NORTHERN CALIFORNIA BRANCH OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR LABORATORY ANIMAL SCIENCE 

Qualifications:

In hiring new employees, we look for people who are also inspired by our mission and who would fit in well with the collaborative, rigorous and entrepreneurial spirit of the company culture. Because we know that employees are critical to our success in bringing novel medicines to patients, we are dedicated to remaining a great place to work and to providing employees with programs, services and benefits that allow them to bring their best to the business and to their personal lives. We are looking for a team player who is a creative, independent thinker, thrives in a widely interdisciplinary environment, and enjoys working closely and communicating effectively with colleagues in extremely diverse fields.

The ideal candidate will be ACLAM board certified, board eligible, or have advanced experience and expertise in the area of lab animal medicine. The candidate must have the ability to obtain a veterinary medical license in California.

The ideal candidate will have experience in building and leading teams, managing people and animal research facilities, and have strong interpersonal and communication skills.

The ideal candidate will have experience providing excellent clinical and surgical care in the lab animal field, including transgenic rodents, providing technical support to research projects, collaborating with researchers, ensuring compliance with federal regulations and AAALACi standards, and training/teaching research and lab animal staff.

This position is located in SSF, but willingness to collaborate across time zones and occasional travel to the Dixon facility is a must.


Who We Are

A member of the Roche Group, Genentech has been at the forefront of the biotechnology industry for more than 40 years, using human genetic information to develop novel medicines for serious and life-threatening diseases. Genentech has multiple therapies on the market for cancer & other serious illnesses. Please take this opportunity to learn about Genentech where we believe that our employees are our most important asset & are dedicated to remaining a great place to work.

Genentech is an equal opportunity employer & prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin/ancestry, age, disability, marital & veteran status. For more information about equal employment opportunity, visit our Genentech Careers page.

• Independently perform preclinical in vivo research activities & studies on small to medium sized animals, which may require surgery, necropsy, test article administration, and blood and tissue collection for analysis.
• Verify proper formulation of solutions for dosing.
• Perform data collection, entry and analysis; computer and mathematical applications.
• Labeling and organizing supplies needed for each study and ensuring they are available when needed at our outside in vivo facility.
• Understand and ensure compliance with IACUC protocols.
• Manage, organize, and maintain inventory of samples from studies, shipping manifests, chemicals, and storage areas
• In a matrix environment, collaborate with team members and coordinate assigned activities with other teams to ensure timely completion.
• Perform routine and moderately complex animal husbandry tasks and monitor daily health and welfare.
• Review study reports, provide feedback on accuracy of materials and report results to senior research staff.

• REGULATORY COMPLIANCE Maintains an awareness of regulatory requirements applicable to responsibilities. Ensures necessary documentation is correct and maintained up-to-date. Ensures that procedures meet requirements set by federal and state agencies, as well as Mispro’s policy on animal welfare.
• INVENTORY CONTROL Ensures adequate supply levels of all items by monitoring the use of item daily and ordering new stock. Receives, checks in materials, and places them into stock in accordance with established procedures. Monitors records of use of controlled substances following federal regulations. Monitors expiration dates for all pharmaceuticals maintained in stock room.
• SUPPORT SERVICES. Assists in training investigators to perform routine technical skills. Performs routine technical procedures for investigators upon request. Helps assist investigators with surgical prep, anesthesia administration, anesthesia monitoring, and the monitoring of the post-surgical recovery period. Provides routine post-operative care to laboratory animals.
• DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES Performs routine diagnostic tests as needed; labels test samples accurately to ensure correct identification. Arranges submission of laboratory samples for analysis by outside lab. Helps to maintain the dirty bedding sentinel biosecurity monitoring program.
• CLINICAL ROUNDS Conducts rounds to observe condition of animals; documents appropriate information daily, notifies investigators of overcrowded rat or mouse cages and single housed animals. Implements prescribed treatments (medications, diets, etc.) as instructed. Performs routine grooming care when required (nail trimming, teeth clipping, etc.). Implements enrichment program for USDA covered species. Advises investigators of changes in animal health conditions.

• Required 5 + years industry working in a vivarium.
• Experienced knowledge in lab animal facility operations, technical work, and lab animal equipment and supplies.

