Research Support Specialist (Lead Animal Husbandry)

Description

• 
  **Assists the University Veterinarian’s Office by supporting the UH Vivaria (Manoa and Kakaako), Animal Biosafety Level 3 (ABSL3) rooms, and other State of Hawaii sites associated with the University.
• **Serves as a designee to the University Veterinarian’s Office to review animal sites and facilities in the systemwide Animal Care and Use Program.
• **Complies with all Federal, State, and University laws, rules, regulations and requirements in all aspects of animal care operations.
• **Performs daily operational duties, including facilities management, veterinary drug and supply inventory control, ordering supplies, reconciling receipts, creating reports, and assisting with census management data.
• **Assists the Veterinarians and researchers and provides input on special projects on a case-by-case basis (e.g., rederivation of valuable mouse strains).
• **Provides feedback on Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC) standards.
• Assists the University Veterinarian’s Office with applying for contracts and grants.
• Assists the Veterinarians with developing/updating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), which are used as training materials for Principal Investigators (PI) and staff. Ensure staff and researchers are trained in new and updated SOPs.

• 
  **Operates facilities in conformance with AAALAC standards.
• **Coordinates maintenance and repairs of equipment and facilities through work orders, and interfaces with equipment vendors.
• **Conducts regular inventory and disposes of outdated drugs and supplies.
• **Provides assistance to veterinary staff utilizing the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Guide), the USDA Animal Welfare Regulations (AWR), and/or AAALAC standards.
• **Prepares facilities, acts as resource person, and provides follow up reports to the AVS OS for Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) inspections of assigned vivarium.

• 
  **Provides oversight, guidance and training to husbandry staff, students, interns and volunteers on animal health monitoring, including training on physical examinations, health records, diagnostic testing, processing laboratory specimens, and Animal Disease and Injury Reports.
• **Trains animal care staff to treat and follow through on cases following the orders of the Veterinarian. Handles and processes laboratory specimens, maintains animal health records, cleans, disinfects, and/or sterilizes, maintains equipment and laboratory spaces, and performs computer data entry/manipulation.
• **Trains researchers on basic biomedical procedures, provides facility orientations to new research staff requesting access to the vivarium, and assists with protocol-specific training, including, but not limited to, aseptic surgery procedures.
• **Trains researchers and their staff in the vivariums and in the System-wide program, on protocol-specific procedures including, but not limited to, animal handling and restraint, blood collection, tail clipping, rederivation, injections, aseptic surgical techniques and tissue handling during surgery, use and management of rental of anesthesia machine, analgesia, animal sexing and breeding, ear tagging/notching, oral gavage, other experimental manipulations, and record keeping.

Data/Reporting/Testing

• **Accurately completes reports, including but not limited to Animal Disease and Injury Reports.
• **Implements the animal health surveillance testing and environmental monitoring program.
• **Performs physical examinations, maintains health records, compiles health data, completes treatments and sampling for diagnostic tests as prescribed by the Veterinarian, and contacts PI and staff.
• Maintains safety, training, biological, and chemical logs.
• **Maintains electronic databases on health surveillance and environmental testing results.
• **Performs environmental monitoring to test recently disinfected surfaces throughout the vivariums, and verify every quarter by in-house microbiological testing.

• 
  **Responsible for procurement of veterinary supplies and equipment, as well as maintaining equipment and supply inventory, handling/processing of diagnostic specimens, maintaining animal health records, cleaning and maintaining equipment and laboratory spaces, performing computer data entry, and preparing samples for shipment to appropriate laboratories.
• **Responsible for submitting charge vouchers and coordinating testing-related invoices and purchases with the business office.

• 
  **Performs venipuncture to obtain blood, collects and other diagnostics samples, and euthanizes animals.
• **Performs necropsies for organ collection for histological analysis as prescribed by the Veterinarian.
• **Shares data with AVS management to assess efficacy and make necessary modifications of in-house environmental disinfection, sanitation, and decontamination practices.
• Assists the Windward Veterinary Technology Program with wet labs and lectures as needed.
• **Develops or expands a current course including, but not limited to, laboratory animal facility design, observation of clinical signs of sick or injured research animals, and traffic flow as it impacts animal health and well-being.
• **Expands upon an aseptic surgery technique course and assists Veterinarians with certifying research staff on aseptic techniques especially as it relates to surgical procedures.
• **Coordinates with animal care staff to prepare appropriate quarantine space, and cares for animals in quarantine.
• **Coordinates health monitoring of quarantined animals transferred from non-commercial sources and between institutions.
• **Assists the Veterinarians with health monitoring and treatment of animals in the biomedical and behavioral animal research program.

Transportation

• **Assists with in-state and out-of-state animal transfers between institutions and from non-commercial vendors, including preparation and the packaging of the animals.
• **Coordinates the distribution of veterinary drugs used on research protocols.
• **Coordinates collection of diagnostic specimens for quarantine testing, and prepares specimens for shipment to diagnostic laboratories.
• **Communicates with all parties when transfers are complete, and archives transfer documents.

Minimum Qualifications

• Possession of a baccalaureate degree in Animal Sciences, biology, microbiology, zoology, immunology, genetics, physiology, pharmacology, parasitology, or equivalent or related field and 1 year(s) of progressively responsible professional experience with responsibilities for training in veterinary procedures, AVS animal care, centralized vertebrate animal facility, farm, or pet shop; or any equivalent combination of education and/or professional work experience which provides the required education, knowledge, skills and abilities as indicated.

