The Moffitt Cancer Center is seeking an experienced and highly motivated Attending Veterinarian (AV) Director to establish and lead Moffitt Cancer Center’s (MCC) new Speros campus 30,000 sf Vivarium Facility. The new facility will be completed by Fall of 2025, and will complement MCC’s existing, fully accredited 28,000 sf facility. The AV position provides an exciting and unique opportunity to build a new state-of-the-art facility from the ground up, recruit and lead a 70-member vivarium operations team across both MCC Research campuses and serve as a key contributor in facilitating research in support of over 250 active faculty IACUC protocols.

Responsibilities:

• The Attending Veterinarian (AV) is responsible for establishing and monitoring all animal care and use standards at the Cancer Center. Ensures animal care & use follows applicable regulations and guidelines at all Cancer Center Vivarium facilities.
• Directs, diagnoses, treats, and control diseases and injuries among research animals maintained in facility; oversees preventive medicine, health monitoring, and quarantine and performs surgery on sick and injured animals at all Cancer Center vivarium facilities. Ensures that animals are provided care in accordance with federal and state regulations to promote physical and psychological well-being and minimize discomfort.
• Provides research support to Cancer Center Faculty through the development and maintenance of optimum laboratory animal facilities, consultative services, and training programs in comparative biology and medicine, research methods, animal models, protocol submission and review, surgical techniques, variables that affect animal experimentation, and compliance with state and federal laws and institutional policies.
• Director will serve as a resource to provide advice to animal researchers at the Cancer Center who wish to develop or adopt cutting-edge technology and animal models to advance biomedical research. Partners in the development and management of regulatory compliance and post-approval monitoring of animal use protocols. Ensures compliance with departmental and Cancer Center policies and procedures and applicable local, state, and federal laws and accreditation standards.
• Prepare or assist in the preparation of grant applications relating to laboratory animal care; advise faculty and research staff regarding U.S.D.A. and N.I.H. guidelines on the care and use of research animals and facilities.
• Director anticipates new research directions and facility needs, proactively develops new programs of research support for new research endeavors and trains the Center’s staff and research personnel on prudent practices for new programs, fosters and facilitates new program implementation and codifies these with written standard operating procedures. Confer with principal investigators and their staff regarding type and number of research animals needed and provide instruction and assistance in the special care and treatment of animals.
• Keep abreast of new technological advances in the care and treatment of laboratory animals and provide in-service hands-on laboratory animal handling, surgical and technical instruction, animal welfare training and facility and equipment orientation programs to staff and other research personnel.
• Work closely with Moffitt’s Small Animal Imaging and Gene Targeting/Mouse Model Cores
• Time and effort will be divided equally across all MCC vivarium facilities.

Credentials and Qualifications:

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM); licensed to practice in the US, USDA accredited within 1 year of appointment
• State of Florida Veterinary Medicine License is required
• A minimum of 10 years of experience in laboratory animal care, inclusive of:

• (5) years managing a team
• (5) Years Diplomate American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (DACLAM) Board certification in laboratory animal medicine or equivalent

• AALAC site visit experience/familiarity
• Direct experience in research animal welfare oversight, quality assurance, and IACUC functions in a large academic medical center or biotech/pharmaceutical company
• Comprehensive knowledge of regulations and guidelines pertaining to animal care and use in a research setting. to ensure compliance with the USDA Animal Welfare Act, The Guide for the Care & Use of Laboratory Animals, NIH Public Health Service Policy, FDA GLP regulations, guidelines used by AAALAC, and all state, county, and city rules and regulations.
• Director-level experience is a plus
• Certified Professional IACUC Administrator preferred
• Ability to function independently with minimal supervision and the capacity to expand areas of expertise and learn new skills to meet changing needs.
• Demonstrated experience to provide leadership to a growing bio-medical research program; demonstrated strong oral and written communication skills; demonstrated strong interpersonal skills

Specialized Training Required

• Provide assistance in developing protocols & specific aims for grants
• Strong analytical and creative problem-solving abilities.
• Experience working collaboratively to achieve results.