Senior Lead Veterinarian

University of Ottawa

$118K — $148K *
Healthcare
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) required.
  • Licensed to practice in Ontario or eligible for licensure with the College of Veterinarians of Ontario (CVO).
  • Minimum of 6 years of veterinary medicine experience with knowledge in diseases, pathology, and surgical work.
  • Experience with large and small animal models is required.
  • Knowledge of aquatic and reptile species care is desirable.
  • Familiarity with the Animals for Research Act and Canadian Council on Animal Care guidelines is essential.
  • Bilingualism in French and English is an asset.

Responsibilities

  • Lead and oversee aquatic, amphibious, and reptilian animal health and veterinary care programs.
  • Provide expertise on animal care standards for construction and renovation projects.
  • Manage preventative medicine and health surveillance programs, ensuring adequate veterinary care for research.
  • Develop and update Standard Operating Procedures for compliance with regulatory standards.
  • Offer advice, training, and technical support to ACVS leadership and research facility staff.
  • Assist in pre-, intra-, and post-surgical procedures, ensuring best practices in anesthesia and analgesia are followed.
  • Develop appropriate animal models to support research protocols.

Benefits

  • Working in a collaborative academic environment.
  • Opportunities for professional development and training.
  • Engagement in research initiatives with potential for publication.
  • Access to resources supporting animal health and welfare.
  • Flexible scheduling with some opportunity for remote work arrangements.
Full Job Description
Posting Reason:
Replacement of a regular position

Job Type:
Employee

Anticipated Duration in Months (for contracts and temporary assignments):
N/A

Job Family:
Laboratory Support

# of Open Positions:
1

Faculty/Service - Department:
Animal Care and Veterinary Services

Campus:
Roger Guindon Hall

Union Affiliation:
N/A

Date Posted (YYYY/MM/DD):
2026/08/10

Applications must be received BEFORE (YYYY/MM/DD):
2026/08/31

Hours per week:
35

Salary Grade:
Non-Union Grade NM2

Salary Range:
$118,675.00 - $148,344.00

Position Purpose
Reporting to the Director, Animal Care and Veterinary Service, the incumbent will provide clinical, diagnostic and veterinary care to a wide range of species; oversight of the preventative medicine and health surveillance program; update site/study specific standard operating procedures; provide research advice and support in the development and use of appropriate animal models; assist in pre-, intra- and post-operative surgical procedures; review animal use protocols, all in support of teaching and research activities of the University of Ottawa. Assist the Director of the Animal Care and Veterinary Service with the application and oversight of the overall program of veterinary care.

In this role, your responsibilities will include:
  • Provides leadership and oversight of the program of aquatic, amphibious and reptilian animal health and veterinary care to further the development of the ACVS aquatic animal health program.
  • Contributes expertise with regards to animal care standards and considerations under major construction and renovations projects.
  • Oversees the preventative medicine and health surveillance program as directed by the Director of ACVS to ensure the provision of adequate veterinary care in support of research and teaching activities. Responsible for the systemic evaluation of health records of incoming and outgoing animals.
  • Develops, updates site/study specific Standard Operating Procedures in order to ensure consistent best practices and compliance with standards and regulations of various regulatory agencies. Responsible for integrating industry trends and sensitizing all staff to new standards and regulations.
  • Contributes to global ACVS objectives by providing advice, training, and technical support to ACVS leadership and to the extended management team for dissemination to research and facility staff for the purpose of sound application of animal care principles.
  • Provides expertise to Principal Investigators and ACVS staff and students in pre-, intra- and post-surgical procedures, including selection and administration of anesthetics and analgesics in order to ensure consistent application of best practices related to animal care.
  • Supports Principal Investigators and other research staff by developing appropriate animal models for research protocols.


What you will bring:
  • Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) - required.
  • Licensed to practice in Ontario or must eligible for licensure with the College of Veterinarians of Ontario (CVO).
  • A minimum of 6 years of experience in the field of veterinary medicine. Incumbent must have an excellent knowledge base in veterinary medicine, diseases and pathology, animal model development and surgical work.
  • Pre-clinical research experience an asset.
  • The incumbent must have strong initiative and be able to resolve challenges on his/her own, in addition to being an excellent team player.
  • Experience with large and small animal models required.
  • Experience in the care of aquatic and reptile species desirable.
  • The incumbent should be conversant with surgical procedures as defined in approved animal use protocols.
  • Excellent interpersonal and communications skills as well as a service-oriented approach are essential. The position requires an ongoing interface with Principal Investigators and their laboratory staff.
  • The applicant must be very knowledgeable with regard to the Animals for Research Act as well as the guidelines and policies of the Canadian Council on Animal Care.
  • Ability to work after hours on weekends and statutory holidays and to be on a rotating on-call schedule for evenings, weekends and holiday coverage.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
  • 2 years of experience in the management of personnel an asset.
  • Bilingualism - French and English (spoken and written) an asset.


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.

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