Associate University Director of Animal Care

**Position Details**:

- Position Information**Position Title**
- Associate University Director of Animal Care

**Department/Unit**
- University Veterinarian

**Location**
- Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

**Posting Number**
- S053-24

**Employee Group**
- None

**Position Type**
- Regular, On-Going

**Duration of Contract (if applicable)**

**Employment Type**
- Full Time

**Full-time Equivalency (FTE)**
- 1.0

**Salary**
- Commensurate with qualifications and experience

**Classification**

**Provisional Statement**

**About Dalhousie University**
- Dalhousie University is Atlantic Canada’s leading research-intensive university and a driver of the region’s intellectual, social and economic development. Located in the heart of Halifax, Nova Scotia, with an Agricultural Campus in Truro/Bible Hill, Dalhousie is a truly national and international university, with more than half of our almost 21,000 students coming from outside of the province. Our 6,000 faculty and staff foster a vibrant, purpose-driven community, that celebrated 200 years of academic excellence in 2018.

**Job Summary**
- The Office of the University Veterinarian, under the oversight of the Vice-President of Research and Innovation, is responsible for oversight and support of the animal care and use program at the three campuses of Dalhousie university. This includes senior administrative regulatory oversight, communications, and compliance with regulatory and legal agencies, providing support and advice to researchers, operation of two ethics committees, training, public relations and communications, risk management, legal advice, and direct veterinary clinical support of programs. Reporting to the University Director of Animal Care (UDAC), the Associate University Director of Animal Care manages compliance to animal welfare standards and facilitates protocol pre-review and training at all animal research facilities within the Dalhousie University animal care programs on three campuses, as an arms length Quality Assurance/Quality Control management operation as mandated by the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC).

**Key Responsibilities**
- Leads the development and advancement of the Post Approval Monitoring Program in accordance with institutional policies, procedures, and CCAC guidelines.
- Identifies and investigates issues of non-compliance, prioritizing animal welfare issues, and providing alternative approaches that meet the needs of the organization, the situation, and those involved under direction and supervision of the UDAC.
- Plans, coordinates, conducts, and writes reports on post approval monitoring activities including site and procedural assessments to verify compliance with approved protocols, training, best practices, university policies and CCAC guidelines.
- Undertakes a clinical veterinary caseload which includes small research animals, a barrier sustained SPF cat breeding colony, research wild birds, and well as farm species and aquatic species.

**Note**
The ability to travel to satellite facilities is a requirement of this role.
Clinical duties will include one in four weekend and after hours call to medicine facilities and weekend emergency call to the Studley campus on an irregular as
- needed basis. There is also a requirement for 24/7 availability in emergency circumstances when unexpected events such as hurricanes impact university animal care.

This position works in humid environments with varying temperatures; and continuous exposure to animal dander, odours, excreta, dust, and noise, including BSL 2 and 3 pathogens, anesthetic gases and potentially harmful chemicals with proper PPE.
Due to operational requirements, the successful applicant is required to work in-person on campus.

**Required Qualifications**
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine with a minimum of five years’ experience working with research animals including common laboratory species such as mice, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits, fish, cats, ferrets, sheep, mink, cattle, dogs, horses, poultry, dogs, cats or equivalent combination of education and experience with demonstrated knowledge in the indications for use of anesthetic, analgesic, and other common veterinary drugs, as well as aseptic procedures performed during surgery, surgical technique.
- Eligible for membership in the Canadian Association of Laboratory Animal Medicine.
- Must be a licensed DVM in Canada or the United States with demonstrated knowledge and interest in laboratory animal medicine and pathology.
- Eligible for licensure as a private veterinary practitioner in the Province of Nova Scotia, which includes a criminal records check and passing a regional exam.
- Thorough up to date knowledge and understanding of Canadian Council on Animal Care guidelines and procedures including new policies generated since 2020.
- Strong leadership, interpersonal skills, conflict resolution, facilitation, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent organizational, planning, and pri