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The Washington National Primate Center (WaNPRC) has an outstanding opportunity for an Animal Technician Supervisor at our Arizona site. This recruitment will be used to fill two vacancies.

The primary purpose of this position is to provide the appropriate environment to empower the delivery of leading-edge scientific discoveries and promoting the highest standards of care, health, well-being and conversation for primates around the world.  In conjunction with our Mission Statement, these values link this position to our purpose as a Center:

•Commitment to Research
•Teamwork
•Accountability – Productivity
•Communication

Under the general direction of the Animal Facility Manager, the Animal Technician Supervisor will lead and supervise identified Animal Technician (AT) staff serving at our Arizona facility.  AT staff perform animal husbandry, facility sanitation, custodial duties and help maintain equipment and machinery.  This position is critical to the success of WaNPRC as the supervisor serves on the front line to ensure that our nonhuman primates are cared for in compliance with USDA regulations, National Institute of Health guidelines, Public Health Service policy, IACUC policies, University of Washington (UW) departmental rules and regulations, and WaNPRC’s standard operating procedures (SOP’s). 

The Animal Technician Supervisor communicates and works in coordination with staff from other teams including research support, veterinary, psychological well-being, investigative research, and maintenance shop staff as well as interacting with students and outside agencies (e.g. USDA, AAALAC and animal shipment companies) as necessary.

POSITION DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Supervisory Responsibilities:
•Day-to-day involvement in carrying out Animal Care Program activities including coordination, scheduling and monitoring of all activities to determine consistency with program goals.
•Supervise daily activities of full and part-time staff of AT1, 2, and 3s.  In collaboration with other supervisors, assign work duties to staff accounting for requests for vacation, sick leave and overtime.
•Conduct performance evaluations and recommend corrective action and promotion of husbandry staff and recommend disciplinary action as needed. Partner with WaNPRC Human Resources Administrator for complex issues or guidance.
•Interview and recommend potential candidates for hiring per WaNPRC and UW policies.
•Assure humane housing in various laboratory settings including specialized housing areas consisting of ABSL-2 containment housing.
•Maintain compliance with the Husbandry Program and departmental SOP’s including all applicable federal, state, and local regulations and guidelines.  Duties include but are not limited to monitoring personnel activities and facility operations for the sanitation of animal housing and support areas as well as animal caging and ancillary equipment; feeding and watering animals and provision of specialized diets; consolidation of animal room housing, facility and storage areas; implementation of strategies of the environmental enrichment program including food enrichment, toys and apparatus, and social interaction; custodial service to the research facility, and the vermin control program.
•Interact with and respond effectively to Veterinary, Research Support, Psychological Well-being staff, Maintenance shop staff, and investigative research staff as well as university and contracted service staff and vendors.
•Act as husbandry staff lead in setting standards of performance, goals and motivating staff to achieve program goals.
•Serve as Center-wide point of contact for husbandry, maintenance and security issues after normal work hours including weekends and holidays.
•Train subordinates in proper animal husbandry and facility operations including departmental SOP’s, environmental enrichment activities, custodial duties, personal safety, university and departmental rules and regulations.
•Serve as facility lead member of the animal capture team.  Assist with in-house training programs as directed including AALAS certification training program.
•Assist with both clinical and research support duties when necessary.  Conduct training involving staff from both clinical and research support to include best practices in capturing escaped animals, use of the husbandry equipment and systems and other various husbandry related tasks.
•Stay current on all required training.

Administrative Duties:
•Compilation and analysis of program metrics used to determine staff workload.
•Act as a liaison between WaNPRC’s Animal Care Program and affiliate researchers, contractors, accrediting agencies, animal shipping companies and federal regulators.
•Maintain records including AT staff payroll records, animal records, animal census, staff activities, supply inventory, in-house animal movement and building to building transfer. Partner with WaNPRC Human Resources Administrator, or Payroll, for complex issues.
•Collect data such as animal weights, environmental enrichment activity, and basic animal health data.
•Assist with writing SOPs for the husbandry program.
•Complete reports including accident/incident reports, facility inspection reports, and animal transfer notification forms.
•Perform and maintain biological monitoring for assigned facility to ensure sanitization compliance in support of the Animal Care Program.
•Perform administrative tasks as directed such as providing logistical support and coordination with the Animal Facility Manager for scheduling calendars for staff appointments, meetings, overtime and events.
•Maintain inventory of all supplies associated with the Animal Care Program; initiate purchase requisitions as needed.
•Stay current on all required training.
•Will perform Facility Manager responsibilities when individual is out on leave.

