Team Lead - Cagewash

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The Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc.

Mass General Brigham relies on a wide range of professionals, including doctors, nurses, business people, tech experts, researchers, and systems analysts to advance our mission. As a not-for-profit, we support patient care, research, teaching, and community service, striving to provide exceptional care. We believe that high-performing teams drive groundbreaking medical discoveries and invite all applicants to join us and experience what it means to be part of Mass General Brigham.

The Cagewash Team Lead can perform all the duties of a RAS 1, 2, and 3 – Cagewash and Animal Husbandry, including cage wash operations, facility sanitization and maintenance, equipment troubleshooting and repair, supply ordering and receiving, and ensuring compliance standards are followed within the CCM animal facilities. The Cagewash Team Lead operates in a facility leadership role by managing work assignments and operational flow within the cage wash area to ensure critical tasks are completed daily in a safe and efficient manner.

Additional responsibilities of the Cagewash Team Lead include writing, reviewing, and approving SOPs and providing hands‑on training of cagewash duties for new hires and current employees working toward promotion.

All Research Animal Specialists are required to work in a team environment following Lean Management principles and participate in continuous improvement projects. This position involves daily exposure to laboratory animals, their waste products, and possibly chemical agents, radioactive isotopes, and ABSL2 hazards. Rotating weekend and holiday work hours are required.

Facilitates Teamwork Regularly with Minimal Supervision:

• Leads various team meetings to organize, delegate, and inform the team of daily work; documents any workarounds; facilitates problem‑solving and continuous improvement discussions.
• Supervises and schedules cagewash team tasks and reallocates task assignments as required to maintain operational flow.
• Monitors team’s work for quality while informing the Facility Manager of all problems and progress.
• Communicates proactively with facility staff and research staff to ensure cagewash operations are supporting research needs; ensures issues are addressed promptly.
• Ensures team members receive appropriate training to successfully accomplish daily work and longer‑term developmental plans; documents trainings according to the Facility Manager and CCM’s training plan.
• Identifies opportunities to continuously improve cagewash operations, pilots changes, evaluates successes and failures, and reports findings to the Facility Manager.
• Serves as the primary point of communication between cagewash team members and the Facility Manager.

Performs and Oversees Cage Wash Operations:

• Able to perform all duties listed on the RAS 1, 2, and 3 job descriptions.
• Cleans and sanitizes animal caging and accessory equipment per SOP.
• Assures monthly autoclave validations are completed and documented.
• Troubleshoots and maintains equipment; performs routine repairs on caging and racks; trains cagewash staff on performing routine repairs and maintenance.
• Ensures routine cleaning, descaling, and preventative maintenance on cage washers and autoclaves is performed on schedule.
• Schedules preventative maintenance (PMs) with vendors.
• Prepares, submits, and maintains required cagewash records, charts, logs, and inventories as requested.
• Responsible for the creation, validation, and maintenance of visual controls within the cagewash area.

Performs Facility Support Functions:

• Orders and receives facility supplies; monitors material replenishment systems.
• Keeps cage slip supplies stocked.
• Coordinates daily with cagewash technicians to ensure all RAS staff have adequate supplies available.
• Submits routine work requests/tickets through appropriate BWH applications and/or vendors.

Provides Training and Serves as Subject Matter Expert:

• Serves as the authorized hands‑on trainer for CCM cagewash operations.
• Works with the CCM Training Program Manager to provide training to new and transferred facility staff on cagewash…