Head of Vivarium

BioMarin is the world leader in delivering therapeutics that provide meaningful advances to patients who live with serious and life-threatening rare genetic diseases. We target diseases that lack effective therapies and affect relatively small numbers of patients, many of whom are children. These conditions are often inherited, difficult to diagnose, progressively debilitating and have few, if any, treatment options. BioMarin will continue to focus on advancing therapies that are the first or best of their kind.

BioMarin’s Research & Development group is responsible for everything from research and discovery to post-market clinical development. Research & Development involves all bench and clinical research and the associated groups that support those endeavors. Our teams work on developing first-in-class and best-in-class therapeutics that provide meaningful advances to patients who live with rare diseases. Come join our team and make a meaningful impact on patients’ lives.

Head of Vivarium

Reporting to the Executive Director, Translational Biology, the Head of Vivarium will be responsible for establishing, then leading and overseeing the administration and daily operations of BioMarin’s rodent vivarium to support the conduct of exceptional quality in-vivo research that is humane, timely, efficient, and consistent with business interests.  In collaboration with senior management, the director will establish and maintain facilities, processes, and policies to ensure the proper care, health, and environmental conditions of the animals, and ensure regulatory compliance with corporate and governmental standards.  In addition, the Head of Vivarium may work closely with project teams and individual scientists to assess key project needs, and assist in the establishment and optimization of animal models to address those needs.  The Head of Vivarium will supervise animal care personnel, and may establish a corps of ‘floating’ technicians to provide technical support as required across multiple projects. The Head of Vivarium will establish and maintain training and evaluation programs for vivarium workers and users to ensure all experimentation is of the highest scientific quality and conducted with respect and compassion for the animals.

• Initially will collaborate with building project managers to establish a new rodent vivarium facility, and will oversee the transfer of operations from the old vivarium to the new one.
• Ensures the humane treatment of animals as defined by corporate policies, veterinary standards, AALAS recommendations, and federal regulations. Maintains current knowledge of laboratory animal science, and regulations and standards regarding the use of animals in research. 
• Will develop, establish, oversee, and routinely evaluate and optimize Standard Operating Procedures for animal husbandry, veterinary medicine, and facility functions to ensure quality animal care.
• Establishes and oversees the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) for review and approval of in vivo protocols. Develops processes and training programs as needed to ensure smooth functioning of the IACUC.  Provides advice and support to individual scientists for successful IACUC protocol submission.
• Oversees the procurement of animals, and interacts with scientists and project teams to obtain, create, or characterize new animal strains/models as required for research programs.
• Serves as supervisor and team leader of the vivarium staff. Establishes training and proficiency approval programs for research staff. Provides technical/methodological advice and support to scientific staff either verbally or hands-on.
• Oversees the controlled substances program.
• In collaboration with Lab Ops and Facilities personnel, ensures that all building operations, research instrumentation, and laboratory supplies are functional, calibrated, and, if necessary, validated.
• May supervise and coordinate the deployment of a group of ‘floating’ in vivo technicians who can, as needed, perform incidental or non-project associated studies or tissue-collections, assist scientists in routine experimental procedures, or temporarily augment a scientist’s staff.
• Coordinates animal facility usage by multiple scientists, including the scheduling and allocation of rooms and instrumentation.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.