Supervisor, Comparative Medicine – Husbandry

Align yourself with an organization that has a reputation for excellence. Cedars-Sinai was awarded the National Research Corporation’s Consumer Choice Award 19 years in a row for providing the highest-quality medical care in Los Angeles. We were also awarded the Advisory Board Company’s Workplace of the Year. This recognizes hospitals and health systems nationwide that have outstanding levels of employee engagement. We offer an outstanding benefits' package and competitive compensation. Join us! Discover why U.S. News & World Report has named us one of America’s Best Hospitals.

Be part of something great!

The Supervisor, Comparative Medicine – Husbandry is responsible for the supervision of animal care staff under the Animal Laboratory Technician series and the coordination of all daily operations of the animal facility. The Supervisor is responsible for managing the personnel, maintaining the vivarium areas under their care in compliance with the rules and regulations that govern the use of laboratory animals, promote a culture of collaboration and transparency within Comparative Medicine as well as between the department and other internal departments and clients.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Responsible for all tasks associated with supervision of husbandry technicians including hiring, onboarding, training, coaching, work assignments, time off approval, performance evaluations, employee development plan, performance improvement plans and in partnership with the Executive Director, disciplinary actions when needed.
• Oversees the development, implementation and/or updates of the training program for husbandry technicians including animal care, animal health, safety and record keeping.
• Establishes and maintains performance metrics to continuously assess technician productivity and needs. Produces performance reports and presents recommendations to Executive Director and other department leadership.
• Manages assigned projects for husbandry program development including scope, timeline, task-oriented assignments/delegation to animal staff and continuous follow-up.
• Responsible for maintaining records which provide necessary data used to complete annual reports for the USDA, IACUC, AAALAC, etc. Reviews and assesses daily reports from each direct report and identifies gaps and process improvement opportunities. Provides updates to the Executive Director on progress and issues.
• Create, review, revise and participates in the creation of documents pertaining to husbandry tasks and processes, including but not limited to: Standard Operation Procedures (SOP’S) including those related to hazardous agents, working instructions, safety posts, equipment and study-specific guideline documents, animal holding and procedure room maintenance logs, feed and bedding orders, consumables inventory, usage and ordering, etc.
• Assures that SOPs for the processes pertaining to husbandry technicians are current and accurate. Collaborate with other groups on campus, Supervisors and technicians in Comparative Medicine to develop SOPs that involve multiple groups/departments.
• Establishes and maintains productive relationships with Research Facilities Operations, Facility Management, and external vendors to develop equipment and facility repairs and preventive maintenance processes.
• Makes recommendations to the Executive Director and takes action to improve infrastructure, systems and outcomes.
• Assesses equipment assigned to their areas (individually ventilated caging racks, Animal transfer stations, Biosafety Cabinet, Fume hoods, etc) to ensure safety standards are maintained with preventive and corrective maintenance to support appropriate animal care. Coordinates with other facilities departments and/or contractors for escalated maintenance.
• Oversees software implementation and utilization in the vivarium (e.g. Animal Operations software), provides feedback to the vendors and training to Comparative Medicine lab staff as needed.
• Maintains Comparative Medicine space inventory and assigns animal holding and procedural space to investigators in consultation with the Comparative Medicine Attending Veterinarian and Research Facilities Operations.
• Develops, conducts and/or oversees vivarium walkthrough training sessions for investigators and their laboratory staff.
• Oversees animal census collection procedures including reconciliation.
• Coordinates/interfaces with other CSMC Organizational units (IACUC, EH&S, HR, EIS, etc.) to ensure regulatory and CSMC policy compliance and efficient Department operations.
• Serves as a backup for other Comparative Medicine supervisors.
• Stays current with the regulations that govern the use and care of laboratory animals and applies them in the care of the animals housed in their assigned area(s).
• Knows and understands the regulations that govern the use of biohazardous agents in the vivarium. Develops and/or follows appropriate work routines for employees, preserving and promoting their safety.

Qualifications

Education:

• High School Diploma/GED is required. Bachelor's Degree in a related field is preferred.

 

Licenses and Certifications:

• Laboratory Animal Technician (LAT) is preferred.

 

Experience and Skills:

• Eight (8) years of experience in laboratory animal science is required.
• Two (2) years of experience in team leadership of animal care staff in AAALAC accredited animal research facility is preferred.
• Ability to operate technological devices (e.g., computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone, etc.)
• Ability to communicate expectations and priorities, and clarify roles and responsibilities.
• Ability to demonstrate time management and priority setting skills.
• Supervises the day-to-day work of employees, assigns work, ensures tasks are completed and deadlines are met.
• Responsible for hiring, onboarding, managing schedules, personnel actions, performance reviews, and performance improvement plans.
• Plans, leads, and directs work of staff to ensure goals and objectives are completed within established budget and deadlines are met.
• Acts as a team lead to include overseeing the work of others, assigning or allocating work to team, and ensuring tasks are completed according to deadlines and quality standards.

About the organization

Cedars-Sinai is a leader in providing high-quality healthcare encompassing primary care, specialized medicine and research. Since 1902, Cedars-Sinai has evolved to meet the needs of one of the most diverse regions in the nation, setting standards in quality and innovative patient care, research, teaching and community service. Today, Cedars- Sinai is known for its national leadership in transforming healthcare for the benefit of patients. Cedars-Sinai impacts the future of healthcare by developing new approaches to treatment and educating tomorrow's health professionals. Additionally, Cedars-Sinai demonstrates a commitment to the community through programs that improve the health of its most vulnerable residents.