Research Manager

Calf Care is a veterinary-led organization and a Heritage Veterinary Partner (HVP) practice dedicated to improving the health and performance of food animal production systems, with deep expertise in calf nutrition, health, and management. Through our Contract Research division, we partner with animal health, nutrition, and pharmaceutical companies to design and execute rigorous studies on commercial beef and dairy calf operations.

The North Manchester, Indiana facility features a dedicated on-site laboratory, a Gold Standard hutch yard with seven biosecure zones and 200+ hutches, indoor pen housing for production-scale studies, and a network of commercial cooperator herds. As part of HVP's national network of mixed and large-animal practices, Calf Care's research team works alongside HVP's network-level Research and Innovation function.

Mission: Caring for calves and the people who raise them through faith, innovation, experience and collaboration to optimize cattle performance and farmer/producer success, resulting in safe, healthy, and abundant food supply as God will direct.

Vision: Calf Care™, through lifelong learning and innovation, will lead and “moo”ve the cattle industry by being the premier source of guidance, service, and products. We will remain committed to clients and their success.

The Research Manager leads Calf Care's contract research program on site, owning study execution from protocol initiation through final report. This person is the day-to-day point of contact for sponsors, coordinates Calf Care veterinarians, research associates, and facility staff, and makes sure every study is executed according to protocol, to Good Clinical Practice (GCP) standards, and with clean, organized, audit-ready data.

The role is hands-on and execution-focused. It suits someone with a proven track record running experimental animal studies in the field or in a research facility, who can lead a team, manage sponsor relationships, and help grow Calf Care's research division. Study design, statistical analysis, and scientific review are carried out in close collaboration with HVP's network Research and Innovation function.

• Assist in the development, review, and implementation of research protocols for contract studies involving beef and dairy calves.
• Translate approved protocols into study-specific operating plans: schedules, staffing, animal enrollment, treatment administration, sampling, and data capture forms.
• Lead the day-to-day execution of multiple concurrent contract studies across the hutch yard, indoor pens, on-site laboratory, and cooperator herds.
• Serve as Investigator or site lead on studies as assigned, ensuring compliance with protocols and Calf Care animal welfare and biosecurity policies.
• Develop and maintain strict biosecurity protocols to protect the integrity of isolation zones, sentinel and control groups, and overall study validity.
• Ensure accurate, timely data capture and sample collection, including health observations, growth and performance measurements, and biological samples. Identify, document, and promptly communicate protocol deviations, adverse events, and animal health concerns to veterinarians, other research team members, sponsors, and HVP Research and Innovation.

• Act as the primary on-site contact for sponsors and study monitors, including study initiation meetings, progress updates, monitoring visits, and close-out.
• Coordinate with commercial cooperator operations on study logistics, enrollment, and data collection.
• Contribute to scoping, timelines, and budgets for new study proposals, in collaboration with Calf Care veterinarians and…