• AA Degree in basic science, animal science, veterinary science is required.
• ALAT certification is required.

• Generous employer-paid portion for medial & dental for employee and dependent coverage
• Employer matching 401K plan
• Generous time off: vacation, holidays, personal days, and floating holidays
• Sick time
• Other benefits offered include vision, group and voluntary life/AD&D, Accident, Critical Illness, and Hospital indemnity plans; MetLife Law, and Identify Theft Protection; Commuter benefits through Chard Snyder FSA – Medical and Dependent care coverage
• Tuition reimbursement
• Annual incentive/bonus program

What you will do:

• Operate at the highest standards for best veterinary practices in the conduct of research surgery
• Identify methodology to ensure the development of animal models meets animal welfare standards and produces reproducible results
• Develop and deliver surgical animal models for early discovery through preclinical development
• In conjunction with Animal Program leadership, develop with and maintain standard operating procedures, policies and guidelines pertaining to surgery, anesthesia and analgesia; generate and revise IACUC Policies
• Lead and train colleagues, and thrive in a matrixed team environment
• Develop, foster and maintain collaborative relationships with internal and external groups/departments, agencies and other organizations associated with the program

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree (B.A. /B.S.) with considerable knowledge of relevant animal welfare guidelines as it pertains to laboratory species, and an understanding of the drug development process
• 7+ years experience in surgical model development and production, with prior background working in a contract research or biopharmaceutical laboratory animal vivarium.
• 5+ years direct supervision of technical staff
• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be accepted as a satisfactory substitute for the specific education and experience listed above.
• AALAS certification at the Laboratory Animal Technologist (LATG) level; Academy of Surgical Research certification preferred
• Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) in the state of CA, or equivalent is preferred
• Experience working in an animal program adhering to regulatory and accreditation standards (USDA, OLAW, FDA, AAALAC etc.)
• Deep knowledge and technical proficiency of animal physiology/anatomy, recognition of normal/abnormal behavior, clinical problems and animal welfare issues with in vivo procedures
• Ability to implement changes to department processes/procedures and build strong partnerships across the organization.

What you will do:

• Coordinate and facilitate IACUC activities across involved teams in support of R&D programs, schedule/run IACUC meetings, review IACUC Protocols/Amendments, and help generate reports for regulatory submissions
• Help develop and maintain vivarium standard operating procedures, policies and guidelines; update as needed to ensure compliance with the animal care and use program
• In conjunction with IACUC Chair and Attending Veterinarian, generate and revise IACUC Policies
• Identify deficiencies and recommend solutions for record management as it pertains to the Animal Care Program
• Assure competency assessments and provide technical training (animal handling, dose administration, blood and tissue collections, euthanasia) and general expertise to animal users when needed
• Develop, foster and maintain collaborative relationships with internal and external groups/departments, agencies and other organizations associated with the program

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree (B.A. /B.S.) with considerable knowledge of relevant animal welfare guidelines as it pertains to laboratory species, and an understanding of the drug development process
• 8+ years relative experience with prior background working in a laboratory animal environment. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be accepted as a satisfactory substitute for the specific education and experience listed above.
• AALAS certification at the Laboratory Animal Technologist (LATG) level
• Certified Professional IACUC Administrator (CPIA) or equivalent certification preferred
• Compliance experience working in an animal program adhering to regulatory and accreditation standards (i.e. USDA, OLAW, FDA, AAALAC etc.).
• Deep knowledge and technical proficiency of animal physiology/anatomy, recognition of normal/abnormal behavior, clinical problems and animal welfare issues with in vivo procedures.
• Ability to implement changes to department processes/procedures and build strong partnerships across the organization.