• Functional knowledge of principles, practices and techniques in the area of veterinary procedures or animal care demonstrated by knowledge, understanding and ability to apply concepts, terminology.
• Functional knowledge and understanding of principles, theories, federal and state laws, rules, regulations and systems associated with veterinary procedures or animal care.
• Demonstrated ability to recognize problems, identify possible causes and resolve the full range problems that may commonly occur in the area of veterinary procedures or animal care.
• Demonstrated ability to understand oral and written documentation, write reports and procedures, and communicate effectively in a variety of situations.
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external organizations, groups, team members and individuals.
• Demonstrated ability to operate a personal computer, apply word processing software, and animal management information systems.

Supplemental Minimum Qualifications

• Ability to lift up to thirty (30) pounds unassisted and perform repetitive motions associated with husbandry.
• Must be able to enroll in the Occupational Health and Safety program, which includes completing a health history questionnaire and obtaining medical clearance to work with animals in a vivarium.
• Required to be medically cleared and fitted to wear a respirator in compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements, in order to perform certain activities in the vivaria.
• Ability to work outside of normal hours of operation, including nights, weekends, and holidays, based on the demands for animal care.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license or be able to obtain a driver’s license within six (6) months from date of hire (and if use of personal vehicle on the job is required, must also have valid personal driver’s insurance equivalent to Hawai‘i’s No-Fault Driver’s Insurance) and maintain throughout the duration of employment
• Travels between facilities, airport, and errands for AVS using a State car is occasionally required.
• Ability to work in the ABSL3 labs or ABSL2 biohazard labs.
• Ability to work with mice and rats.
• Biosafety training for Animal Biosafety level 2 (ABSL2) infectious agents and recombinant DNA, Blood-Borne Pathogen shipping and receiving biological commodities, and Respirator protection program.
• This will require initial and annual biosafety training and Justice Department clearances.
• Undergoes intensive in-house training by AVS and the researchers for passive entry into the ABSL3.
• Knowledge of health and safety requirements for operating a vivarium.
• Working knowledge and basic troubleshooting of equipment including rack washers, cabinet washers, individually ventilated cage racks, autoclaves (including pass through), alkaline hydrolysis digester, reverse osmosis water, biosafety cabinets, animal transfer stations, automatic bedding and disposal, and bottle filler. Ability to organize daily activities and operate a vivarium with a minimum average daily census of 500 rodent cages.
• Must complete the online Hazard Communication training immediately after hire or no later than the employee's initial exposure to hazardous chemicals.
• Must complete training provided by the Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHSO) for hazardous waste management and International Air Transport Associate (IATA) shipping requirements, biosafety training, and all other pertinent training related to the job within six (6) months from date of hire.
• Prophylactic vaccinations may be required to enter the ABSL3, as such the individual must comply with the conditions of the AVS Medical Surveillance Plan.
• Must not have any obvious allergies to rabbits or rodents, or other allergens found in the laboratory animal environment.
• Must submit to all requirements as of the effective date of the current version of the AVS Occupational Health and Safety Program, which may include confidential disclosure of health information to a medical professional, a medical examination and follow-up examinations, immunizations, wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), and health and safety education. Will be medically cleared and fitted to wear a respirator to perform certain activities in the vivarium.
• Subsequent periodic exams may be required by the employer. Respirator medical clearance and fitting is required. All reasonable accommodations will be made based on fitness for duty. Medical exam costs will be paid for by the employer. Employment is contingent upon agreeing to receive any prophylactic immunizations that are made available by the department for related hazardous projects. Will be required to work in the ABSL3 labs and/or ABSL2 biohazard labs.
• Will be required to do passive entry and health monitoring into the ABSL3 laboratory.

Desirable Qualifications

• Working knowledge of rodent species.
• Ability to perform exacting manipulations on animals for research studies, such as, but not limited to, bleeding, injections, tail clips for genotyping, setting up of breeding pairs, understanding of aseptic techniques.
• Experience in husbandry, especially in a centralized animal facility.
• Proven ability to guide and lead students or non-technical employees in accordance with relevant policies, procedures, and other human resource requirements.
• Some knowledge of constructing, maintaining, and repair of equipment and supplies (e.g., anesthesia machines).
• Experience operating heavy equipment such as autoclave, alkaline hydrolysis, cage wash equipment, alkaline hydrolysis unit, equipment used for disinfection of secondary enclosures.
• Experience with or participation in an IACUC and/or Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC).
• Experience working in an AAALAC accredited facility.
• Experience working on larger facilities renovations and development of new projects. Experience applying for contracts and grants.
• Experience with research and publications.
• Knowledge of Research Corporation of the University of Hawai‘i (RCUH) policies, procedures, and other human resource requirements.
• Working knowledge of the Kuali Financial System (KFS), Intelligence in Asset Management (AiM) System.

Select the "Apply" button in the top right corner of the screen; first-time NeoGov users will need to create an account. Please ensure your application includes the following materials:

• Cover Letter: A letter detailing your interest and how you meet both the minimum and desirable qualifications. All minimum qualifications must be met by the closing date to be considered.
• Resume/CV: A current professional resume or curriculum vitae.
• Professional References: The names, telephone numbers, and email addresses of three (3) professional references.
• Unofficial Transcripts: Copies of unofficial transcripts are required for the application, though official versions must be provided upon hire. Please note that copies of diplomas and academic summaries are not acceptable substitutes.
  • Foreign Credential Evaluation: For degrees earned outside the U.S., you must provide a course-by-course analysis and equivalency statement from a NACES-member agency at your own expense.

Important Note: To protect your privacy, do not include any photos, Social Security Numbers, or dates of birth in your packet. Only the most recent application will be reviewed, and all submitted materials become the property of the University of Hawai’i. Please ensure all documents are complete and legible to be considered by the search committee. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

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