Job
Description:

Job Title: Operations Director
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Company: The McConnell Group

Position Summary

The RAR Operations Director is responsible for leading the animal care and facilities management operations of the department while collaborating with veterinary services to ensure seamless integration of the assigned operations. This position directs daily operations of the RAR program to deliver flawless animal welfare, assure the quality of care and animal facility environment is in compliance with regulations and AAALAC guidelines, and ensure facility space, equipment, and associated resources are efficiently deployed and metrics are tracked.

This position works with the RAR Executive Director, the University Attending Veterinarian, and members of the RAR Senior Leadership Team (SLT) to provide strategic planning, organization, and direction within RAR. The Operations Director identifies and develops broad operational goals and objectives, directs significant programs, and functions with a very high degree of autonomy. This role is responsible for developing, implementing, and enforcing policies, procedures, and standards as well as maintaining cooperative working relationships with internal and external stakeholders. The incumbent will be a member of the RAR Senior Leadership Team.

Job Responsibilities

Personnel Management (35%)

Develop and directly manage staff to ensure customer satisfaction, improve operational efficiency, and enhance employee competencies and engagement.

Manage talent through focused career development and performance management.

Identify and communicate roles, responsibilities, and delegation of authority to staff.

Facilitate conflict resolution.

Identify and initiate creative approaches to improving communication.

Provide leadership and innovative approaches to creating staff efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Ensure consistency in adherence to Departmental guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Ensure appropriate management of animal care supervisors and animal care personnel.

Ensure staff maintains strong working relationships with veterinary, operational, and research staff.

Operational and Programmatic support (35%)

As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, work with the RAR Executive Director on matters involving facilities, business processes, and personnel management, updating Departmental guidelines and SOPs.

Engage with and defer to the University’s Attending Veterinarian to ensure that areas critical to animal facility and program support, including cage wash, husbandry practices, caging, and water systems are operating within the required standards.

Work with and advise the RAR Facility Operations Manager regarding Departmental operations such as the impact on the Department during facility construction.

Optimize the execution of the daily operational workload and management of a large complex group to deliver high-quality animal care and welfare, harmonize business practices, and support the RAR program.

Ensure timely and accurate responses for all animal care, equipment, information, space, and special care and service requests.

Coordinate appropriate animal facility space and resources to support University research needs.

Develop and implement appropriate quality assurance programs, evaluation of capital equipment and supplies, and effective management of resources.

Ensure the OVPR Finance team has the needed input from RAR to inform financial reports, forecasts, balance projects, per diem rate development, cost data for animal orders, and industry and market trends.

Lead operational excellence by defining metrics and key indicators. Work with colleagues to share practices in managing resources and standardizing operations.

Develop and implement enhanced and/or new technologies, equipment, and procedures for application to the work environment.

Regulatory Compliance (10%)

Under the direction of the University Attending Veterinarian, ensure that animal care, housing, transportation, and use complies with all applicable federal and state laws, as well as University policy, RAR policy, USDA Animal Welfare Regulations, and the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.

Training, Customer Service, and Process Improvement (15%)

Assist in creating and/or offering lectures, labs, and seminars for operational staff.

Research, create, and/or amend reference documents for direct use for RAR employees.

Establish and monitor customer service standards for the RAR operations.

Manage, direct, and/or resolve non-routine requests from RAR customers.

Provide guidance to the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) compliance team about animal ordering activity.

Contribute to process improvement in the RAR Business Office and throughout RAR as assigned.

Other Duties as Assigned (5%)

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

BA/BS degree plus at least 10 years of experience, or an advanced degree plus at least 8 years of experience, or a terminal degree plus at least six years of experience.

Exhibit technical and operational mastery and has proven management experiences and a history of success in supervising groups

Demonstrate excellence in discipline and understands the implications of decisions and actions on segments of the organization outsides one’s immediate area.

Preferred Qualifications:

Ten+ years of progressive supervisory and managerial experience in a laboratory animal setting.

Demonstrated ability to direct a program of substantial breadth and complexity with experience in project execution.

Demonstrated skill and interest in personnel supervision and development.

Supervisory experience in a GLP setting is preferred.

Experience with nonhuman primates preferred.

Laboratory Animal Technologist (LATG) and/or Certified Manager of Animal Resources (CMAR) AALAS certification.

About the Department

Research Animal Resources is a diverse and decentralized department of animal care facilities and staff and includes 150 employees including 7 veterinarians, 17 animal facilities, and a wide range of species with an average daily rodent cage census of over 28,000 and approximately 19 million dollar annual operating budget. Research Animal Resources strives to advance scientific progress and promote the humane treatment of animals, in partnership with the University of Minnesota’s research community, by providing exemplary service & education in animal care, procurement, health, and well-being.

Arena Technical Resources, LLC, (ATR) is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) who will provide equal employment opportunity to employees and applicants for employment without regard to  race, ethnicity, religion, color, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, veteran status, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, family structure, genetic information, or mental or physical disability

An Equal Opportunity
Employer M/F/D/V

Job
Category Program/Proj Mgmt

Job
ID 16473

Job
Title
Operations Director

Job
Location Minneapolis, Minnesota

Hourly
Pay Rate
-

Annual
Pay Rate
-

#
Required 1

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To MJC@atr.com