Animal Services Manager

Job description

Overview

Our Manufacturing Operations teams are the people that make our products.

We work in the manufacturing plants with a “Safety First, Quality Always” mindset striving for continuous improvement.

We work in the local plant connected to our global manufacturing network to ensure the highest quality of raw materials, intermediates and finished products.

Position Overview :

The primary responsibility of the AS Manager is to manage the Animal Services Department, providing animal breeding/management and testing services and leadership to the Whitemans Valley site.

The Animal Service Manager is responsible for ensuring that quality control testing meets planned production requirements and that the testing program meets the requirements of defined regulations, compendia, registered methods and specifications.

Animal Services (AS) quality control test results form part of the basis for product release.

Testing is segregated into guinea pig, rabbit, mouse, hamster, sheep and cattle testing.

In order to achieve the test schedule animals are bred to demand or purchased as required (e.g. sheep, cattle).

The role sits within the Quality organization and reports to the Site Quality Head and is located in Whiteman’s Valley and is the senior person managing all day-to-day issues as they arise in regard to supervising the site.

The nature of animal work will require attendance of duties outside normal working hours.

What will you do in this role:

Management Responsibilities

• Set and manage the annual budget to ensure adherence to budget and cost control targets.
  
  
• Set and manage capital budget and prepare capital requests for replacement of equipment and facilities as required.
  
  
• Prepare assumptive scenarios (AS) of performance against the budget plan.
  
  
• Coordinate the activities of the team to facilitate meeting objectives and specific lead times.
  
  
• Ensure suitable resources are requested/planned as appropriate to meet business objectives (e.g. staff, improvement to facilities, equipment/consumables etc.).
  
  
• Achieving continuous improvement in AS group activities through leadership directed toward resource, utilisation and cost review, along with participation in process and profit improvement programmes.
  
  
• Hold regular team meetings to ensure objectives are actively prioritized, managed and understood.
  
  
• Conduct periodic objective setting sessions.
  
  Manage the performance of the team and conduct annual performance reviews.
  
  All performance improvement is addressed in a timely and positive manner to ensure resolution of performance gaps identified.
  
  
• Employ and manage casual staff as required to meet workload within budget constraints.
  
  
• Effectively communicate quality assurance and regulatory requirements to all parties.
  
  
• Provide reports to SQH to demonstrate performance of the department.
  
  Being an advocate for animal testing reduction.
  
  To work collaboratively with other departments to support global 3R initiative to facilitate the reduction of animal testing.
  
  Act as AEC Secretary/Executive Officer for Company AEC committee.
  
  

Staff Training and Development

• Employ and manage casual staff as required to meet workload within budget constraints.
  
  
• Ensure that there are sufficient trained for the tasks they complete.
  
  
• Actively coach and develop staff to build talent and capability in the team.
  
  
• Conduct periodic meetings with individual staff members to ensure their induction, training and development are planned/reviewed.
  
  
• Ensure adequate staff training and back-up support for all functions.
  
  
• Ensure trainers have sufficient knowledge and are competent in the relevant systems.
  
  
• Ensure Training modules and competency assessments are available.
  
  
• Provision of training/assistance to staff members in accordance with company and relevant quality standards requirements.
  
  
• Attendance at agreed training courses (identified through Performance Appraisal or other appropriate methods).
  
  

Compliance

• Vaccine manufacture is controlled by corporate and statutory guidelines and regulations with which the AS Manager must ensure.
  
  
• Compliance to the Animal Welfare Act in relation to all animals in Company’s care, including those undergoing in-vivo assays.
  
  They will be a mandatory member of the Animal Ethics Committee and are expected to be the chair of the committee.
  
  
• Compliance of facilities and laboratories to local legislation that impacts the site
• Completion of Corrective Actions on time issued through external, internal, gap or review audits.
  
  Assist in any regulatory inspection or audits.
  
  
• Strive for continuous improvement of relevant quality systems and alignment with corporate and Whakatiki (main site) quality assurance and quality control systems.
  
