Global Animal Welfare Specialist and Risk Assessment Lead

Zoetis•Kalamazoo, MI

About The Position

The Global Animal Welfare Specialist and Risk Assessment Lead is a strategic and operational leader advancing animal welfare standards across a global research enterprise. The role advises institutional animal care and use programs worldwide, assesses and mitigates risk through external site evaluations and vendor oversight, leads regulatory and accreditation readiness, and optimizes electronic systems supporting global compliance. It requires scientific and regulatory expertise, collaborative leadership, and the ability to work across multiple sites, time zones, and regulatory jurisdictions. The position serves as a primary advisor to global Oversight Bodies and leads the development and improvement of Global Animal Welfare Policies and Post Approval Monitoring (PAM). It harmonizes PAM standards across sites while accommodating regional requirements, and leads PAM activities for the Kalamazoo and Richland sites in partnership with veterinarians, facility managers, and research teams. The role also mentors colleagues pursuing CPIA certification, supports learning and professional growth, applies GLP, GCP, and GMP quality-system knowledge, and provides expertise during regulatory inspections and accreditation visits. It oversees electronic IACUC management systems and related process optimization. For external research sites, vendors, CROs, and collaborating institutions, the position owns end-to-end risk assessment and oversight. This includes developing a risk-tiering framework, conducting and documenting due diligence visits, assigning risk ratings, tracking findings through closure, managing vendor and CRO qualification, and maintaining a dashboard of site risk, visits, assessments, and findings. The role supports global IACUC harmonization in partnership with the Head, Global Animal Welfare Risk Management, aligning practices while accommodating regional requirements and institutional leadership priorities.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in a life science, veterinary, or related field.
Significant experience in IACUC administration, laboratory animal science, or a closely related regulatory or compliance field.
Demonstrated knowledge of applicable regulations and guidelines, including the Animal Welfare Act, Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, and AAALAC standards.
Experience working within or alongside GLP, GCP, and/or GMP quality systems.
Proven ability to manage cross-functional projects and lead process improvement initiatives.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree.
CPIA certification or active pursuit of CPIA certification.
Experience with multi-site or global IACUC programs.
Familiarity with electronic IACUC management platforms.
Experience conducting vendor/CRO due diligence audits or risk-based site visits.
Strong analytical and data visualization skills, particularly building compliance dashboards or reporting tools.

Responsibilities

Advise global Oversight Bodies on regulatory requirements, protocol review standards, and institutional compliance obligations.
Lead development, implementation, and continuous improvement of Global Animal Welfare Policies and the Post Approval Monitoring (PAM) program.
Harmonize PAM programs across global sites while accommodating regional regulatory requirements.
Lead PAM activities for the Kalamazoo and Richland sites.
Partner with Attending/Designated Veterinarians, facility managers, and research teams to maintain compliant animal care and use programs at Kalamazoo and Richland.
Mentor and coach junior colleagues pursuing CPIA certification and foster continuous learning and professional development.
Apply GLP, GCP, and GMP quality-system knowledge to animal welfare programs.
Provide guidance and serve as a subject matter expert during regulatory inspections and accreditation visits.
Oversee electronic IACUC management systems, including administration, upgrades, and migrations.
Lead process optimization initiatives for electronic systems associated with Global Animal Welfare.
Own risk assessments for external vendors, CROs, and collaborating institutions conducting company-sponsored animal research.
Develop and maintain a risk-tiering framework to prioritize oversight based on animal-use characteristics.
Schedule, conduct, and document animal welfare due diligence site visits; assign risk ratings and track findings through remediation and closure.
Lead vendor and CRO selection, qualification, and ongoing management to align with animal welfare policies and quality expectations.
Design, implement, and maintain a third-party animal welfare dashboard covering risk status, visit history, upcoming assessments, and outstanding findings.
Support global IACUC harmonization in partnership with the Head, Global Animal Welfare Risk Management.
Contribute to alignment of policies, procedures, protocol review processes, templates, and other IACUC practices across institutions.
Serve as a resource to global IACUCs seeking consistent standards and operational practices while adapting to regional requirements and institutional leadership priorities.