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Position Purpose:

Reporting to the Senior Director, Animal Care and Veterinary Services, the Associate Director, Operations provides strategic and operational leadership for the delivery of animal care and research support services across the University's animal care facilities. The role is responsible for ensuring efficient, high-quality operations that support the institution's research, teaching, and compliance activities involving animals.

The Senior Manager leads managers and supervisors responsible for the operational delivery of animal care and research support services across the University's animal care facilities. The role oversees operational planning, service delivery, workforce management, labour relations, financial stewardship, health and safety, and continuous improvement within delegated authority. Working closely with the Senior Director, researchers, veterinarians and institutional partners, the Associate Director implements program priorities, optimizes operational resources, and promotes high-quality service delivery, animal welfare and compliance with institutional requirements.

In this role, your responsibilities will include:

Operational Leadership

• Provide operational leadership for assigned facilities and functions
• Implements operational plans, priorities, and service delivery standards aligned with institutional objectives and enhance operational performance, efficiency, service quality, and resource utilization.

People Leadership and Human Resources

• Lead, mentor, and develop managers and supervisors responsible for veterinary technicians, animal care technicians, and support staff.
• Oversee strategies for workforce planning, staffing, scheduling, succession planning, and employee development initiatives.
• Foster a culture of accountability, engagement, collaboration, and service excellence.
• Provide leadership in human resources matters, including collective agreement administration, grievance management, and employee and labour relations.

Service Delivery & Stakeholder Partnerships

• Collaborate with researchers, veterinarians, academic units, and institutional partners to ensure services effectively support research and teaching activities.
• Evaluate service requirements and implement improvements to meet evolving client and organizational needs.
• Promote a client-focused approach to service delivery.

Health, Safety & Risk Management

• Ensure a safe working environment through the implementation of health and safety policies, procedures, and best practices.
• Oversee operational risk management activities and support business continuity planning.
• Promote a culture of safety, animal welfare, and regulatory compliance.

Financial & Resource Management

• Manages delegated operating budgets, workforce resources, and facility requirements.
• Ensure effective allocation of human, financial, and physical resources to meet operational and research needs.
• Identify opportunities for cost containment and operational efficiencies.

Compliance, Accreditation & Quality Assurance

• Coordinate operational compliance and quality assurance activities within the animal care program, in collaboration with the Senior Director, veterinary team, Animal Care Committee, Animal Ethics and Compliance, and other institutional partners.
• Support accreditation activities, implementation of approved procedures, post-approval monitoring processes, and continuous improvement initiatives.

What you will bring:

• Degree in Animal Science, Veterinary Medicine, Life Sciences, Biological Sciences, Business, or a related field.
• Veterinary degree (DVM/VMD or equivalent) with relevant laboratory animal medicine experience or an MBA are an asset.
• Registration as a Registered Member of Laboratory Animal Technologists (RMLAT) with the Canadian Association for Laboratory Animal Science (CALAS) is an asset.
• 10 years of experience in a related field.
• Experience in laboratory animal care, veterinary services, research animal operations, or a closely related regulated environment is an asset.
• Demonstrated experience managing large and diverse teams.
• Experience working in a unionized environment.
• Experience overseeing animal care, research support, laboratory operations, or comparable regulated operational environments is an asset.
• Thorough knowledge of applicable legislation, regulations, and standards governing occupational health and safety, animal care, and research operations.
• Comprehensive knowledge of animal care and use governance, CCAC standards, provincial animal research legislation (OMAFA), Animal Care Committee processes, post-approval monitoring, animal welfare principles, risk management and research administration practices is an asset.
• Experience managing operating and capital budgets, resource planning, and operational performance metrics.
• Demonstrated success implementing continuous improvement, operational excellence, and change management initiatives.
• Ability to communicate effectively in both official languages.

Key Competencies at uOttawa:
Here are the required competencies for all or our employees at uOttawa: 

Planning: Organize in time a series of actions or events in order to realize an objective or a project. Plan and organize own work and priorities in regular daily activities.
Initiative: Demonstrate creativity and initiative to suggest improvements and encourage positive results. Is proactive and self-starting. Show availability and willingness to go above and beyond whenever it is possible.
Client Service Orientation: Help or serve others to meet their needs. This implies anticipating and identifying the needs of internal and external clients and finding solutions on how to meet them.
Teamwork and Cooperation: Cooperate and work well with other members of the team to reach common goal(s). Accept and give constructive feedback. Able to adjust own behaviour to reach the goals of the team.

The University of Ottawa embraces diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We are passionate about our people and committed to employment equity. We foster a culture of respect, teamwork and inclusion, where collaboration, innovation, and creativity fuel our quest for research and teaching excellence. While all qualified persons are invited to apply, we welcome applications from qualified Indigenous persons, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women and LGBTQIA2S+ persons. The University is committed to creating and maintaining an accessible, barrier-free work environment. The University is also committed to working with applicants with disabilities requesting accommodation during the recruitment, assessment and selection processes. Applicants with disabilities may contact hrtalentmanagement@uottawa.ca to communicate the accommodation need. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Note: if this is a union position: The hiring process will be governed by the current collective agreement related to the union affiliation noted above; you can click here to find out more.

If this is a front-line position with responsibilities to interact with students, selected candidates must be rated at the Low Advanced proficiency level or higher for both oral comprehension and reading comprehension in their second official language. The rating is determined by a proficiency test designed by the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute.

Prior to May 1, 2022, the University required all students, faculty, staff, and visitors (including contractors) to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as defined in Policy 129 – Covid-19 Vaccination. This policy was suspended effective May 1, 2022 but may be reinstated at any point in the future depending on public health guidelines and the recommendations of experts.