Job Description

For 75 years, Charles River employees have worked together to assist in the discovery, development and safe manufacture of new drug therapies. When you join our family, you will have a significant impact on the health and well-being of people across the globe. Whether your background is in life sciences, finance, IT, sales or another area, your skills will play an important role in the work we perform. In return, we’ll help you build a career that you can feel passionate about.

Job Summary

We are seeking an  Associate Scientist - Histology (IHC)  for our  Histology  department in our  Mattawan, MI l ocation.

An Associate Scientist is responsible for supporting the pathology services departments by performing necropsy and histology procedures, study development procedures, and providing mentorship and training to staff. The individual in this role may also function in the role of a Contributing Scientist, responsible for the development of methods and study specific procedures in accordance with applicable protocols/plans, company standard operating procedures (SOPs), industry regulatory guidelines, and budgetary guidelines as business and scientific needs require.

The pay range for this position is $75,000-84,000/year USD. Please note that salaries vary within the range based on factors including, but not limited to, experience, skills, education, certifications, and location.

Essential Functions

• Performs advanced histology and/or necropsy preparation procedures on a variety of biological specimens using requisite instrumentation and techniques; performs microscopic review on a variety of specimens.
• Develops, validates, implements, and/or evaluates methods and techniques for production environment and process improvement; documents procedures and materials.
• Reviews study protocols, attends the pre-initiation meetings for related studies, assists with analyzing study needs, and provides expertise to study directors, sponsor representatives, QA personnel and management; serves as project lead for studies that require advanced techniques.
• Consults with internal and external customers regarding scientific issues.
• Assists in laboratory investigations, procedural troubleshooting, quality observations, and improvements in good laboratory practices, non-GLP practices, and departmental processes.
• Assists management with presentation of scientific information.
• Mentors and trains less experienced staff.
• Collects, documents, analyzes, reviews, and verifies data on forms or in electronic data capture systems; recognizes method and data issues and communicates them to management to minimize study impact, collates data into the study book for archiving and study reports.
• Performs quality control procedures, calibrates, maintains, cleans, and troubleshoots laboratory instrumentation and equipment.
• Receives, inspects, processes, stores, and maintains documentation for biological specimens.
• Other duties as assigned.

Job Qualifications

• HS/GED in relevant field, with 7 or more years of relevant experience; Histotechnician (HT)/ Histotechnologist (HTL) certification required; or, Bachelor’s/Master’s degree with 5 or more years of relevant experience; HT/HTL certification required.
• Two or more years IHC experience required.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be accepted as a satisfactory substitute for the specific education and experience listed above.
• Demonstrated ability to perform minor necropsy and histology techniques.
• Demonstrated ability to explain scientific relevance of necropsy or histology techniques as it relates to the purpose of a study.
• Ability to troubleshoot necropsy or histology techniques to preserve the integrity of a study.
• Ability to communicate verbally and in writing at all levels inside and outside the organization.
• Basic familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite.
• Computer skills, commensurate with Essential Functions, including the ability to learn a validated system.
• Ability to work extended hours beyond normal work schedule to include, but not limited to evenings, weekends, extended shifts, and/or extra shifts; sometimes on short notice.
• Ability to work under specific time constraints.

About Safety Assessment
Charles River is committed to helping our partners expedite their preclinical drug development with exceptional safety assessment services, state-of-the-art facilities and expert regulatory guidance. From individual specialty toxicology and IND enabling studies to tailored packages and total laboratory support, our deeply experienced team can design and execute programs that anticipate challenges and avoid roadblocks for a smooth, efficient journey to market. Each year approximately 300 investigational new drug (IND) programs are conducted in our Safety Assessment facilities.

About Charles River
Charles River is an early-stage contract research organization (CRO). We have built upon our foundation of laboratory animal medicine and science to develop a diverse portfolio of discovery and safety assessment services, both Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and non-GLP, to support clients from target identification through preclinical development. Charles River also provides a suite of products and services to support our clients’ clinical laboratory testing needs and manufacturing activities. Utilizing this broad portfolio of products and services enables our clients to create a more flexible drug development model, which reduces their costs, enhances their productivity and effectiveness to increase speed to market.

With over 20,000 employees within 110 facilities in over 20 countries around the globe, we are strategically positioned to coordinate worldwide resources and apply multidisciplinary perspectives in resolving our client’s unique challenges. Our client base includes global pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, government agencies and hospitals and academic institutions around the world.

At Charles River, we are passionate about our role in improving the quality of people’s lives. Our mission, our excellent science and our strong sense of purpose guide us in all that we do, and we approach each day with the knowledge that our work helps to improve the health and well-being of many across the globe. We have proudly worked on 80% of the drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the past five years.

We’re committed to providing benefits that elevate your quality of life. Based on your position these may include: bonus/incentives based on performance, 401K, paid time off, stock purchase program, Health and wellness coverage, employee and family wellbeing support programs, and work life balance flexibility.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Charles River Laboratories is an Equal Opportunity Employer - all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

It is unlawful in some states (including Massachusetts) to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

If you are interested in applying to Charles River Laboratories and need special assistance or an accommodation due to a disability to complete any forms or to otherwise participate in the resume submission process, please contact a member of our Human Resources team by sending an e-mail message to [email protected]. This contact is for accommodation requests for individuals with disabilities only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

For more information, please visit

Job Tags

Similar Jobs