Career Center

Position Summary

The Director of Veterinary Services for RAR is responsible for promoting the department’s mission by informing the animal care program and overseeing clinical laboratory animal medicine care.  The Director, under the direction of the University of Minnesota Attending Veterinarian, is responsible for ensuring the welfare of all animals in RAR. The director provides regulatory and veterinary expertise to researchers (students, staff, and faculty) via direct consultation, committee participation, review of research protocols, and teaching.  The incumbent oversees the University’s participation in the Minnesota Laboratory Animal Medicine Residency Consortium (either through Co-Directing or delegating that responsibility). The RAR Director of Veterinarian Services (DVS) will have a dual reporting line to the Attending Veterinarian and the Executive Director of RAR. The dual reporting line will ensure RAR service and needs are met while also providing them a direct line to the AV for animal care issues and oversight and will result in a combined performance appraisal.

Job Responsibilities

70% - Leadership

• Ensure the animal welfare within RAR under the direction of the UMN Attending Veterinarian.
• Lead the Veterinary Service Team which includes Clinical Laboratory Animal Medicine Veterinarians, Laboratory Animal Medicine Residents, and the veterinary technician team in providing medical care for research and teaching animals within RAR.
• Provide direction for the research support program of the Veterinary Services team within the RAR Internal Service Organization (ISO) Operation.
• Directly supervise and mentor a team of Laboratory Animal Medicine Veterinarians by providing feedback and support for each individual’s career goals.
• Provide veterinarian expertise for RAR operational and programmatic activities.
• Serve as a member of the RAR senior leadership team.
• Provide guidance and feedback when necessary to move departmental objectives forward and to continually assess animal welfare needs.
• Ensure the Veterinary Services team provides quality customer services.
• Assist in the preparation of the Program Description and facility preparedness for site visits by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC).

20% - Regulatory Compliance

• Be an active member of the IACUC by participating in protocol review, facility/lab/extension site inspections, and the semi-annual program review, this includes being a voting member at a minimum on a rotating basis.
• Report animal welfare concerns to the Attending Veterinarian and/or IACUC.
• Consult, directly or through a designee, with investigators in creating, refining, or amending animal use protocols. This includes advisement on corrective actions after non-compliance.
• Work with the clinical veterinary team to create best practice guidance for researchers and staff regarding medications, procedures, and model design.
• Work with the veterinary services team to ensure that animal care, housing, transportation, and use comply with all applicable federal and state laws, as well as University policy, RAR policy, and the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.
• Assist in providing requested information during regulatory inspections and public record requests.

10% - Teaching/Training

• Assist in creating and providing lectures, labs, and seminars for veterinary residents, veterinary students, animal care staff, veterinary technicians, area supervisors, and research staff and/or faculty.
• Mentor, train, and support new veterinary colleagues and students regarding laboratory animal medicine, facility and personnel management, and regulatory compliance

Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Required qualifications:

• DVM or equivalent from ECVFC or PAVE with at least 6 years of experience
• Diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine
• Exceptional communication (verbal and written) and leadership skills

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience directing a Laboratory Animal Medicine Residency Program
• Supervisory experience of full-time employees
• Ability to embrace and manage change during periods of growth and expansion