Manager, Animal Care

at  Baylor College of Medicine

SUMMARY

The Center for Comparative Medicine (CCM) ensures the health and well-being of research animals at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM). CCM provides the highest quality animal care and acts as a resource for the faculty on veterinary and scientific issues relating to the use of laboratory animals. CCM is seeking a competent and reliable Manager of Animal Care to oversee daily husbandry activities in the NRI animal facility in the Texas Medical Center. This position is responsible for managing husbandry staff and vivarium operations for a rodent only facility. Standard CCM hours are Monday - Friday, 7am to 4pm. Managers are on call for weekends and holidays on a rotational basis. After hours, weekend, or holiday work may be required in emergency situations. Coverage during weather related storms may be required as well.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree. Four years of relevant experience may substitute for degree requirement.
• Four years of relevant experience.
• Laboratory Animal Technologist (LATG) by the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS).

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Must have a solid understanding of laboratory animal laws, regulations, and IACUC policies.
• Proficient rodent handling skills.
• Strong understanding of automated cage wash equipment.
• Able to build a logical approach to address problems or be willing to call on other resources as necessary.
• Work cooperatively with others to accomplish mission objectives.
• Promote collaboration and partnerships with research staff and CCM staff.
• Maintain good channels of communication; effectively provides verbal communication and exhibits good listening skills; provides concise, complete, and professional information to others.
  Baylor College of Medicine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Equal Access Employer.

• Manages animal care and cage wash staff for a rodent only facility with a census of 8,000+ cages
• Assists and guides all involved personnel, including CCM staff, researchers, and students in establishing and maintaining appropriate and consistent animal care conditions
• Responsible for supervision and performance management of direct reports
• Manages and oversees daily operations of cage wash facilities
• Provides mentorship to team members • Interacts and coordinates with veterinary staff to assure health and welfare of animals
• Collaborates with BCM facility maintenance team and vendors for equipment maintenance and repairs
• Responsible for facility upkeep following IACUC, AAALAC, and CCM guidelines
• Ensures compliance with all applicable regulations
• Establishes and reviews standard operating procedures on facility operations, safety, and CCM policy
• Ensures staff alignment with standard operating procedures and industry standards
• Maintains and provides reports on facility function, personnel issues, inventory, data collection, and room/animal logs and record
• Maintains and updates weekly work schedules and extra side duties for care staff and cage wash staff, including weekend schedules
• Oversees and manages procurement and proper storage of husbandry supplies/consumables
• Responsible for accurate and timely creation of documents regarding training, environmental parameters, and animal health monitoring
• Provides support to for the Facility Supervisor, Leads, & Care staff
• Responsible for attending monthly all staff meetings, safety trainings, facility staff meetings, and reviewing CCM SOPs as required
• Maintains constant and reliable communication with staff, researchers, and CCM leadership
• Demonstrates BCM core values: Respect, Integrity, Innovation, Teamwork, and Excellence
• Rotating after hour, weekend, and holiday on call responsibilities, including on site response to urgent situations. Persons in this position are considered essential when the College declares an emergency or campus closure and are therefore required to report to work unless relieved by their direct supervisor.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned