Animal Operations Supervisor

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories • Full-time • Canada • 3d ago

Are you driven to create a high‑performing, compliant, and humane environment for animal-based research? As the Animal Operations Supervisor, you will lead daily operations to ensure all in‑vivo activities are expertly planned, resourced, and executed to the highest quality, regulatory, and animal‑welfare standards. Working closely with scientific, veterinary, and compliance teams, you’ll coordinate studies, streamline workflows, and champion continuous improvement across the Biology R&D Facility. If you’re inspired by the opportunity to shape a program that enables safe, ethical, and impactful research, this role offers a meaningful way to lead and make a difference. Apply today!

What will you be doing!

Project Oversight, Coordination, and Operational Leadership:
- Maintaining oversight of the master schedule for all in‑vivo work and providing recommendations on resourcing, prioritization, and project coordination to support operational excellence.
- Chairing the Centre of Excellence – Animal Operations team and leading strategic discussions on compliance, project planning, resource allocation, facility readiness, and study execution while recommending improvements to procedures, workflows, and safety practices.
- Assigning work to veterinary personnel and other staff, monitoring outcomes, and guiding performance to ensure alignment with protocols, Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) ,and regulatory requirements.
- Acting as the primary liaison between research teams, commercial clients, and facility operations to ensure protocols and project plans meet ethical, safety, and quality standards.
- Overseeing work‑planning walk‑downs and pre/post‑job briefings to ensure operational readiness and adherence to SOPs and safety requirements.
- Supporting the Branch Manager with structural and organizational decisions, including hiring, work assignments, onboarding, business continuity planning, and space allocation.
Compliance and Quality Oversight:
- Developing, implementing, and overseeing a comprehensive quality and compliance program aligned with regulatory, institutional, and accreditation standards (ISO 9001:2015, CCAC, CALAM) in collaboration with quality Assurance(QA) , Animal Care Committee (ACC),and veterinarians.
- Implementing and monitoring risk‑management strategies to proactively identify compliance gaps and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
- Liaising with ACC, veterinarians, and SMEs to interpret emerging regulations and integrate new requirements into the compliance program.
- Leading or overseeing audits, inspections, and quality assessments of facility operations, research activities, and animal studies, and participating in critical study phases as needed.
- Tracking and reporting quality and compliance KPIs to senior leadership, highlighting program performance and areas for improvement.
- Leading investigations into incidents or deviations, documenting findings, implementing corrective/preventive actions, and reporting non‑compliance affecting animal welfare to the ACC Veterinarian or Chair.
- Fostering a culture of accountability, responsibility, and ethical behavior throughout the animal care and use program.
Recordkeeping and Documentation Oversight:
- Overseeing creation, review, revision, and control of SOPs, job hazard analysis (JHAs) policies, and post‑approval monitoring documentation in collaboration with the Branch Manager.
- Guiding research teams in developing SOPs for animal care, handling, and experimental procedures to ensure consistent facility‑wide compliance.
- Ensuring all SOPs, audit reports, meeting records, hazard analyses, and self‑assessments are accurately maintained, stored, and archived in accordance with quality program requirements.
Acting as a Branch Resource:
- Executing delegated duties from the Branch Manager, including operational decision‑making, resource allocation, and compliance enforcement within animal operations.
Other duties as assigned by your manager.

What we are looking for:

