Key Skills

Job Description

Are you an experienced veterinarian with a passion for laboratory animals and oncology? As a Designated Veterinarian at the Princess Máxima Center for pediatric oncology, you’ll have the unique opportunity to directly influence both animal welfare and the progress of groundbreaking research. For those interested in taking on a broader role, there is also an opportunity to combine the position with internal supervision, creating a wider role within our animal research facility. Experimental animal research forms a small but essential part of our preclinical research when there are no suitable alternatives. Our specific pathogen-free (SPF) animal research facility is in operation since 2023 and is dedicated to cancer research with a focus on imaging of tumors. Animal research in the facility is expanding steadily, and we are recruiting a designated veterinarian with expertise in laboratory animal medicine in mice and with experience in laboratory animal science to support the core facility Animal Research team. The position In this position, you will act as the designated veterinarian of our institute in an advisory and policy-making role, while being responsible for the health and welfare of the mice in our animal research facility. Within the Princess Máxima Center, the designated veterinarian is a full member of the Animal Welfare Body (AWB) and as such participates in the biweekly AWB meetings. The designated veterinarian proactively advises the AWB members on anaesthesia, analgesia, perioperative care, euthanasia and the implementation of the 3Rs in relation to experimental design. Together with the internal supervisor, you will implement and/or improve best practices for the researchers of our centre. In collaboration with the attending veterinarian of the laboratory animal facility, the health monitoring program is evaluated and the status is monitored. Regular visits to the animal facility to monitor the welfare of the animals, to supervise the (surgical) animal procedures being performed, but also to train staff is part of the position. The position is placed within the core facility Animal Research for 6-8 hours per week, under the direction of the research management, in close collaboration with the core facility lead. For candidates interested in combining the role of designated veterinarian with internal supervision, there is an opportunity to expand the position by an additional 6–8 hours per week. In this role, you will, in collaboration with the laboratory animal specialist, perform audits in the animal facility and supervise the correct and optimal execution of experiments. The combination offers an opportunity to take on a broader role within the animal research facility and to contribute to both animal welfare and the quality of experimental research. Your profile Master’s degree in veterinary medicine and qualified to work as a veterinarian in the Netherlands as evidenced by holding a registration in the ‘Diergeneeskunderegister’. Additional post-graduate training and/or experience as designated veterinarian is required, specifically for mice is preferable. Experience as member of an Animal Welfare Body would be an asset, as would experience in the field of oncology. You offer a critical perspective and show initiative to contribute to the continuous improvement of the health and welfare of the animals in the facility. In addition, you have a flexible and service-oriented attitude and are able to extend advise to animal technicians, researchers and management alike. The visits to the animal facility require that you do not keep rodents or rabbits at home and that you do not get into contact with these animals within 72 hrs prior to visiting the animal facility. Our job offer We offer a position in an inspiring environment. The position requires an average commitment of 6-8 hours per week, with the option for an additional 6-8 hrs/week when combined with additional internal supervisory tasks. You will initially be appointed for a period of one year, with a possibility to extend upon positive evaluation. Your gross monthly salary will be based on your experience and background within scale FWG 65 with a maximum of €6.716,- and will include 8,33% holiday allowance and 8,33 % end-of-year bonus. The Princess Máxima Center operates according to the collective labor agreement ‘CAO Ziekenhuizen’. The Princess Máxima Center The Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology is a research hospital concentrating healthcare, research and education with regard to cancer in children in a single location in Utrecht. The institute aims to provide the highest level of care for all children with cancer and has the ambition to cure all children of cancer and significantly reduce unwanted side effects. The center brings together the best possible care and scientific research, creating a unique interdisciplinary institute for pediatric oncology in Europe.

Core Responsibilities

Serve as the institute’s designated veterinarian, advising the Animal Welfare Body and supporting policies and practices for mouse health and welfare. Monitor animal health and procedures, train staff, and, if taking on the additional supervisory role, audit the facility and oversee the quality of experiments.

Requirements

A master’s degree in veterinary medicine and registration to practice in the Netherlands are required, along with postgraduate training and/or experience as a designated veterinarian; mouse expertise is preferred. Animal Welfare Body experience and oncology experience are assets, and candidates should be proactive, critical, flexible, and service-oriented.

Benefits

• Holiday Allowance
• End-of-Year Bonus