Head of Veterinary Services

Kanton Bern; Bern; On-site; CHF 117,000 - 143,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary range above 130K CHF per year

Creative freedom in an academicSetting

Inspiring work environment

Access to cutting-edge technology and

Job summary

Experimental Animal Center (EAC) at the University of Bern seeks a veterinary leader to coordinate a nationwide team across multiple facilities. You will oversee clinical veterinary service, health monitoring, quarantine programs and regulatory compliance, while supporting scientists in study design and animal welfare.

The role requires a veterinary degree, national license, postgraduate specialization, and fluency in English and German.

Qualifications

• Five years of experience in the field with the relative species; laboratory fish (Danio rerio) experience welcome.
• Degree in Veterinary Medicine and national license.
• Postgraduate specialization in lab animal medicine.
• Fluency in English and German or commitment to learn at a professional level.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to present complex issues with appropriate detail to diverse stakeholders (e.g. Veterinary Authorities, scientists).

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate the veterinary team across EAC facilities.
• Manage veterinary facility rounds and on-site visits.
• Oversee Health Monitoring programs, vendor surveillance, and quarantine programs.
• Coordinate animal & bio-material imports, exports and transfers between EAC facilities.
• Manage operations of the veterinary pharmacy and deputize the clinical veterinarian.
• Monitor quality reports and certificates.
• Consult with scientists on experimental models' design and care (anesthesia, analgesia, post-op care, imaging, 3Rs).
• Ensure regulatory compliance with guidelines and authorities.
• Prepare SOPs and guidelines for facilities.
• Implement veterinary standards and coordinate corrective actions.
• Support education and training of personnel working with animals.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Regulatory compliance

Staff development

Problem solving

Education

Degree in Veterinary Medicine

Postgraduate specialization in lab animal medicine

ECLAM/ACLAM certification

Job description

About Us

The Experimental Animal Center (EAC) is the unit responsible for in vivo research at the University of Bern. The EAC accounts for over 15 animal facilities, serving 43 research institutes from the Faculties of Medicine, Science, and Veterinary Medicine (VetSuisse) and supports > 350 scientists performing in vivo research with mice, rats, rabbits, large mammals, fish, amphibians, and reptiles. The EAC aims at providing optimal conditions for animal experimentation to achieve the best quality of basic, translational and clinical research involving animals. The 3Rs (Reduce, Refine, Replace), the “culture of care”, high quality, state-of-the-art veterinary support, and compliance to guidelines and regulations are cornerstones of the EAC strategy. To reach this goal, the EAC team accounts for a team of more than 50 between animal caretakers, infrastructure personnel, administration support, and veterinary team (including specialists accredited by ECLAM and ECVAA).

Areas of responsibility

The Responsibilities Include, But Are Not Limited To

• Leading and coordinating the veterinary team, including allocation of responsibilities, service planning, staff development and continuity of veterinary coverage across EAC facilities
• Managing and participating in veterinary facility rounds, including on-site visits
• Managing the Health Monitoring programs, vendor surveillance, and quarantine programs. Organizing the diagnostic and therapeutic measures in case of diseases and injuries in animals, aligned with their experimental purpose; implementing quarantine measures in case of outbreaks
• Centralizing and coordinating animal & bio-material imports, exports and transfers between EAC facilities including oversight of all documentation, shipment procedures, in collaboration with facility heads and teams, transport providers and the competent authorities
• Managing operations and control of the veterinary pharmacy and deputizing the clinical veterinarian
• Monitoring of pertinent quality reports and certificates
• Consulting scientists in experimental models' design and optimization (anesthesia, analgesia and post-operative care, imaging, 3Rs and culture of care)
• Ensuring regulatory compliance with internal guidelines, local and national regulations in collaboration with the AWOs and cantonal authorities
• Preparing Standard Operating procedures and guidelines relevant to all facilities
• Implementing consistent veterinary standards across facilities, reviewing their effectiveness and coordinating corrective actions
• Supporting education and training of personnel working with animals for procedures and database (pyrat)
• Participating into the Veterinary team education through seminars and Journal Club
• Providing on-call veterinary service during working time and participating in week-end shifts

Requirements

• Degree in Veterinary Medicine and national license
• Five-year experience in the field with the relative species; laboratory fish (especially Danio rerio) experience very welcome
• Postgraduate specialisation in lab animal medicine
• ECLAM/ACLAM certification is a plus
• Fluency in English and German or commitment to learn it at a professional level
• Pro-active and goal-oriented attitude; capacity to present complex issues with the appropriate detail and clarity level, understanding the needs of all the various stakeholders (e.g. Veterinary Authorities, scientists)
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Interest in scientific dissemination and in implementing new ideas

Your Benefits

• Salary range according to the Univ. of Bern ranges, roughly 130K CHF / annum
• High degree of creative freedom in an academic setting
• Inspiring work environment
• Access to cutting-edge technology and innovation