Supervisor, Laboratory Animal Care

Located onsite daily at Inotiv's Ft Collins location.

About the role

The Laboratory Animal Care Supervisor organizes and directs the work and training of the animal care technician team. This position provides overall oversight and leadership, scheduling personnel, purchasing supplies, and ensuring proper training and execution of tasks. The role also includes providing animal care support in accordance with all standard operating procedures (SOPs) and applicable state and federal regulations.

Responsibilities

• Direct daily operations of the Animal Care team, including preparing and prioritizing workflow, ensuring adequate coverage, and adherence to quality standards, deadlines, and proper procedures.
• Supervise one or more employees, including interviewing, hiring, training, planning, assigning work, appraising performance, rewarding, disciplining, and addressing complaints or problems.
• Escalate personnel issues to management and/or HR as appropriate.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive training program for the animal care team to ensure consistency in learning and understanding of policies and procedures.
• Provide on-the-job training, learning labs, and additional training or assessments as needed.
• Continuously evaluate and improve the training program.
• Create and maintain animal care personnel scheduling, ensuring adequate coverage for daily operations, breaks, and absences.
• Ensure regulatory requirements are followed by team members.
• Monitor and manage inventory levels of animal care supplies (e.g., feed, enrichment, cleaning supplies, personal protective equipment), including expiration tracking.
• Oversee purchasing for animal care, including ordering food, enrichment, and supplies, and track inventory in the accounting system.
• Maintain feed certificates for study reference.
• Review study protocols and notebooks prior to study initiation and participate in pre-study meetings.
• Communicate workflow, equipment issues, and other concerns to management.
• Build and maintain productive working relationships among team members to increase efficiency.
• Ensure daily data review is performed by technicians and assist as needed.
• Complete accurate and timely entries into electronic data capture systems or paper records.
• Perform animal care and support duties as needed, including:
  • Husbandry (food, water, cleaning pens) and general room cleaning for various animal species.
  • Monitoring animal well-being, ensuring adequate space, safe housing, and appropriate enrichment.
  • Monitoring temperature and humidity in animal rooms and reporting HVAC issues.
  • Completing animal welfare checks, mortality checks, and husbandry records.
  • Performing animal receiving procedures, including cage card preparation, physical exams, and receipt records.
  • Restraining animals for treatments or procedures.
  • Providing animal handling for euthanasia procedures.
  • Performing clinical observations of animals and their pens/cages.
  • Collecting body weights and body condition scores.
  • Assisting with study acclimation (e.g., leash/collar training).
  • Transporting animals for acquisition and disposal.
• Follow all SOPs and applicable laboratory or company policies and procedures.
• Maintain confidentiality of information.
• Support and participate in company initiatives as directed.
• Review SOPs periodically to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Participate in SOP writing, reviews, and revisions as needed.
• Complete training requirements and maintain appropriate documentation.
• Maintain compliance with safety regulations, policies, and good documentation practices.
• Ensure compliance with Good Laboratory Practices (GLP), USDA, AAALAC, OLAW, and other applicable regulations.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Critical Success Factors

• Exhibits an aptitude for quality and attention to detail.
• Actively supports and contributes to team success.
• Encourages collaboration and cooperation.
• Manages time effectively to meet deadlines.
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize in a fast-paced environment.
• Communicates openly and respectfully to foster a positive work environment.
• Works effectively with personnel at all organizational levels.
• Strong organizational skills, including task prioritization and resource management.
• Adaptability to changes in the work environment and competing demands.
• Strong work ethic and positive attitude under deadlines.
• Reliability and trustworthiness in fulfilling commitments and meeting deadlines.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Commitment to adhering to safety regulations and procedures.
• Ability to follow detailed instructions and understand scientific protocols.
• Desire to learn new methods or workflows and participate in training opportunities.
• Support others' growth through modeling, feedback, coaching, and encouragement.
• Evaluate the work of others impartially.
• Proficiency in using computers for data compilation, spreadsheets, checklists, and reports.

Requirements

• Associate degree or equivalent in animal science, life science, or a related field.
• Four years of animal handling and care experience in a veterinary or equivalent setting.
• Two years of animal handling and care experience in a laboratory.
• Previous experience supervising or leading staff, including training and performance evaluation.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite or related software, data capture software, and similar applications.
• Ability to quickly learn new systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in animal science, life science, or a related field.
• American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) Certification.

Working Conditions & Physical Requirements

• Ability to regularly lift up to 50 pounds and safely move heavy equipment.
• Ability to stand, walk, bend, reach, lift, crouch, push, and pull throughout an entire work shift.
• Manual dexterity for operating equipment and performing essential tasks.
• Close visual acuity and depth perception for tasks such as data analysis, transcription, and inspection.
• Required use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Occasional exposure to hazards such as hot water, steam, mechanical equipment, biological substances, loud noise, odors, chemicals, and outdoor weather conditions.
• Regular on-site attendance required.
• Ability to travel to various site locations as needed.

Pay

The salary range is $61,000–$73,000 per year, commensurate with experience and responsibilities. This position may be offered at different levels based on qualifications, with salary adjusting accordingly.

Benefits

• Health and dental coverage.
• Short- and long-term disability.
• Paid time off.
• Paid parental leave.
• 401K retirement plan.