Division: Discovery
Department: Biology
Reports To: Senior Scientist, Pharmacology
FLSA Status: Exempt
Effective Date: December 2019

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE/SKILLS:
Education:

• BS in a relevant biological scientific discipline and two to four years of related experience; or,
• MS in a relevant biological scientific discipline and zero to two years of related experience
• Equivalent combination of education and experience

• Proficiency with in vivo techniques including iv, ip, sc, po administration, and blood collection (tail vein, retroorbital, cardiac puncture, submandibular and etc.) is required
• Proficiency in animal tumor model development and execution including but not limited to syngeneic, xenograft and humanized mouse model is essential
• Good practice with in vitro sterile cell culture and scale-up for tumor implantation is required
• Ability to conduct organ harvesting; transcardial perfusion and fixation from small animals
• Adept at sample processing, homogenization, or generation of single-cell suspensions for ex vivo analysis
• Experience with immunology-related biological assays, flow cytometry, MSD and Luminex is a plus
• Excellent data analysis skills and experience with a variety of scientific software applications is preferred
• Proficiency with computers including MS Word, MS PowerPoint, and MS Excel is required

• General knowledge of pharmacokinetics, pharmacology and immunology techniques, theories, and practices
• General understanding of how the individual experiments fit within a larger research program to meet organizational goals
• General understanding and application of scientific principles, theories and concepts in field of specialty and other related disciplines
• Ability to perform in a fast-paced environment and be flexible
• Ability to adapt to changing work conditions
• Must be self-motivated, able to multi-task and detail-oriented
• Strong communication skills, excellent work ethic, self-motivation, and ability to work effectively in a either a team environment or independently
• Understanding of regulatory requirements to run an in vivo facility
• Collaborate with other project team members

• Work on problems of diverse scope where analysis of data requires evaluation of identifiable factors
• Exercise judgment within generally defined practices and policies in selecting methods and techniques for obtaining solutions
• Use professional concepts and company policies and procedures to solve a wide range of difficult problems in imaginative and practical ways

Division: Discovery
Department: 10231 Discovery Biology
Reports To: Scientist I
FLSA Status: Exempt
Effective Date: June 2020

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
None

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE/SKILLS:
Education:

• Bachelor’s degree (B.A./B.S.) in related discipline and up to two years of relevant experience; or
• Equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Proficient with in vivo techniques including animal handling, dosing methods (iv, ip, sc, po), blood collection techniques (tail vein, RO, cardiac puncture, etc.), tumor implantation and measurement, and tissue collection from small laboratory animals.
• Experience with aseptic technique, in vitro cell culture and cell culture scale-up for implantations is preferred.
• Experience handling and processing biological samples in a laboratory setting.
• Excellent data analysis skills and experience with a variety of scientific software applications is preferred.
• Proficiency with computers including MS Word, MS PowerPoint, and MS Excel is required. Experience with GraphPad Prism and StudyLog software is preferred.

• General knowledge of pharmacokinetics, pharmacology and vivarium techniques, theories, and practices.
• General understanding of how individual experiments fit within a larger research program to meet organizational goals.
• General understanding and application of scientific principles, theories and concepts in field of specialty and other related disciplines.
• Strong communication skills, excellent work ethic, self-motivation, and ability to work effectively in a either a team environment or independently.
• Collaborate with other project team members.

• Work on problems of diverse scope where analysis of data requires evaluation of identifiable factors.
• Exercise judgment within generally defined practices and policies in selecting methods and techniques for obtaining solutions.

Our lab:
The Tsao lab (http://tsaolab.caltech.edu/) studies the neural mechanisms underlying vision in non-human primates and mice. We study questions related to object recognition, spatial perception, memory, and consciousness. We use multiple approaches including functional MRI (fMRI), electrophysiology, widefield and two-photon imaging, and mathematical modeling.

Work with Non-Human Primates:
The job will involve hands-on coordination of our animal colony (overseeing the health and welfare of the animals, interfacing with animal care and veterinary staff), assisting with surgeries and anesthesia, preparing and administering medications, and training animals on behavioral tasks.

Research and Management:
The Lab Manager will assist with fMRI experiments and other ongoing projects in the lab. Responsibilities also include purchasing and maintenance of equipment and supplies and maintenance of laboratory records. The Lab Manager also coordinates projects with other offices and labs on campus to ensure compliance and safety.


For more information or to apply, please email Doris Tsao (dortsao@caltech.edu). Please include a CV and contacts of at least two references in your application.

Benefits of being an Apex Employee:

• One Paid AALAS Certification (ALAT, LAT, LATG)
• PTO, Sick Time and Holiday pay
• Attendance and performance incentives and team building activities
• Medical, Vision and Dental coverage options
• Long and Short Term Disability, Life Insurance, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, 401(k) plan, Transit Account and additional Insurance offerings