Associate Director, Head of Vivarium Operations

At AstraZeneca, we turn ideas into life-changing medicines. Working here means being entrepreneurial, thinking big, and working together to make the impossible a reality. We’re passionate about the potential of science to address the unmet needs of patients around the world. We commit to those areas where we believe we can really change the course of medicine and bring big new ideas to life.

Position Overview:

Leads the daily management of vivarium facilities, ensuring the effective delivery covering all elements of animal care and use program in support of research activities. Accountable for maintaining high standards of animal welfare, husbandry, facility readiness, operational continuity, and regulatory compliance. Be recognized as an expert in drug development, driving innovative approaches for refining and testing new therapies. Implement and direct projects, providing expertise and guiding decisions across fields, while actively collaborating with parties both within and outside the organization. Lead a team where required.

This position is in our Hamilton facility.

Responsibilities:

• Primary operational contact for facility-related concerns; issues are identified, triaged, and resolved appropriately. Lead all aspects of the day-to-day operation of both facilities, maintaining continuity of services, workflows, and readiness to support research activities.
• Proficiency in radiation exposure prevention, containment protocols, and waste processing.
• Ensure equipment, infrastructure, and operational systems are maintained effectively, including preventive maintenance, servicing, sanitation-related processes, and timely resolution of operational issues.
• Enable vivarium compliance with Ontario provincial legislation, and Canadian Council on Animal Care certification and Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International accreditation standards. Hold the regulatory compliance role on Animal Care Committee for this subject expertise.
• Provide hands-on support for technical and husbandry tasks, including managing animal welfare, technical procedures, and radiation safety. Handle containment and waste. Provide after-hours or weekend operational support when required.
• Participate in global vivarium operations team; assisting in innovation projects across sites.
• Lead or contribute as a scientific or technical authority within project teams by providing specialized knowledge to advance projects effectively or leading small teams or project groups to achieve specific objectives.
• Build, implement, or support improvements in scientific methodologies, technologies, and functional frameworks to improve project quality, operational efficiency, and scientific impact.
• Serve as a resource by offering authoritative advice and sharing knowledge with colleagues across various functions, while effectively communicating technical or strategic initiatives to team members and partners.
• Collaborate with or coordinate input from various internal and external functions to ensure streamlined and effective cross-functional communication to drive project success.
• Contribute significantly to evaluating the viability and progression of projects by offering strategic recommendations based on advanced scientific analysis and interpretation.
• Manage team performance by setting clear goals and objectives. Monitor progress and support staff professional development. This includes onboarding, training support, and proficiency assessment.
• Collaborate across multiple functions, including research, clinical, and manufacturing teams—to integrate scientific expertise and drive the development of drug products that improve effectiveness, manufacturing efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.
• May design, conduct, and interpret complex pharmacokinetics, drug metabolism, and ADME studies, providing high-level scientific insights and recommendations that inform drug development decisions and support efficient, high-quality project delivery.
• May integrate cross-disciplinary scientific data (including pharmacokinetics and biomarker analysis) to interpret effects, resolve technical issues, and advance proof-of-concept and viability assessments for compounds and drug products.
• Maintain awareness of advances in scientific and regulatory fields relevant to drug testing and formulation, sharing these insights to continuously improve research effectiveness, compliance, and quality standards.
• Ensure all activities, including those of team members, comply with applicable Safety, Health & Environment (SHE) standards, quality and regulatory requirements, including laboratory standards (GLS, GLP) and internal AstraZeneca standards.

Qualifications and Skills:

Essential :

• Bachelor’s degree in animal science, biology or other relevant field with equivalent qualifications
• Significant experience in drug development process in the pharmaceutical industry;
• Expertise in a specific subject area providing specialized competence;
• Understanding of patent strategies and intellectual property management;
• Familiarity with relevant regulations, as well as industry standards.

Desirable :

• Master's degree in animal science, biology or other relevant scientific discipline;
• Project management experience;
• Expertise in operational R&D processes.

Key Relationship to Reach Solutions:

• Internal: Team members, colleagues, and senior management; AZ project teams; Members of other business functions.
• External: External scientific community; External suppliers and service providers; Regulatory bodies.

Great People want to Work with us! Find out why:

Are you interested in working at AZ, apply today!

AstraZeneca is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion and providing a workplace that is free from discrimination. AstraZeneca is committed to accommodating persons with disabilities. Such accommodation is available on request in respect of all aspects of the recruitment, assessment and selection process and may be requested by emailing  View email address on careers.astrazeneca.com

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AstraZeneca is committed to providing fair and equitable compensation opportunities to all colleagues. Our compensation policies and practices have been designed to allow colleagues to progress through the salary range over time as they progress in their role. The range provided in this posting represents an offer pay range used in a majority of situations. The base pay offered will vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including the candidate's skills and experience, job-related knowledge, and other specific business and organizational needs.  In some cases, offers outside the range may also be considered to address unique circumstances.

In addition, our permanent positions offer an annual Variable Pay Bonus/Short Term Incentive opportunity as well as eligibility to participate in our equity-based long-term incentive program (if applicable to role).  Benefits offered for permanent roles include a competitive Flex Benefits & Retirement Savings Program, 4 weeks’ paid vacation, and annual Personal Days. Fixed Term Contract/Temporary positions (excluding students) are offered a Contract Benefits Program.

We are using AI as part of the recruitment process.

This advertisement relates to a current vacancy.