University Veterinarian & Director, Animal Care Services - Full-Time (Continuing)

University of Lethbridge • Full-time • Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada • USD $ 12.44k - USD $ 18.85k / month • 4d ago

Job Title

About the University

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We are one of Canada’s top universities and leading research institutions. With more than 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students, two campuses (Lethbridge and Calgary), seven faculties and schools, and more than 2,500 employees, ULethbridge is Lethbridge’s second largest employer. Faculty and staff come together to contribute, each in their own way, to establishing ULethbridge as Canada’s destination university. In 2022, Lethbridge was recognized as one of Canada’s top small cities.

Position Details

The Office of the Vice-President Research and Animal Care Services (ACS) team at the University of Lethbridge invite applications for University Veterinarian and Director of ACS (Exempt Professional 3) to commence work as soon as possible and no later than November 1, 2025.

The University of Lethbridge is a research-intensive comprehensive university with worldclass animal research facilities and researchers. Known for its leading neurosciences, aquatics, and animal and behavioural psychology research, the University of Lethbridge expands knowledge and drives discovery. The University Veterinarian is a primary leader in supporting these achievements with students, staff, and faculty researchers.

The Animal Care Services program is dedicated to advancing safe and ethical research with animals by providing excellent and standardized care for a diverse range of research animals in on-campus facilities, such as rodents and fish, through:

Oversight of animal husbandry
Provision and management of high-quality facilities and Veterinarian services
A high-quality training program for animal users and care givers
- Guidance and support for field-based animal research activities
- Oversight of animal-based research activities and spaces
- Post approval monitoring of animal use protocols and quality assurance/care programs
- The highest-quality animal health monitoring, health status, and techniques in compliance with provincial and national regulatory bodies

In this position you will support the overall institutional animal welfare, use, and care program, including oversight for all related activities that are occurring at institutional sites, offsite facilities, and in the field. You will also lead a team that provides exceptional and proactive service to uLethbridge faculty, staff, and students, and their collaborators in supporting their world-class research activities that involve animals. The position involves a high degree of autonomy, initiative, and independence, providing leadership to the ACS team as guided by the Associate Vice President (Research). This role is further supported through the core research facilities model wherein the financial and external relationship development activities are facilitated.

Priorities of this role involve:

Communication, Training, and Coordination:

You are a leader and key contact in ACS for supporting staff and business processes including, but not limited to, support for experimental design and confirmation of principles of conducting research with animals, procurement and receipt of animals, determination of PPE requirements in the single-barrier vivarium facility, post-approval audits, field-research checks, facility operations, maintenance, and budgets, and research compliance. As a supervisor for animal technicians and facility operations staff you provide onboarding, mentoring, and guidance for new staff, as well as communicating important processes and process changes to staff and faculty. This work also includes reviewing and revising university policies, procedures, and processes to enhance effectiveness and efficiency in the context of research excellence.

Liaising With Other Units on Campus:

You work closely with the Director of Research and Innovation Services, Research Ethics Coordinator, Research Initiatives Manager, Animal Welfare Committee, Department Chairs and Associate Deans, and core research facility managers in Science Operations to ensure that processes and policies are understood and implemented to serve the needs of safe, ethical research with animals.

Regulatory Environment and Respect for Animals in Research:

You are the primary expert on Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) and Alberta Veterinary Medicine Association (AVMA) regulations, standards, and guidelines and are responsible to communicating these, delivering training to students and faculty, ensuring that competency assessments are conducted and passed, and enforcing the principles of conducting research with animals: replacement, reduction, and refinement. You are an engaged participant in the national network under the Canadian Association for Laboratory Animal Medicine (CALAM), Canadian Association for Laboratory Animal Science (CALAS), and support the work of site visitors and auditors of and from the CCAC. You understand that safe and ethical research is high quality and reproducible research.

Spearheading New Initiatives:

In addition to initiatives around business, compliance, and high-quality research performance processes, you serve as a leader in supporting initiatives that require collaboration and cooperation across internal units, as well as with external institutions and agencies. Problem-solving, negotiations, clear communication, and stellar organizational skills are essential to successful completion of these activities.

You are a part of a research administration team that strives to create a diverse and inclusive community where students, faculty, and staff feel welcome, are treated equitably, and can thrive in their various endeavours. As part of our team, you serve as an ambassador for the uLethbridge community. In that capacity, you will initiate and maintain robust relationships that support collaboration and problem-solving.

Salary Range: $12,435.00 – $18,851.42 Monthly

The University of Lethbridge is undertaking a job classification and compensation review for Non-Academic Senior Administrative positions. As such, the salary range currently assigned for this position may be adjusted as a result of this project.

Position Qualifications

This is an in-person position located on our Lethbridge campus. Occasional travel to our Calgary campus may be required. A minimum of 5 years animal-based research university-level experience is preferred. A DVM credential is required, as is registration or eligibility to register with the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association (ABVMA). Maintenance of professional status with the ABVMA in good standing is a requirement for this position.

Knowledge of, participation in, and certification from (or plan to complete) your Certificate in Laboratory Animal Medicine (Cert LAM) or the higher-level Board Certification in Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM) is necessary.

A combination of relevant education and experience may be considered. This position requires a satisfactory Criminal Record Check. A valid unrestricted Class 5 Driver’s License with no more than 6 demerits and submission of a motor vehicle record (driver abstract) dated within 3 months of the posting close is required.

As the ideal candidate you will:

Have extensive experience with research with animals in both enclosed facilities and field (regional and global contexts)
Serve as the primary knowledge holder and compliance expert relating to regulatory requirements set by the CCAC, CALAM and ABVMA as these pertain to experimental procedures and interventions with research animals
Demonstrate excellent decision-making and priority-setting skills
Have experience managing staff and maintaining a high standard of excellence in a team
Display exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written
Have constructive experience with change management
Manage conflict skillfully and be proactive in problem-solving
Manage several competing priorities across the ACS team, as well as priorities of faculty and student researchers who are conducting research with animals
Be committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion, as well as creating a space for belonging and proactive service for faculty and students
Work effectively and collaboratively as part of a team
Be comfortable with technology, including husbandry core equipment, surgical and facility monitoring software and other business process management products