Overview

The Animal Technician Supervisor provides support and leadership to all staff for the daily husbandry and technical operations of the ARF program.  The Animal Technician Supervisor Collaborates with the ARF Technical Service Manager and/or Attending Veterinarian concerning issues involving the health and welfare of laboratory animals.  This role performs all duties in compliance with local, state, federal and institutional guidelines, and regulations.  The Animal Technician Supervisor assists ARF Management, Lead technicians, and Animal technicians with all components of the physical plant program.  In addition, this role is responsible for performing various animal husbandry duties in a facility in which work is done with agents that may cause disease due to exposure by contact or inhalation, i.e.: biohazards or chemical hazards. The Animal Technician Supervisor serves as a role model for all staff and assists Associate Director of ARF Operations with scheduling animal husbandry staff.

Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute brings together world renowned clinicians, innovative researchers and dedicated professionals, allies in the common mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS and related diseases. Combining extremely talented people with the best technologies in a genuinely positive environment, we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all ages; we conduct research that advances treatment; we educate tomorrow's physician/researchers; we reach out to underserved members of our community; and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for receiving, unpacking, and housing incoming animals following strict documented SOP. Notification of any irregularities found and documented including emailing vendor, Investigator, and ARF Admin. Familiarity and use of the online animal ordering system.
• Creation of ECCs and use of other supporting software to complete tasks
• Completes procurement and inventory of supplies required throughout the facilities.
• Manages rodent special diets that may include communication with researchers and understanding of how to navigate the online ordering system.
• Completes training of new and current animal care staff in the following areas: cage changing techniques, room sanitation, cagewash operations, waste disposal including biohazard and other husbandry or cage wash duties.
• Assists all technicians with implementation and training for accurate record keeping including (but not limited to) ManageTasks, Health Monitoring Reports, Compliance Reports, ECCs barcodes, weekly animal cage census and other records as required using the PDAs.
• Provides support and back-up, when necessary, of all husbandry tasks such as room checks, cage changing, chemical waste handling and disposal of hazardous waste materials and animal carcasses in conventional and ABSL-2, SARRP, and Quarantine areas.
• Requires a working knowledge of all environmental and HVAC monitoring devices and alarms and the automatic watering systems (RO tank and chlorinated tank) at both facilities including ability to complete simple in-house repairs of some equipment.
• Conducts routine inspection in coordination with Management of all animal holding and support areas to assure compliance with our AAALAC accreditation standards.
• May be required to perform treatments of rodents with minor injuries, emergency separations, weaning, add/remove medicated drinking water for rodents, and euthanasia.
• Comfortable working independently with little to no supervision on main campus or at offsite facility including weekends and holidays as needed.

Qualifications

• High School diploma or GED required; BA/BS preferred.
• 6 years of experience working in an accredited/ non-accredited laboratory animal facility and/or veterinarian technician program required. AS or BS and will be considered with LAT certification.
• AALAS technician certification at the LATG level is preferred.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

• General understanding of a functioning rodent research facility, staffing needs, AAALAC requirements, PIs needs and requirements.
• Skilled at procurement of animals and creation of ECCs.
• Ability to oversee staff and scheduling conflicts.
• Ability to create work orders when equipment is not functioning properly.
• Ability to distinguish when emergency is occurring, contact appropriate help, and ability to think clearly and prioritize under stress.

Pay Transparency Statement

The hiring range is based on market pay structures, with individual salaries determined by factors such as business needs, market conditions, internal equity, and based on the candidate’s relevant experience, skills and qualifications.

For union positions, the pay range is determined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)

$71,800 - $81,800

At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong. As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are committed to having faculty and staff who offer multifaceted experiences. Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and compassionate professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) has strict guidelines regarding the presence of rodents in employees' homes due to the potential impact on research integrity and patient safety. Employees who work in certain roles, particularly those involving laboratory settings or animal research, must ensure their living environment does not pose a risk of contamination or interference with DFCI’s work. As a result, employees in designated positions are required to confirm that they do not have pet rodents at home or, if they do, agree to rehome them before starting employment. Failure to comply with this requirement may affect eligibility for employment in specific roles at DFCI.

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