Lab Animal Training and Quality Assurance Specialist

Budget Title: Instructional Support Technician (SL-3)

Salary: $60,000 - $70,000

The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) provides oversight for the animal care and use program which includes training and continued oversight of activities involving animals. This Instructional Support Associate position consists of two primary functions. As training coordinator, this individual works closely with new Principal Investigators (PIs), research personnel, and animal care personnel to relay general facility operations and teach rodent bio-methodology, as needed. As Quality Assurance Specialist, this individual ensures compliance with Federal, State, and Institutional regulations and policies by monitoring research personnel and Laboratory Animal Resources (LAR) staff to improve program compliance and research outcomes.

As Training Coordinator, specific responsibilities include:

• Schedule and conduct mandatory in-person training orientation sessions for new PIs and new research lab personnel. These sessions cover specific operations of Binghamton University’s lab animal program and facility workflows and are scheduled as needed.
• Hold rodent hands-on trainings for individuals or small groups to support their research goals. These trainings include but are not limited to:
  • Animal handling and restraint techniques
  • Injection techniques
  • Blood withdrawals
  • Breeding colony management
  • Rodent surgery support and aseptic technique
  • Euthanasia with CO2

As Quality Assurance Specialist, the individual strives to establish a collaborative and educational partnership with PIs, the research teams, and the animal care staff to promote and ensure protocol and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) compliance. These opportunities are used to exchange information on updated lab animal program policies, guidelines and SOPs. Specific responsibilities include:

• Monitor activities on IACUC protocols.
• Assist in information gathering in response to findings of noncompliance; report and share information with the IACUC.
• Shadow LAR staff members to ensure husbandry tasks are carried out per SOPs.
• Conduct facility rounds to ensure proper procedures are performed in the interest of personnel safety and animal welfare.

This person will also partner with the veterinary staff and the IACUC to develop policies, guidelines, and SOPs for the animal care program.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or LVT/RVT and RLAT Certification
• At least five years of work experience in a laboratory animal research facility
• At least three years of rodent bio-methodology experience
• Working knowledge of animal research policies and regulations (i.e., The Guide, Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, Animal Welfare Act, and NYS Department of Health Regulations for laboratory animal facilities)
• Thorough understanding of laboratory animal husbandry, care, and welfare standards
• Experience in preparing and conducting trainings
• Effective oral and written communication skills and project reporting skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Working knowledge of accreditation related to Laboratory Animal Resources as applied in a university setting
• Experience with rodent surgical procedures
• Experience in reviewing and research protocols and/or working with an IACUC
• Ability to communicate with an ethnically and culturally diverse campus community
• Ability to follow all university policies, procedures, and guidelines including but not limited to safety, civility, information security, unions, and non-discrimination policies and procedures

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. If you currently need sponsorship or will need it in the future to maintain employment authorization, you do not meet eligibility requirements. Additionally, please note that Binghamton University is not an E-Verify employer.

Additional Information

Binghamton University is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact the ADA Coordinator by completing the following Request Form.

The State University of New York is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. It is the policy of Binghamton University to provide for and promote equal opportunity employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment without discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, veteran or military service member status, marital status, domestic violence victim status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, or arrest and/or criminal conviction record unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

As required by title IX and its implementing regulations, Binghamton University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the educational programs and activities which it operates. This requirement extends to employment and admission. Inquiries about sex discrimination may be directed to the University Title IX Coordinator or directly to the Office of Civil Rights (OCR). Contact information for the Title IX Coordinator and OCR, as well as the University's complete Non-Discrimination Notice may be found here.

Pursuant to Executive Order 161, no State entity, as defined by the Executive Order, is permitted to ask, or mandate, in any form, that an applicant for employment provide his or her current compensation, or any prior compensation history, until such time as the applicant is extended a conditional offer of employment with compensation. If such information has been requested from you before such time, please contact the Governor's Office of Employee Relations at (518) 474-6988 or via email at info@goer.ny.gov.

Binghamton University is a tobacco-free campus effective August 1, 2017.

Applicant Instructions:

All applicants must apply via Interview Exchange: https://binghamton.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdetails.jsp?JOBID=199440

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the vacancy is filled.

Please submit:

• Resume,
• Cover letter, and
• Contact information for three professional references

You may add additional files/documents after uploading your resume. After you fill out your contact information, you will be directed to the upload page. Please login to check/edit your profile or to upload additional documents: http://binghamton.interviewexchange.com/login.jsp.

The State University of New York and Binghamton University are Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employers.