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Small Animal Facility Manager

Role highlights

• Bring your expertise in animal sciences and care within a research setting
• Draw on your people skills in this unique leadership role on our Small Animal Facility site
• Work within a supportive, rewarding, and collaborative team environment

The opportunity

The Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), formerly the Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL), our national biocontainment research facility, is a vital part of Australia's biosecurity infrastructure. Our team works closely with researchers and animal and human health agencies to protect Australia's multi-billion-dollar livestock and aquaculture industries and the general public from emerging infectious disease threats. We seek to appoint an experienced animal facility manager to provide leadership in the provision of small animal services to CSIRO science and research teams in our Geelong site. The Small Animal Facility (SAF) operates 365 days of the year.

As the SAF Facility Manager, you will lead a small, skilled technical staff in supporting scientific research in a diverse range of laboratory and field situations. The SAF team provides critical expertise to support ACDP's world-leading capability in disease pathogenesis, most notably in the area of emergency animal diseases (including serious zoonoses), animal infection models, genetically modified animals, and the development and testing of vaccines and therapeutics to prevent and/or mitigate the impact of infectious diseases.

You will maintain a disease-free environment at the SAF and provide the highest standard of animal husbandry, ensuring adherence to animal ethics and welfare protocols. Using effective management skills, you will provide leadership to animal technicians and husbandry staff and provide training as required to other facility users.

The appointee must meet relevant ACDP microbiological security and security assessment requirements.

Your high-level duties will include:

• Oversee the daily operations of the SAF, implementing quick solutions when problems arise.
• Provide leadership over all aspects of the SAF, including staff training and technical assistance to research activities within and outside CSIRO.
• Direct and coordinate the completion of complex technical procedures and undertake development, implementation and standardisation of procedures and techniques within the SAF.
• Conduct animal husbandry procedures and collection of biological samples.
• Liaise with scientific staff, ensuring the SAF supports scientific projects and is involved across all stages.
• Maintain the highest possible levels of animal welfare.
• Ensure that SAF's facilities and equipment are maintained in a state compliant with all relevant regulations.
• Lead and manage SAF staff and their safety requirements, and lead a strong culture of health, animal welfare, safety and environmental requirements

Role Overview

The role of Technical Services staff in CSIRO is to provide support for scientific research in a diverse range of laboratory and field situations across a range of different research projects. This support consists of the application of accepted technical practices and the development of new practices. The work is usually carried out as a member of a centralised service.

The Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP formally known as AAHL) provides diagnostic and research capability required to investigate and respond to newly emerging disease affecting livestock and other animals.

ACDP seeks to appoint an experienced animal facility leader to deliver leadership in the provision of small animal services to CSIRO science and research teams.

In this critical role you will lead a small team within the Small Animal Facility (SAF). The SAF is one of the three Animal Facility Teams which operate 365 days of the year, with the SAF located at the Geelong laboratory.

The Small Animal Facility provides critical expertise to support ACDP's world-leading capability in disease pathogenesis, most notably in the area of emergency animal diseases (including serious zoonoses), animal infection models and the development and testing of vaccines and therapeutics to prevent and/or mitigate the impact of infectious diseases.

The SAF team is comprised of skilled technical staff that contribute to various animal research projects and provide support to diagnostic services. The demands of the work require professional and team-oriented staff to ensure the best possible outcomes for research and animal welfare.

As the Team Leader, you will be required to work as part of an on-call roster to provide high-level advice and animal care as required.

The Team Leader will ensure the Small Animal Facility (SAF) maintains a disease-free facility, providing the highest standard of animal husbandry and welfare.

You will be required to ensure animal ethics and welfare protocols are adhered to, to ensure the best possible outcomes for the animals and science. You will also provide leadership and management to technical staff and provide training as required to staff and facility users.

Duties and Key Result Areas

Manage and lead a diverse team within the Small Animal Facility (SAF).

Oversee the daily operations of the SAF and ensure tasks are carried out appropriately and efficiently to achieve research outcomes.

Direct and coordinate the completion of complex technical procedures and undertake development, implementation and standardisation of procedures and techniques within the SAF.

Alongside technical staff, provide technical assistance to science and research activities involving a variety of small animal species.

Identify team training requirements, plan, and provide training sessions or resources to aid in improvement in the skillset of the team.

Engage in an open, effective, and respectful manner with internal and external stakeholders.

Liaise with Person's with Ultimate Responsibility on approved projects, Facility Veterinarians and Animal Welfare Officers, following recommendations and directions regarding issues that arise during the conduct of research or animal management.

Assist in maintaining a document and training framework as part of ACDPs integrated management system (ISO 9001) relating to the care, monitoring and use of animals in research and training.

Foster a culture of continual improvement, which ensures consistency in processes and systems to meet the needs of functional teams, customers, and regulators.

Provide guidance to researchers in complying with governmental regulations, guidelines, and internal policies.

Abide by and promote microbiological security regulations at ACDP, being aware of and adhering to the microbiological security provisions that apply to infectious disease agents, including zoonotic agents to ensure safety and security to staff and users of the facility.

Work collaboratively as part of a multi-disciplinary team to carry out tasks in support of CSIRO's scientific objectives.

Adhere to the spirit and practice of CSIRO's Values, Code of Conduct, Health, Safety and Environment procedures and policy and diversity initiatives.

Other duties as directed.

Selection Criteria

Essential

Under CSIRO policy only those who meet all essential criteria can be appointed.

1. Experience of at least 5 years of proven people management

2. A tertiary degree in animal science (or related field) or equivalent relevant experience.

3. A demonstrable understanding of genetics and breeding strategies relating to animals in a research environment.

4. A demonstrable understanding of the Victorian Animal Code of Practice for Animal Welfare, and the Australian Code for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes and how these are applied in a research setting.

5. Proven ability to understand animal welfare issues and rectify any identified issues without delay.

6. Demonstrated understanding working within a compliance framework. Including regulatory and environmental processes, biocontainment, and Animal Ethics Committees.

7. Proven ability to work effectively in a team environment, collaborate widely both internally and externally, and establish effective interpersonal relationships with a wide variety of people.

8. Proven ability to effectively lead and manage a diverse work team, delivering animal research studies using a variety of species.

9. The ability and willingness to undertake a wide range of tasks from hands-on animal handling and husbandry through to more complex technical tasks.