Mandate
Within the Office of Research Services, Animal Care Services (ACS) supports students, researchers, and society by providing excellence in the care of all species of animals involved in research and teaching at the University of Victoria. We build on the strength and diversity of our staff and stakeholders to optimize our ability to support research and teaching with animals while adhering to ethical and standard-of-care principles.
Our commitments include public and internal accountability, leveraging our core strengths to benefit our internal and external communities, and promoting safe, supportive, inclusive, and healthy work and study environments that foster mutual respect and civility. We recognize that our people are our primary strength.
All researchers working with animals are required to receive approval through the Animal Care Committee. Working under the Canadian Council on Animal Care’s (CCAC) guidelines, ACS provides housing facilities and services for animals, including veterinary and diagnostic services, as well as training and expertise in laboratory animal medicine. The ACS team comprises Animal Health Technicians (AHTs), Registered Laboratory Animal Technicians (RLATs), and Animal Care Assistants (ACAs) who collaborate to deliver high-quality animal care services.
Objectives
Role of the AHT Coordinator
The Animal Health Technician (AHT) Coordinator at the University of Victoria’s Animal Care Unit is responsible for ensuring the health and welfare of mammalian, aquatic, and amphibian species. The AHT Coordinator manages the Animal User Training program and oversees the import and export of live animals, all under the direction of the Veterinary Director. This position provides formal, direct supervision to 2-3 AHTs and indirect supervision to 4-7 RLATs, 2-3 Animal Care Assistants, and work/study students (possibly 1-2 per semester) and practicum students (1-3 per semester) from various partner institutions (e.g., Thompson Rivers University).
The AHT Coordinator is responsible for overseeing the implementation and delivery of animal health and welfare-related guidelines set out by the CCAC. This includes the management and delivery of pharmaceuticals, including controlled drugs, and medical and surgical procedures as the Veterinarian’s delegate, in accordance with federal and provincial legislation and professional licensing bylaws. Additionally, the AHT Coordinator provides cross-departmental support to Registered Laboratory Animal Technicians and researcher labs by performing procedures as needed for workload management and technical abilities.
Responsibilities of the AHT Coordinator include developing and advising on all animal health, welfare, and technical procedure-related tasks. The AHT Coordinator ensures that daily health assessments and medical treatments for research animals are performed following standard procedures and documented using standardized forms. They develop, implement, and revise standard operating procedures (SOPs) related to animal health, husbandry, and technical procedures, contributing to efficient operations through effective SOP management.
The AHT Coordinator recommends moderate purchases with industry-related specifications.
Additionally, the AHT Coordinator develops, schedules, and supervises quality control for the sentinel program, all health-related equipment, quarantine, Level II rodent biocontainment rooms, and the Level III Aquatic Containment facility. Ensuring awareness and understanding of infectious substances and pathogens, particularly in Level II and III biocontainment animal facilities, is essential for maintaining research integrity and ensuring the health and safety of the staff, researchers, and all animal colonies.
The role involves researching, developing, implementing, and delivering hands-on and online training programs for staff, researchers, and students. The AHT Coordinator oversees the training and scheduling of all UVic users for research projects to meet regulatory requirements. They also maintain the content for the online and hands-on training programs and collaborate with the Veterinary Director and the Post Approval Support Consultant to develop both programs for mammalian and aquatic users at UVic. The AHT Coordinator plans and oversees the training and scheduling of animal health technicians who assist with training and research projects.
The AHT Coordinator is also responsible for managing the domestic and international import and export of research animals, which requires a thorough understanding of International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations and CCAC guidelines. They collaborate closely with the Veterinary Director, university departments, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) Veterinarian to ensure all health inspections, certifications, and legal requirements are met. This role involves careful logistical coordination and risk management to ensure the safe, ethical, and compliant transport of animals across various jurisdictions.
Work Environment and Safety Considerations
To effectively support operational requirements, the AHT Coordinator serves as a primary or secondary call-out contact in urgent animal health and welfare situations, necessitating flexibility to work evenings, weekends and holidays. The position operates within a laboratory environment where there is a risk of Laboratory Animal Allergy. Mandatory requirements are in place to minimize or eliminate this hazard, including enrollment in the UVic Allergy Awareness program, which requires baseline and annual pulmonary function tests, as well as adherence to WorkSafeBC requirements, such as the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and maintaining a clean-shaven face when wearing a respirator. While not primarily a hands-on role with aquatic and mammalian animals, the AHT Coordinator must have no known allergies to rodents or rabbits, or the products used in their housing and care. Because of the nature of the work, there is an inherent risk for psychological injury associated with the use of animals for research and animal euthanasia.
This position requires an equivalent combination of education, an AHT diploma or internationally trained veterinarian certification, and research experience.
Education
An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered including an undergraduate degree in a related field (e.g. Biology, Biochemistry, Microbiology) plus a minimum 3 years of related experience:
- With aquatic, amphibian, reptile and mammalian species and their housing systems
- Working in a regulatory environment with standard operating procedures
Knowledge Requirements Include
- Animal Health Technologist diploma from a North American – accredited institution (or internationally – recognized equivalent).
- RLAT certification with the Canadian Association of Laboratory Animal Science (CALAS) within one year of hire. Maintaining certification status is mandatory.
In Addition, This Position Requires
- Demonstrated strong leadership/supervisory, organizational and client-focused service skills.
- Superior communication, training and time management skills.
- Proficiency with information/communication technologies (web searches/email/word processing/spreadsheets).
- Ability to work collaboratively on a team as well as individually.
- Discretion, discernment and confidentiality
Assets Or Preferences
- Preference may be given to applicants with experience in both mammalian and aquatic species, and those holding advanced relevant training/certification and/or experience working in a post-secondary or research environment.