Husbandry Duties:
•Perform animal husbandry duties as needed.
•Provide research or clinical support including sample collection, compound administration, observations and/or specialized procedures needed for research or clinical needs.
•Perform basic operation and maintenance of equipment and machinery including cage washers, autoclaves, power sprayers, platform hoists, and related duties as required. 


The values of diversity, equity and inclusion are integral to the success of our research enterprise and are embedded in the culture of who we are as an institution and employer.  We create progressive change honoring the unique and diverse perspectives in WaNPRC, Office of Research and the UW research community.  We strengthen our commitment to the core values of diversity, equity, and inclusion by fostering an environment of authenticity in support of our mission to provide an equitable and accessible community to all. Read more here: https://www.washington.edu/research/or/office-of-research-diversity-equity-and-inclusion/


MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Two years of experience as an Animal Technician 3 or equivalent;
OR
Eighteen months of experience as an Animal Technician 3 or equivalent and satisfactory completion of an applicable advanced animal technician training course comparable to the program required for certification as an animal technician by the American Association for Laboratory Animal Sciences;
OR
Eighteen months of experience as an Animal Technician 3 or equivalent and two years of college with coursework in animal or life science;
OR
A Bachelor's Degree in an appropriate discipline.

Additional requirements:
•Physical ability to do required work including lifting up to 50 lbs.
•Ability to communicate effectively (speaks, reads and writes in English).
•Previous supervision experience with diverse teams is preferred.
•Ability to work well independently.
•Detail oriented in record keeping.

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

DESIRED REQUIREMENTS
•Basic knowledge and understanding of USDA regulations, NIH guidelines, PHS policy and familiarity with IACUC function.
•Basic knowledge and understanding of sanitation techniques, including steam and chemical sterilization, and appropriate use of disinfectants and detergents.
•Basic knowledge and understand of nonhuman primate health and behavior.
•AALAS Laboratory Animal Technician certification.
•Previous experience with an electronic records system.
•Strong interpersonal, communications and collaboration skills, experience leading and supervising teams, and attention to detail are also desired. 

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
•Employment is contingent upon successful completion of health assessment.  The health assessment may include but is not limited to tuberculosis clearance, measles clearance, serum banking, immunizations such as tetanus, physical exam and/or review of work health history, x-rays, and/or assessment to wear positive or negative respiratory protective equipment.  These health assessments will be repeated periodically during work assignment.
•This position may be required to work with and take specific precautions against and/or be immunized against potentially infectious agents.  Specific precautions may include wearing respirators and/or protective clothing. Employee is personally responsible for following health & safety and security policies/procedures, and staying current on all required training.  Bloodborne pathogen training and compliance with all WaNPRC and UW security policies is also mandatory.  This position involves handling nonhuman primates and human pathogenic organisms.  The ability to work in an Animal Biosafety Level-3 containment facility may be required.
•This position is considered Essential staff and will be required to come to work during environmental conditions where non-essential staff are not required to come to work.  This position may also serve as part of the Primate Center’s after-hours on-call rotation. Punctuality, Regular and Predictable attendance is an essential job function of this position.
•Adhere to the WaNPRC Environmental Enhancement Plan requirements for NHPs.
•Participate in the Behavioral Management and Positive Reinforcement Primate Training Programs.
•Develop a working knowledge of classical and operant conditioning principles and how they apply to handling primates in a research environment, with positive reinforcement as the expectation.
•Develop a working knowledge of non-human primate behavior.

Application Process:
The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment, you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.