Avian Colony Manager

Colossal Biosciences•Dallas, TX

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Colossal is seeking an Avian Colony Manager to oversee the breeding, health, and tracking of research bird populations, such as poultry, finches, or pigeons, within an avian laboratory animal facility. The role supports scientific efforts by providing researchers with healthy, well-documented birds and reliable colony data. The position reports to the Head of Animal Husbandry and is based in the Dallas, Texas area. Relocation assistance is available. The manager oversees avian breeding programs, welfare and health monitoring, colony records, regulatory compliance, equipment and logistics, and researcher support. The role also works alongside the animal care team on animal handling, egg collection, room setup, cleaning, husbandry, and operational coverage.

Requirements

Hands-on experience in laboratory animal care, particularly avian husbandry, incubation, and biosecurity protocols.
AALAS certification (LAT or LATg) is described as standard.
Specific training or certification in avian handling and medicine.
Hands-on experience in animal operations, laboratory animal facilities, poultry facilities, breeding colonies, research farms, or a comparable regulated animal-care environment.
Ability to manage complex daily operations, including scheduling, recordkeeping, facility organization, staff training, and coordination across multiple workstreams.
Strong working knowledge of animal husbandry, animal handling, welfare monitoring, sanitation, biosecurity and testing, and facility operations.
Experience building or improving electronic operational systems, schedules, and tracking tools.
Effective communication and mentoring skills for engaging personnel across a range of roles.
Comfort working in a small, fast-moving organization and remaining hands-on with routine operational work when needed.

Nice To Haves

A bachelor's degree in Avian Sciences, Animal Science, Biology, or a related field is highly preferred.

Responsibilities

Manage specialized avian breeding schemes, track egg incubation, coordinate hatching schedules, and handle wing or leg band identification.
Plan and schedule facility capacity, and lead the setup, organization, redesign, and expansion of animal rooms and workflows.
Track pedigrees and manage animal assignments to breeding groups, studies, and research projects.
Monitor birds for avian-specific health issues, coordinate veterinary care, and ensure appropriate environmental parameters, including specialized lighting and humidity.
Work with the veterinary team on colony health monitoring, treatment, and preventive care.
Maintain electronic records of lineage, egg production, and hatchability rates using specialized colony software.
Develop, implement, and optimize online tracking systems that connect animal-facility operations to the lab, and maintain detailed electronic records.
Adhere to USDA, NIH, and AAALAC standards and avian-specific institutional IACUC protocols.
Manage incubator and environmental monitoring and calibration, respond to alarms, order feed and bands, and coordinate bird and egg shipping, receiving, and permits.
Collaborate with research teams on specialized avian procedures, sample collections, and study logistics.
Assist researchers with genotyping and breeding birds needed for studies.
Work alongside the animal care team as needed on animal handling, egg collection, room setup, cleaning, husbandry support, and operational coverage.
Train and mentor personnel and coordinate across operational workstreams.