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California Academy of Sciences

Associate Veterinarian

California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California, United States, 94199


About the Opportunity:

Reporting to the Senior Veterinarian, the Associate Veterinarian is responsible for the medical care of the Academy's living collection. The position is primarily responsible for the veterinary management of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, and invertebrates through a complete health care program, with an emphasis on preventative medicine. The Associate Veterinarian is a member of the Steinhart Aquarium Leadership Team, and instills a culture of respect, trust, and accountability within the department and across the Academy. The Associate Veterinarian supervises and supports a team of animal health biologists and a veterinary fellow when the Senior Veterinarian is absent. This position is expected to work weekends, evenings, and holidays, and respond to emergencies as needed.

Organizational Culture: Join a team dedicated to the Academy's mission, vision and values! Currently, the Academy's strategic plan includes three initiatives - Hope for Reefs, Thriving California, and Islands 2030 - that leverage biodiversity science, environmental learning, and collaborative engagement to regenerate fragile ecosystems around the world. Learn more at https://www.calacademy.org/about-us/major-initiatives.

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion are intrinsic to Academy culture and operations, from recruitment and retention to science and advocacy.

We hope you are inspired by what we do and are excited to contribute to our mission. The mission of the California Academy of Sciences is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration. The Academy is looking for candidates who do great work, and we know they may come from a number of different backgrounds and experiences. We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every one of the qualifications for the position.

This position is based in San Francisco, California. Please do not apply if you are not able to work onsite. This position is part of a bargaining unit represented by Cal Academy Workers United. Once the Academy has a Collective Bargaining Agreement with Cal Academy Workers United this position will be subject to the terms and conditions of that contract. Candidates are required to have up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of employment, absent qualifying exemptions in accordance with applicable laws. Individuals receiving a conditional offer of employment from the California Academy of Sciences will be provided the full text of the vaccination policy. The California Academy of Sciences is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace, to protect its employees, volunteers and guests.

About the Aquarium Team: The Steinhart Aquarium inspires Academy visitors, increases their understanding and appreciation of biodiversity, and empowers them to make sustainability actions, with excellent live exhibits maintained to the highest standards.

Key Responsibilities: Provides medical and surgical treatment for sick or injured animals, including administering treatments to animals. Effectively communicates treatment status to the Aquarium staff on a routine basis. Supervises the anesthesia of animals for medical or surgical treatment. Instructs Animal Health Biologists in the administration of medications and treatments. Performs or directs laboratory tests on blood, tissue, and other animal matter in order to determine the presence of pathogens or toxins. Performs necropsies to establish the causes of death and makes recommendations to Steinhart Aquarium leadership regarding the living collection. Examines animals prior to shipment: performs pre-shipment requests, evaluates findings, and issues health certificates. Maintains complete and up to date medical records in accordance with Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and Steinhart Aquarium standards. Helps manage the Animal Health Department in the Senior Veterinarian's absence, including direct supervision of staff, residents, and veterinary fellows. Participates in Academy committees and workgroups, and the Steinhart Aquarium Leadership Team (SALT). Participates in animal health or medical research projects. Attends professional meetings and conferences related to collection animals, writes technical articles for publication or presentation to professional groups, and responds to queries from other veterinarians and facilities. Contributes with protocol and policy development and record keeping needed for AZA accreditation, USDA licensing, and other similar regulatory requirements. Supports the UC Davis Aquatic Animal Veterinary Fellowship by partnering with and mentoring the vet fellow during their residency. Conducts tours of Steinhart Aquarium and its support spaces. Perform other job-related duties as assigned. Supervisory Responsibilities:

The Associate Veterinarian will act as Animal Health Department manager, and supervise and support a team consisting of full-time and part-time animal health biologists and a veterinary fellow, when the Senior Veterinarian is absent. Qualifications:

A successful candidate will have the following:

Experience and/or Education:

Required and Preferred:

DVM, VMD, or foreign equivalents from an AVMA-accredited institution. California license to practice veterinary medicine or the ability to obtain one within 6 months of starting employment. Minimum three (3) years of professional experience in the practice of veterinary medicine including at least one (1) year involving the care of animals in a zoological, aquarium, or similar facility. USDA II accreditation for the issuance of interstate health certificates or the ability to obtain accreditation - preferred. Has or is eligible to obtain a DEA license - preferred.

Skills and Abilities: Required and Preferred:

Knowledge of animal treatment, disease diagnosis, and associated veterinary procedures. Knowledge of husbandry and diet requirements of collection animals. Knowledge of standard dissection, necropsy, biological sampling procedures, and record keeping. Knowledge of water quality testing methods, parameters, and methods for maintaining them. Knowledge of public zoological operation, maintenance, record keeping, and life support systems. Knowledge of concepts, principles, and practices of professional museum and zoo registration methods, and collection management standards. Knowledge of inventory accession and record-keeping practices. Knowledge of zoological nomenclature, zoology, and taxonomy. Knowledge of chemistry and biology. Knowledge of management best practices and leadership skills. Knowledge of computer programs, Google suite, similar workplace applications, and animal record keeping software (ZIMS preferred). Ability to work as part of a team or collaborate well with colleagues toward mutual goals. Ability to work efficiently and communicate with staff, cross-functional teams and external customers from different backgrounds, identities and experiences. Ability to read and interpret documents such as zoo and aquarium standard operating procedures, permit conditions and reporting requirements, accreditation standards, animal transaction/shipping documents. Ability to write routine reports, correspondence, and standard operating procedures. Ability to speak effectively before groups or individuals. Ability to work weekends and holidays on a routine basis. Holds a valid California driver's license or ability to obtain one. CPR certification or ability to obtain one.

Physical Environment:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, sit, walk, and reach with hands and arms, and talk or hear. Must be able to transport 25 lbs. Must be able to work at a computer and perform repetitive motions 75% of the time. Must be able to work in proximity to X-rays, ozone, sharps, venomous animals, and with chemicals and medicines, including hazardous materials. Must be able to swim. Compensation and Benefits: The salary range for this position is $95,000 - $105,000. Actual compensation will be commensurate with experience, skills/knowledge set, and internal equity. We believe in fair and equitable compensation practices and are committed to providing competitive salaries within the industry and market standards. The Academy offers a total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and comprehensive benefits based on the hours per week worked. Further details regarding compensation and benefits will be discussed during the interview process.

Please scroll down to "Other details" for this position's hiring range.

Schedule:

Full-Time, 40 hours per week

APPLICATION DEADLINE:

Review of applications will begin on December 20, 2024 and will continue until the position is filled.

APPLICATION PROCESS: Please upload your resume and complete the brief online application

The California Academy of Sciences will give full consideration for employment to all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance(SF Police Code, Article 49).

We are committed to ensuring that all employees and applicants shall receive equal consideration and treatment. All terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to, recruitment, hiring, placements, transfers, promotions, compensation, benefits, terminations, training, and social and recreational programs, will be on the basis of qualifications of the individual for the positions being filled. The Academy does not discriminate against qualified applicants or employees with respect to any terms or conditions of employment on account of any characteristic protected by state or federal law or local ordinance. Read our full Equal Opportunity Statement here

Other details

Pay Type Salary Employment Indicator Regular FT Min Hiring Rate $95,000.00 Max Hiring Rate $105,000.00

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