Senior Staff Veterinarian

Job Summary

Oversee and perform veterinary procedures that support all studies. Assist the Director in oversight of the animal care and use program. May supervise or oversee veterinary staff and manage the activities of assigned section to ensure effective performance. Assist the Director in department management functions as required and serve as acting department head in Director's absence.

Essential Duties And Responsibilites

• Oversee daily animal health assessment program
• Perform veterinary rounds as scheduled, and provide clinical care and preventive medicine support
• May perform surgical support and provide anesthesia, surgical and analgesic technical expertise/advice to facilitate protocol development
• May assist in sentinel animal monitoring and other monitoring programs
• Responsible for the overall training program for veterinary technicians/staff. Ensure that training is properly documented and regularly updated as necessary
• Provide animal health care guidance for veterinary services personnel as required
• Ensure that internal and external applications, reports and other materials are prepared and submitted as required
• Oversee responses to internal/external inspections and quality assurance audits of veterinary or animal welfare type content
• Participate in the design and implementation of programs to assess vendors for animals and critical animal related suppliers. Monitor a Biosecurity program appropriate to the sites needs.
• Serve as advisor to management in technical matters as they relate to the site including application of new technology, the use of alternatives, new animal models, and any changes in national policies, procedures, guidelines or regulations affecting animal care and use
• Assist Director in oversight of quarantine and conditioning program which includes participation in vendor management, e.g. conducting site visits, reviewing vendor health information, communicating specific issues related to shipments to them, and tracking overall vendor performance
• May serve as a full or ad-hoc member of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), assisting in protocol review and other efforts as identified
• Assist Director as a consultant to Study Directors and/or sponsors regarding study design prior to IACUC submission and as part of the veterinarian review and IACUC monitoring
• Ensure all study related in-life procedures and processes are accomplished in accordance with the study protocol as it relates to animal welfare and veterinary issues
• Oversee long-term improvement projects such as redesign of SOPs and basic research procedures
• Perform expert veterinary research support to Study Directors and Sponsors
• Maintain compliance with all applicable laws and regulations including the Animal Welfare Act
• Ensure that all animal care related activities are conducted in accordance with Good Laboratory Practices (GLP), Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards and regulations
• Oversee and administer the Veterinary Care Program as outlined in the AAALAC Program Description. Write updated Program for the Veterinary Care section of the AAALAC re-certification.
• May use controlled substances and be responsible for maintaining appropriate records
• May develop new or innovative surgical techniques or other procedural improvements appropriate to research studies
• May assist in management of the activities of assigned section, including supervising employees, scheduling, personnel actions (hiring, promotions, raises), discipline, personnel development and performance monitoring

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Education: Veterinary degree (D.V.M./V.M.D.) or international equivalent.
• Experience: Minimum of 6 years related experience in research/lab animal/GLP environment.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be accepted as a satisfactory substitute for the specific education and experience listed above.
• Certification/Licensure: Licensure to practice veterinary medicine in at least one U.S. state required.
• Other: Computer literacy (Windows PC) WordPerfect and Excel. Good communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills. Knowledge of laws, regulations, policies and guidelines that govern animal research, research conduct principles (GLP) and current methodology of laboratory animal medicine and management is important.