets of therapeutic proteins. To drive maximum benefit from this data, we are seeking an experienced scientist to lead modeling efforts within our team. The successful candidate will bring deep experience of modeling protein stability or related properties to solve foundational questions such as viscosity, chemical degradation, and aggregation. Applicable modeling techniques could range from first principles to statistical based approaches. This role includes the opportunity to design molecules and custom studies for data generation, so knowledge of biochemistry experimentation is useful. The candidate will be a member of a global team and will work closely with scientists from multiple functional areas, including Discovery, Development Science Digital Transformation, and Information Research.
Key Responsibilities:
  • Serve as a technical expert for modeling within Biologics CMC Developability Team
  • Represent BCD in modeling communities within AbbVie; collaborates with other modelers or teams to ensure business needs are met by the correct modeling framework
  • May perform in vitro laboratory experiments; works closely with teams for design of wet lab studies to build both models and fundamental knowledge of protein solution behavior
  • Identifies emerging scientific and technological trends from multiple internal and external sources, assesses relevance and integrates applicable trends into BCD plans and strategies as appropriate. Present data at internal and external professional conferences and prepare manuscripts for publication in peer reviewed journals or patent applications
  • May serve as BCD Lead, coordinate developability assessment activities for 1-2 Discovery Projects at a time

Qualifications
  • BS, MS, or PhD in Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related disciplines with 14+ (Bachelors), 12+ (Masters), or 6+ (PhD) years of relevant industry experience.
  • Proven ability to solve critical scientific problems.
  • Direct experience with applying modeling techniques (mechanistic or statistical) to protein long-term stability or formulation screening such as kinetic degradation modeling
  • Well versed in predictive machine learning and statistical modeling techniques
  • Familiar with complex ML architectures including deep learning and hierarchical or multi-task frameworks
  • Skilled with feature attribution, sensitivity analysis, and model interpretability

Key Competencies:
  • Build strong relationships with peers and cross functionally with partners outside of the team to enable higher performance.
  • Excellent oral communication skills in a scientific setting as well as sound technical writing and documentation competencies are required.
  • The candidate must be able to work independently, respond to changing priorities and short lead times for multiple tasks; able to identify problems and work toward solutions.
  • Raises the bar and is never satisfied with the status quo.
  • Creates a learning environment, open to suggestions and experimentation for improvement.
  • Embraces the ideas of others, nurtures innovation and manages innovation to reality.

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

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About AbbVie

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines 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: immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, virology, women's health, and gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across its Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Industry

Scientific research and development services

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

North Chicago, IL, US

Year founded

2013