  
• Target zero overdues for quality activities such as deviations, CAPA, audit responses, annual outline reviews, product quality reviews and change management tasks.
  
  
• Lead/support introduction of new systems/software/technology as required.
  
  
• Assist with the generation of accurate regulatory and other compliance submissions.
  
  

Testing and Animal Services

Only compliant and valid test results are to be generated.

Animal supply, testing and release are to meet fixed time frames.

This is achieved by:

• Maintain suitable consumables, facilities, equipment and other materials relating to Quality Control tests and animal breeding/management.
  
  
• Uses and compiles Sales and Operations Planning data to look at future test / animal / resource requirements.
  
  
• Operational systems are in place to ensure animal breeding and testing is completed as per the business schedule.
  
  
• Data generated from tests to be reliable and accurate.
  
  
• All SOPs, procedures and record templates are current and are followed in actual practice.
  
  
• All tests are adequately validated and meet Corporate and Regulatory Compliance requirements.
  
  
• Receive the handover of new tests and the transfer of tests from other facilities through the correct protocols.
  
  
• All test data and validation to be documented according to site and GMP standards.
  
  
• Ensure all test data is reviewed for completeness and GMP compliance.
  
  

Facility Management

• The AS Manager has the responsibility for maintaining the site, farm and all the buildings and equipment present.
  
  

Pharmacovigilance (PV) Responsibilities

• Follow global and local procedures to ensure that you are familiar with the required reporting processes and timelines for Adverse Events and Product Quality complaints.
  
  

EHS

• Ensure all hazards and environmental aspects in your area are identified, documented, assessed and controlled in accordance with EHS procedures.
  
  Ensure compliance with legal and other requirements.
  
  
• Assist in the development of EHS objectives, targets and performance indicators, establish EHS improvement projects and review progress.
  
  
• Ensure all employees receive such EHS information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to perform their work in a manner that is safe and without significant risk to health or the environment.
  
  
• Ensure compilation of EHS reports as required by senior management, regulatory authorities and others.
  
  
• Identify and record EHS monitoring requirements and implement appropriate monitoring.
  
  
• Ensure scheduled audits and inspections (for which you are responsible) are conducted and necessary corrective actions are developed and completed.
  
  

What should you have:

Education

• Tertiary qualification in science.
  
  Veterinary / Animal / Biological sciences are preferred.
  
  

Experience

• 10 years plus experience in animal breeding, animal facility management and associated animal testing laboratories
• Knowledge of animal ethics requirements.
  
  In depth understanding of GMP / GLP / Laboratory Quality Management Systems
• People management experience and proven track record of leading a technically diverse team.
  
  
• Arranging service contracts as required or liaise with Whakatiki Engineering/Maintenance managers to ensure these are in place

Desirable:

• Understanding of vaccine or pharmaceutical manufacture and experience working in these industries

Who we are

We are known as Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey, USA in the United States and MSD everywhere else.

For more than a century, we have been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases.

Today, our Company continues to be at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions and advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and animals around the world.

What we look for

Imagine getting up in the morning for a job as important as helping to save and improve lives around the world.

Here, you have that opportunity.

You can put your empathy, creativity, digital mastery, or scientific genius to work in collaboration with a diverse group.

Required Skills:

Accountability, Accountability, Animal Welfare, Annual Budgeting Process, Budget Management, Capital Budgeting, Competency Assessment, Customer Experience Management, Detail-Oriented, Development Projects, Equipment Calibrations, Ethical Compliance, GMP Compliance, Management Process, Nondestructive Testing (NDT), People Leadership, Pharmacovigilance, Process Improvements, Quality Assurance (QA), Quality Assurance Processes, Quality Control Inspection, Quality Engineering, Quality Improvement Programs, Quality Management, Quality Process Development

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE.

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE.

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully

Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities.

All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.

No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place.

Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific.

Please, no phone calls or emails.

Employee Status: Regular

Relocation:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements: Not Applicable

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date: 11/10/2025

A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date.

Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.

Requisition ID: R

Required Skill Profession

Professional Services