Education
- Graduation from a recognized institute of advanced technology in a field relevant to the position (veterinary technology) with more than 10 years of pertinent and progressive technological experience.
- Current membership with the Canadian Association of Laboratory Animal Science (CALAS) and certification as a Registered Laboratory Animal Technologist (RLAT) are required.
- Further certification as a Registered Master Laboratory Animal Technician (RMLAT) will be considered an asset.
Experience
- Extensive operational experience with laboratory animal species, including a strong working knowledge of rodent technical procedures, sufficient to oversee, assess, and support in-vivo activities and ensure compliance with approved protocols and SOPs.
- Experience working with an Animal Care Committee, including participation in Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC), assessment preparation, conduct, and post-assessment follow-up, with demonstrated ability to address findings, implement corrective actions, and monitor ongoing compliance (asset).
- Demonstrated experience developing, reviewing, and maintaining technical standard operating procedures (SOPs) for laboratory animal husbandry, in-vivo techniques, and facility operations, with a focus on standardization, risk reduction, and regulatory compliance.
- Strong organizational and planning experience for in-vivo studies, including workforce coordination, scheduling, prioritization of competing study demands, and identification of operational gaps or risks that may impact timelines, animal welfare, or data quality.
- Proven experience leading, mentoring, and training staff, including setting training expectations, evaluating competency, addressing performance gaps, and ensuring completion of training objectives in alignment with institutional and regulatory requirements.
- Experience providing operational oversight on behalf of management, including directing day-to-day animal operations, resolving issues, and escalating risks as required.
- Experience supporting regulatory inspections, internal audits, and external assessments, including preparation of documentation, staff readiness, and implementation of corrective and preventive actions.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
- Superior verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey expectations, provide direction, document decisions, and communicate effectively with technical staff, management, veterinarians, oversight committees, and external stakeholders.
- Strong client-focused and service-oriented approach, with demonstrated ability to balance customer expectations, operational capacity, regulatory requirements, and animal welfare obligations.
- Demonstrated ability to deal effectively, diplomatically, and decisively in sensitive or high-risk situations, including guiding, influencing, and redirecting staff behavior to ensure compliance, safety, and operational continuity.
- Advanced proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, including strong working knowledge of spreadsheets for planning, tracking, reporting, and documentation in support of animal operations and compliance activities.
- Well-developed project planning and coordination skills, with the ability to identify critical activities, allocate resources, anticipate risks, and adjust plans to ensure successful execution of in-vivo studies and operational initiatives.
- Proven ability to work effectively under pressure, managing concurrent demands, shifting priorities, and tight timelines while maintaining compliance, data integrity, and animal welfare standards.
- Comprehensive knowledge of a broad range of technical procedures, sufficient to oversee, evaluate, and guide staff in the safe and compliant execution of in-vivo activities.
- Sound understanding of CCAC Guidelines, applicable regulations, and institutional policies, applied to ensure compliance, drive corrective actions, and support audit/inspection readiness.
- In-depth knowledge of CNL quality standards and management system, leveraged to monitor adherence, implement process improvements, and provide operational guidance across animal operations.
- Working knowledge of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Principles, used to ensure study integrity, regulatory compliance, and documentation standards are consistently maintained.
Security Clearance Eligibility Required
- Reliability Status with Site Access Security Clearance (SASC), which has a minimum requirement of 3-5 years of verifiable history in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and/or the United Kingdom. CNL implements security screening in accordance with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat's “Standard on Security Screening” and the “Policy on Government Security.”

Working Conditions:

Working schedule: Five (5) days per week, seven and a half (7.5) hours per day for a thirty-seven and a half (37.5) hour work week.
Radiological laboratories or controlled zones.
Use of personal protective equipment, including respirators, may be required depending on the operational environment.

Why CNL?

Does the idea of working with a dynamic team across Canada to advance nuclear science and technology for a clean and secure world excite you? At CNL, we’re reinventing ourselves to be industry leaders—pioneering solutions to the problems that matter most.

From building the next generation of clean nuclear and hydrogen energy technologies, to developing targeted cancer treatments, to continuing our global leadership in environmental remediation—we are driven by impact, innovation, and purpose.

What We Offer: A Total Rewards Package

We believe in taking care of our people. Here’s what you can expect as part of our team:

Paid time off: vacation, sick, personal, and floater days
Benefits effective Day One – no waiting period
Tuition support to help you keep learning and growing
A defined-benefit pension plan or a defined-contribution pension plan, depending on your employee group, to support your long‑term financial security

Do Our Priorities Resonate with You?

Delivering clean energy for today and tomorrow
Restoring and protecting the environment
Contributing to the health of Canadians

If so, you’ll feel right at home at CNL!

Location: Onsite

Located in the heart of the Ottawa Valley, our Chalk River site offers a beautiful natural setting with forests, lakes, and wildlife, right at your doorstep. Surrounded by welcoming communities such as Deep River, Petawawa, and Pembroke, you’ll have access to unparalleled outdoor adventures and a fantastic work-life balance.

Please note: This is a fully on-site position based at our Chalk River Laboratory in Ontario.

Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

At CNL, we are committed to fostering an environment that promotes equity, diversity, and inclusion. We celebrate and welcome employees, stakeholders, and partners of all backgrounds and identities. Click here to read all about it!

We are proud to uphold a workplace culture grounded in our Core Values:

Respect
Teamwork
Accountability
Safety
Integrity
Excellence

These values drive our employment practices and ensure meaningful career development opportunities and accommodations for all employees.

CNL is an equal opportunity employer. If you require accommodation during any phase of the hiring process, please let us know via jobs@cnl.ca. All requests will be handled with confidentiality.

CNL operates on sites located on the traditional lands, waterways and ceded and unceded territories of Indigenous peoples. CNL recognizes and affirms all First Nations, Métis communities and Inuit in this land we now know as Canada. We acknowledge, respect and seek to better understand Indigenous history, rights and title on the lands where we work and develop projects. We honour and respect the importance of the relationship between Indigenous peoples and their lands, waters and territories.