Shared Resources Specialist III - Preclinical Modeling

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center is an independent, nonprofit organization providing adult cancer treatment and groundbreaking research focused on cancer and infectious diseases. Based in Seattle, Fred Hutch is the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in Washington.

With a track record of global leadership in bone marrow transplantation, HIV/AIDS prevention, immunotherapy and COVID-19 vaccines, Fred Hutch has earned a reputation as one of the world’s leading cancer, infectious disease and biomedical research centers. Fred Hutch operates eight clinical care sites that provide medical oncology, infusion, radiation, proton therapy and related services, and network affiliations with hospitals in five states. Together, our fully integrated research and clinical care teams seek to discover new cures to the world’s deadliest diseases and make life beyond cancer a reality.

At Fred Hutch we value collaboration, compassion, determination, excellence, innovation, integrity and respect. These values are grounded in and expressed through the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. Our mission is directly tied to the humanity, dignity and inherent value of each employee, patient, community member and supporter. Our commitment to learning across our differences and similarities make us stronger. We seek employees who bring different and innovative ways of seeing the world and solving problems. Fred Hutch is in pursuit of becoming an anti-racist organization. We are committed to ensuring that all candidates hired share our commitment to diversity, anti-racism and inclusion.

 

The Shared Resources Specialist III - Preclinical Modeling is responsible for supporting and collaboratively enhancing the preclinical research needs of researchers using transgenic and preclinical mouse models, at Fred Hutch. The PCM Specialist III will perform a variety of technical procedures related to preclinical models and bench top work to support the science of creating and maintaining preclinical mouse models. This position assumes mastery of all requirements and duties of the Specialist II.

 

At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, all employees are expected to demonstrate a commitment to our values of collaboration, compassion, determination, excellence, innovation, integrity, and respect.

PRIMARY/ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Research Support:
  • All work may support either the transgenic mouse production team or the patient derived xenograft team.
  • Tasks include: perform basic molecular biology procedures such as designing and validating PCR assays and performing DNA extraction for Sanger sequencing or NGS workflows.
  • Familiarity with CRISPR techniques required.
  • Cellular biology experience preferred.  
  • Experience in hands-on animal handling, procedural techniques and mouse colony management.  
  • Additional research support tasks may include managing surgical mouse models.  
• Research development: 
  • This position is expected to provide a high level of support for users by establishing and maintaining positive, collaborative working relationships with faculty and external users.
  • Develop advanced protocols or creative solutions and deliver high quality models with an added ability to guide users in model choice.
  • Be capable of assisting or leading in experimental design collaboratively with users.  
• Equipment Oversight:
  • Oversee supply management and preparation.
  • Develop techniques to review and identify new equipment needs.
• Training and Education:
  • Develop team SOPs, training materials and guidelines for investigator use.
  • May supervise work-study students, interns and lab aids.
  • Present on new or expanded technologies within Preclinical modeling core.
  • Mentor junior staff within the Preclinical Imaging Shared Resource.
• Administrative tasks:
  • Report results to users; accurate documentation of laboratory activities coordinate and initiate equipment maintenance visits from vendors; 
  • Assist supervisor in performing billing and cost accounting.
  • Foster positive relationships with vendors and service engineers who support Preclinical Modeling.
• Regulatory and Compliance:
  • Assure that all work done is in accordance with an IACUC approved protocol.
  • Assist investigative staff in the creation of IACUC protocols for use of preclinical models. 
• Other duties as assigned including work on weekends, evenings, or holiday shifts as part of a rotation.

The PCM Specialist is classified as essential personnel and, as such, is required to work with minimal number of absences and during all Fred Hutch closures except in the event of a major disaster when access to animal housing and use facilities is prohibited by governmental emergency personnel.   

 

SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITY:

• Level of autonomy:
  • A PCM Specialist III will communicate issues/ needs of the facility to their manager(s) on an established schedule but will be expected to perform most work autonomously.
  • This position has no responsibility for supervision of others but is expected to mentor junior staff.
  • Resource Director and senior staff contribute to oversight and mentoring of this position.
  • There will regular interfacing with resource users including vendors. ​ 
• Financial responsibility:
  • This role does not have direct financial responsibility but will assist in billing and review of charge codes as required.  

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master’s Degree and 3+ years of experience, OR
• Bachelor’s Degree and 5+ years of experience, OR
• Associate Degree and 8+ years of experience, OR
• GED/High School Diploma and 10+ years of experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

• AALAS certification at the LAT or higher level is recommended, and persons hired for this position should continue to pursue this certification as soon as possible once eligible until achieved
• Demonstrated ability to learn and adapt to new systems and techniques;
• Ability to learn all PCM procedural techniques
• Strong understanding of preclinical research using in vivo models;
• Advanced rodent handling and procedural/ surgical skills
• Small animal surgeries using stereomicroscope
• Understanding of molecular biology techniques and concepts.
• Experience with bioinformatics tools including but not limited to databases such as GenBank, Ensembl, and UCSC Genome Browser, Sequence alignment tools (e.g., BLAST, ClustalW) and protein translation and basic sequence analysis
• Familiarity with CRISPR techniques, including design, execution, and validation of genome editing experiments
• Experience in designing and validating PCR assays for various applications, such as genotyping, cloning, or expression analysis
• Proficiency in DNA extraction techniques and experience with Sanger sequencing workflows, including sample preparation and data analysis.
• ​​Experience working in a core lab environment;
• Excellent communication and organizational skills;
• Ability to work in a collaborative team-oriented environment;
• Experience with MS Office suite of applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, Sharepoint, Teams, One Drive, etc);
• Record keeping and database management
• ​Capable of undertaking work with minimal supervision and ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously ​​

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A statement describing your commitment and contributions toward greater diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism in your career or that will be made through your work at Fred Hutch is requested of all finalists.

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The annual base salary range for this position is from $71,552 to $107,328, and pay offered will be based on experience and qualifications.  

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center offers employees a comprehensive benefits package designed to enhance health, well-being, and financial security. Benefits include medical/vision, dental, flexible spending accounts, life, disability, retirement, family life support, employee assistance program, onsite health clinic, tuition reimbursement, paid vacation (12-22 days per year), paid sick leave (12-25 days per year), paid holidays (13 days per year), paid parental leave (up to 4 weeks), and partially paid sabbatical leave (up to 6 months). 

We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) Employer. We are committed to cultivating a workplace in which diverse perspectives and experiences are welcomed and respected. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, sex, age, disability (physical or mental), marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, political ideology, or membership in any other legally protected class. We are an Affirmative Action employer. We encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds to apply and desire priority referrals of protected veterans. If due to a disability you need assistance/and or a reasonable accommodation during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to Human Resources at hrops@fredhutch.org or by calling 206-667-4700.