Manager Animal Health Operations - Comparative Research Center - Full-time-28748

About the role

The Manager, Animal Health Operations, Comparative Research Center, provides leadership and operational oversight of clinical veterinary services and the animal health technician team within RUSH's Comparative Research Center and associated satellite facilities. Reporting to the Assistant Director, Preclinical Services, this role ensures the delivery of high-quality, compliant, and ethically responsible veterinary care by coordinating daily clinical operations, supervising and developing animal health staff, overseeing surgical and anesthesia programs, and maintaining adherence to regulatory and accreditation standards. The Manager, Animal Health Operations, serves as a key operational partner to veterinary, research, and institutional leadership and contributes to training, SOP development, accreditation activities, and ongoing program improvement. Exemplifies the Rush mission, vision, and values and acts in accordance with Rush policies and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Clinical Veterinary Operations: Provides day-to-day leadership and operational oversight of all clinical veterinary services and animal health technician activities within the Comparative Research Center and associated satellite facilities, including conducting routine walk-throughs to monitor clinical quality, animal welfare, and operational readiness. Oversees and coordinates daily clinical operations including health monitoring rounds, treatment administration, surgical and anesthesia support, diagnostic sample collection and submission, pharmacy management, and environmental enrichment activities. Serves as a primary liaison to principal investigators, veterinary staff, and laboratory personnel to coordinate clinical care needs, special procedure requests, and study-related animal health planning.
• Leadership & Personnel Management: Directly supervises, schedules, trains, and evaluates animal health technician staff; ensures adequate coverage across clinical areas, efficient workflow, and adherence to institutional performance standards. Leads hiring, onboarding, and ongoing staff development activities, including maintaining current job descriptions and supporting employee performance management processes. Leads or contributes to training programs for animal health technicians, animal care staff, laboratory personnel, and interns across clinical, surgical, and experimental procedures.
• Surgical & Anesthesia Program Oversight: Manages the CRC surgical and anesthesia program, including oversight of surgical suite readiness, sterile technique compliance, anesthesia monitoring standards, post-operative care protocols, and surgical billing and recharge processes.
• Medication & Pharmacy Operations: Oversees the CRC pharmacy for controlled and non-controlled drugs, including procurement, dispensing, inventory management, reconciliation, and compliance with DEA and institutional requirements.
• Documentation & Regulatory Compliance: Develops, reviews, and enforces standard operating procedures (SOPs) related to clinical veterinary care, surgical support, and animal health operations; identifies and implements operational improvements and efficiencies. Ensures compliance with applicable federal, accreditation, and institutional regulations, including USDA, AAALAC, IACUC, GLP, FDA, DEA, OSHA, and institutional requirements. Supports inspections and accreditation activities, including contributing to updates of the AAALAC program description. Maintains accurate documentation and reporting related to clinical operations, staff performance, regulatory compliance, and accreditation activities; escalates issues appropriately to senior leadership. Participates in budget planning, forecasting, resource allocation, and expense monitoring for animal health operations.
• Operational Coordination & Facility Oversight: Manages procurement of veterinary supplies, medications, and equipment; oversees inventory management, equipment maintenance, and coordination with Facilities, Environmental Services, and EHS to address clinical area maintenance and safety needs. Develops operational goals, identifies opportunities for service enhancement, and implements initiatives that improve efficiency, compliance, and quality outcomes.
• Support additional responsibilities as requested by leadership.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Veterinary Technology, Animal Science, Biological Sciences, or related field required. Equivalent education and experience may be considered only when the candidate meets institutional requirements for Certified Veterinary Technician licensure and required certification expectations within the required institutional timeframe.
• Certification: Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) designation required; current Illinois CVT licensure required. AALAS certification at the Laboratory Animal Technologist (LATG) level is required.
• Experience: Minimum of 6–8 years of progressively responsible experience in laboratory animal medicine, including clinical veterinary care, surgical support, and staff supervision within AAALAC-accredited and USDA-registered facilities.
• Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:
  • Knowledge of staff supervision, workforce coordination, and personnel management practices within a clinical or research environment.
  • Advanced knowledge of clinical veterinary operations, surgical and anesthesia support, pharmacy management, and multi-species animal care practices within a research environment.
  • Advanced proficiency in clinical veterinary care for multiple species, including rodents and large animals.
  • Strong working knowledge of USDA, AAALAC, IACUC, GLP, FDA, DEA, OSHA, and institutional regulatory requirements.
  • Effective verbal and written communication skills; ability to interact professionally with principal investigators, veterinary staff, facilities personnel, environmental services, EHS, and institutional stakeholders.
  • Knowledge of standard operating procedure development, implementation, maintenance, and compliance practices.
  • Proficiency in clinical documentation, animal health recordkeeping systems, electronic record systems, Microsoft Office applications and quality control activities.
  • Strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage competing priorities in a complex research environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Manager of Animal Resources (CMAR) strongly preferred.
• Graduation from the AALAS Institute for Laboratory Animal Management (ILAM) strongly preferred.
• Experience in an academic medical center or university-based research program.

Physical Demands & Work Environment

• Potential for exposure to blood, body fluids, and other potentially infectious materials, chemicals, and other hazardous conditions that may pose a potential health risk.
• Trained and expected to observe all fire and safety procedures, blood-borne pathogen and hazard communication standards, and the Institutional Animal Care and Use program.
• Must handle and restrain all species of animals used in the facility.
• Work in proximity to all species of animals used in the facility.
• Ability to lift, move, and/or place objects of a minimum of 50 lbs. in a repeated fashion.
• No known animal allergies.

Core Competencies

• Leadership & People Management: Supervises, develops, and holds accountable a team of animal health technicians through structured hiring, training, and performance management processes; fosters a culture of professionalism, continuous learning, and high-quality animal care.
• Clinical & Surgical Program Oversight: Manages daily clinical veterinary operations and surgical programs with expertise, ensuring consistent delivery of advanced, multi-species veterinary care in compliance with institutional and regulatory standards.
• Regulatory Compliance & Animal Welfare: Applies expert knowledge of USDA, AAALAC, IACUC, GLP, FDA, and DEA standards to ensure rigorous compliance; actively leads inspections, accreditation activities, and SOP development and enforcement.
• Process Improvement & Operational Excellence: Identifies opportunities to improve clinical operations and service delivery; leads program development and modernization efforts while maintaining continuity and high-quality standards.
• Organizational Effectiveness & Priority Management: Manages competing priorities in a complex, multi-stakeholder research environment; applies strong organizational and problem-solving skills to sustain clinical quality, staff performance, and regulatory compliance.

Pay & Schedule

• Pay Range: $38.02 - $55.18 per hour
• Work Schedule: 8 Hr (7:00:00 AM - 3:00:00 PM)
• Work Type: Full Time (Total FTE between 0.9 and 1.0)
• Shift: Shift 1