Job Description
Join Cedars-Sinai as a Manager in our department of Comparative Medicine!
The Department of Comparative Medicine is dedicated to the facilitation of biomedical research utilizing animals, while striving to maintain the highest quality of ethical, humane and appropriate animal care. The Department is committed to continuing to improve the quality of services provided to research investigators for the purpose of improving the health of humans and animals.
The Manager, Comparative Medicine manages the laboratory animal vivarium and is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the vivarium including the husbandry and operations teams to ensure the health and welfare of all animals. The Manager ensures compliance with institutional policies and procedures, as well as applicable local, state, and federal regulations. The Manager plans, develops and leads, all activities of the husbandry and operations staff, including providing direction to supervisors, and individual contributors. This role is responsible for program infrastructure maintenance and development, and for maintaining and updating vivarium policies, practices and procedures. The manager contributes to the planning and execution of large-scale strategic projects that support organizational goals. The manager partners with, cultivates, and maintains effective relationships with external service providers and contracted entities, as well as internal affiliates and key stakeholders.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities:
- Oversees and manages daily operations including scheduling, staffing, and training of animal care and operations staff.
- Ensures staff meet performance standards by providing guidance, counseling, and corrective actions as needed in consultation with HR.
- Manages training program for vivarium staff in collaboration with other Department of Comparative Medicine leaders.
- Manages daily program operations by developing, implementing, and maintaining program policies andprocedures. Conducts ongoing program assessment and evaluation.
- Prepares and incorporates requirements from program inspections including United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspections, Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) site visits, and semi-annual Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) inspections for the husbandry, operations and facility programs.
- Develops procedures for continuous process improvement and educates staff to support efficient high-quality operations.
- Oversees Husbandry and Operations work environment in partnership with Environmental Health and Safety (EHS).
- Participates in the departmental emergency response plan.
- Oversees monthly per diem charges and operational billing activities.
- Oversees supply and equipment orders and management.
- Ensures supervisors have the appropriate knowledge and training to ensure proper maintenance and minor repairs on equipment and in their facilities.
- Coordinates and/or oversees preventive and corrective maintenance programs for third party vendors supporting facility operations (e.g. Winnaire, Technicial Safety Services, Avidity, Steris, Sterilizer Services Plus).
- Serves as a liaison between the Department of Comparative Medicine, Research Facilities Operations, Plant Operations, contractors and vendors to carry construction, renovation, and repair projects.
- Advises and supports the Executive Director on facility planning, program growth and annual budget.
- Performs other assignments pertaining to the scope of the vivarium staff, equipment and infrastructure.
Qualifications
Education:
- Bachelor's Degree in Biology, Animal Science, or related field is required. Master's degree is preferred.
Licenses/Certifications:
- Laboratory Animal Technologist (LATG) from AALAS is required.
- Project management certificate (LSS or similar) and Certified Manager of Animal Resources (CMAR) from AALAS are preferred.
Experience and Skills:
- Five (5) years of experience in management and project planning/project management in a AAALAC Accredited Animal Research Facility environment, or related.
- Ability to address performance issues and implement corrective action plans, foster individual/team development, performance feedback, coaching and recognition.
- Ability to analyze, project and adjust staffing to meet workforce planning needs, as well as motivate, monitor, measure, recognize and improve performance and morale.
- Ability to convey and/or receive written/verbal information to/from various audiences in different formats, and communicate expectations and priorities, and clarify roles and responsibilities.
- Ability to promote and foster participation/collaboration among individuals and groups, as well as initiate, plan, design, execute, and monitor project(s).
- Ability to apply knowledge of accounting principles to create, monitor or operate to budget(s).
- Ability to handle multiple demands and/or manage complex and competing priorities, aa well as work within tight timeframes and meet strict deadlines.
- Ability to interpret and apply knowledge of State, Federal and Agency standards to comply with regulations.
- Ability to apply advanced knowledge of science/learning/specialized intellectual instruction to analyze, interpret or make deductions from varying facts or circumstances.
- Ability to demonstrate problem solving skills and recommends solutions.
- Cultivates and maintains strong customer relationships and rapport with stakeholders and/or client groups.
- Collaborates to problem solve and make decisions to achieve desired outcomes.
- Responds timely, effectively and appropriately to deliverables.
- Identifies and responds appropriately to both internal and external customer needs utilizing available resources.
- Represents the company with external constituents.
- Shares knowledge, time and expertise to assist other members of the team.
- Establishes effective working relationships with cross-functional team(s).
- Plans, leads, and directs work of staff to ensure goals and objectives are completed within established budget and deadlines are met.
- Responsible for hiring, onboarding, managing schedules, personnel actions, performance reviews, and performance improvement plans.
- Supervises the day-to-day work of employees, assigns work, ensures tasks are completed and deadlines are met.
Our compensation philosophy
We offer competitive total compensation that includes pay, benefits, and other recognition programs for our employees. The base pay range shown above takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including knowledge/skills; relevant experience and training; education/certifications/licensure; and other business and organizational factors. This base pay range does not include our comprehensive benefits package and any incentive payments that may be applicable to this role. Pay Transparency Non Discrimination Provision (PDF) (opens in new window)
Diversity and Inclusion at Cedars-Sinai
We are caretakers and innovators committed to the pursuit of equitable healthcare. But health equity is not possible without representation. Our commitment to diversity goes beyond demographics or checking boxes. Our people must reflect the diverse identities, experiences and geographies of the communities and patients we serve – because that’s what our patients, colleagues and communities deserve. Quality Care and Research—For All, By All (opens in new window).
Cedars-Sinai is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.
Cedars-Sinai does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of the race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, physical or mental disability, legally protected medical condition (cancer-related or genetic characteristics or any genetic information), marital status, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, age (40 or older), military and/or veteran status or any other basis protected by federal or state law. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at Applicant_Accommodation@cshs.org and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Requests for accommodation will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.
Cedars-Sinai will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories, in accordance with the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.
At Cedars-Sinai, we are dedicated to the safety, health and wellbeing of our patients and employees. This includes protecting our patients from communicable diseases, such as influenza (flu) and COVID-19. For this reason, we require that all new employees receive a flu vaccine based on the seasonal availability of flu vaccine (typically during September through April each year) as a condition of employment, and annually thereafter as a condition of continued employment, subject to medical exemption or religious accommodation. For the same reason, you may also be required to receive other vaccines such as COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Cedars-Sinai reserves the right to make modifications to its required list of vaccines as required by law and/or policy. Cedars-Sinai’s AA Policy Statement (PDF) (opens in new window)
