Supervisor, Comparative Medicine – Husbandry

Cedars-Sinai•Los Angeles, CA

1d•$72,654 - $123,510

About The Position

The Supervisor, Comparative Medicine – Husbandry supervises animal care staff in the Animal Laboratory Technician series and coordinates daily animal-facility operations. The role manages personnel and ensures vivarium areas comply with regulations governing laboratory animal use and care. It also promotes collaboration and transparency within Comparative Medicine and with internal departments and clients. The Supervisor oversees staff hiring, onboarding, training, assignments, scheduling and time-off approval, performance reviews, employee development, and performance improvement. The position maintains and improves husbandry training programs, performance metrics, records, standard operating procedures, facility processes, and equipment maintenance. It coordinates assigned projects, animal census and space allocation, software use, walkthrough training, and communications with institutional departments, facilities teams, vendors, and investigators. The Supervisor stays current with animal-care and biohazard regulations and develops or follows safe work routines for employees.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED is required.
Eight years of experience in laboratory animal science is required.
Ability to operate technological devices such as a computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
Ability to communicate expectations and priorities and clarify roles and responsibilities.
Ability to demonstrate time-management and priority-setting skills.
Ability to supervise day-to-day employee work, assign work, and ensure tasks and deadlines are completed.
Ability to hire, onboard, manage schedules and personnel actions, conduct performance reviews, and manage performance improvement plans.
Ability to plan, lead, and direct staff work to meet goals and objectives within established budgets and deadlines.
Ability to oversee and allocate team work and ensure tasks meet deadlines and quality standards.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
Laboratory Animal Technician (LAT) certification.
Two years of experience leading animal-care staff in an AAALAC-accredited animal research facility.

Responsibilities

Supervise husbandry technicians, including hiring, onboarding, training, coaching, work assignments, time-off approval, performance evaluations, employee development plans, and performance improvement plans; partner with the Executive Director on disciplinary actions when needed.
Oversee development, implementation, and updates to husbandry technician training programs covering animal care, animal health, safety, and record keeping.
Establish and maintain performance metrics to assess technician productivity and needs; produce performance reports and present recommendations to the Executive Director and department leadership.
Manage husbandry program development projects, including scope, timelines, task assignments and delegation, and follow-up.
Maintain records and data needed for annual reports to USDA, IACUC, AAALAC, and other relevant entities; review direct reports’ daily reports, identify gaps and improvement opportunities, and update the Executive Director on progress and issues.
Create, review, revise, and contribute to husbandry documents, including SOPs, hazardous-agent procedures, work instructions, safety posts, equipment and study-specific guidelines, room maintenance logs, and feed, bedding, and consumables inventory and ordering records.
Ensure husbandry SOPs are current and accurate and collaborate across campus groups, supervisors, and technicians on procedures involving multiple groups or departments.
Build and maintain relationships with Research Facilities Operations, Facility Management, and external vendors to develop equipment and facility repair and preventive-maintenance processes.
Recommend and implement improvements to infrastructure, systems, and outcomes.
Assess assigned equipment, including individually ventilated caging racks, animal transfer stations, biosafety cabinets, and fume hoods, and coordinate preventive or corrective maintenance and escalated repairs with facilities departments or contractors.
Oversee vivarium software implementation and use, provide vendor feedback, and train Comparative Medicine lab staff as needed.
Maintain Comparative Medicine space inventory and assign animal holding and procedural space to investigators in consultation with the Comparative Medicine Attending Veterinarian and Research Facilities Operations.
Develop, conduct, or oversee vivarium walkthrough training for investigators and their laboratory staff.
Oversee animal census collection and reconciliation procedures.
Coordinate with organizational units, including IACUC, EH&S, HR, and EIS, to support regulatory and institutional policy compliance and efficient department operations.
Serve as backup for other Comparative Medicine supervisors.
Stay current with regulations governing laboratory animal use and care and apply them to animals in assigned areas.
Understand regulations governing biohazardous agents in the vivarium and develop or follow appropriate employee work routines to protect safety.
Supervise day-to-day employee work, assign and allocate work, manage schedules and personnel actions, and ensure work meets deadlines, goals, quality standards, budgets, and objectives.