Veterinary Research Supervisor

MPF Federal; Kentucky; On-site; USD 95,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

PTO

Job summary

MPF Federal is seeking an on-site working supervisor for animal care support of BSL-2 poultry research projects at the client facility. You will manage the contract technician team while personally performing caretaker duties and serve as the primary liaison to CO, COR, Veterinary Medical Officer, and the Veterinary Services team.

Responsibilities include day-to-day scheduling to ensure 7x365 coverage within a 40-hour cap, maintaining progress updates with the COR, owning deliverables like

Qualifications

• Minimum 7 years of experience supporting animal care, leadership, and management.
• BSL-2 agricultural animal care research management experience preferred.
• Willingness and physical ability to perform hands-on animal caretaking as a working supervisor.
• Effective written and verbal communication using scientific and medical terminology.

Responsibilities

• Direct day-to-day delegation and scheduling of technicians to satisfy 7-day/365-day coverage within the 40-hour-per-person weekly cap.
• Maintain a collaborative working relationship with the COR; provide timely progress updates and proactively resolve bottlenecks.
• Own contract deliverables: Monthly Status Report, Quality Control Plan (kickoff), lessons-learned reports, kickoff meeting and minutes, and the QASP.
• Oversee onboarding, background-investigation initiation, and continuity-of-operations/disaster-recovery planning.

Skills

Leadership

Management

Written communication

Verbal communication

Team coordination

Job description

Serves as the on-site working supervisor and designated representative for animal care support to BSL-2 poultry research projects at the client facility. Provides overall management and coordination of the contract technician team while personally performing caretaker duties. Acts as the primary point of contact for the Contracting Officer (CO), Contracting Officer's Representative (COR), Veterinary Medical Officer/Attending Veterinarian, and the Veterinary Services team.

Key Responsibilities

• Direct day-to-day delegation and scheduling of technicians to satisfy 7-day/365-day coverage within the 40-hour-per-person weekly cap.
• Maintain a collaborative working relationship with the COR; provide timely progress updates and proactively resolve bottlenecks.
• Own contract deliverables: Monthly Status Report, Quality Control Plan (due at kickoff), lessons-learned reports, kickoff meeting and minutes, and the QASP (draft at kickoff, final four weeks later).
• Oversee onboarding, background-investigation initiation, and continuity-of-operations/disaster-recovery planning.

Security & Suitability

• Must pass the client's required background investigation (a moderate-tier federal suitability investigation) prior to unsupervised work; contractor/employee bears fingerprinting and associated costs.
• Must complete required federal employment and facility ID/badging forms; a government PIV/credential is issued upon favorable adjudication.

Biosecurity & Physical Conditions

• No contact with outside avian species; must sign and honor the client No Avian Contact Form / avian-exclusion attestation (excludes backyard poultry ownership, bird hunting, and similar avian exposure).
• Willing to comply with barrier-research entry/exit protocols: multiple showering, scrubs, and proper donning/doffing of PPE.
• Able to repetitively lift up to 50 lbs and tolerate dust, temperature extremes, disagreeable odors, feed augers, autoclaves, and related equipment.
• Comfortable handling diseased animals and performing or assisting with euthanasia in accordance with IACUC and AVMA guidelines.
• Able to pass an annual occupational-health physical assessment.
• Annual flu vaccination is encouraged but not required. N95 respirators are not required in BSL-2 spaces (no fit-test needed).

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum of 7 years of experience supporting animal care and use, leadership, and management (7 years is the minimum acceptable threshold).
• BSL-2 agricultural animal care research management experience (prioritized over formal education/degrees).
• Willingness and physical ability to perform hands-on animal caretaking as a working supervisor, not oversight only.
• Effective written and verbal communication using scientific and medical terminology.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct poultry research or poultry breeder flock management experience.
• Prior experience leading contract or federal animal-care teams in a regulated (IACUC/AWAR) environment.

MPF Federal is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

• We offer a competitive compensation package including a competitive salary, medical benefits, PTO, holiday pay and more.