Animal Care Technician I

About the role

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 Overview

Responsible for performing operational, administrative and technical tasks to provide comprehensive care for all species of laboratory animals at the site, including: daily health observations, feeding/watering, sanitizing primary and secondary enclosures, environmental enrichment, handling and restraint and related tasks. Assist with the movement of animals and stocking of supplies. May serve as lead/primary technician and perform technical duties with guidance.

Job Description

This position is working Full Time – 40 hours/week Tues – Sat shift.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• May serve as lead/primary technician and perform technical duties with guidance.
• Handle, restrain, and provide care for all species of animals at the site.
• Observe animals for general health and overall well being.
• Clean primary enclosure and enclosure area for animals.
• Sanitize cages, enrichment devices and other related equipment.
• Measure and distribute feed to animals in accordance with established procedures.
• Provide environmental enrichment.
• Inspect feeding and watering devices for proper function.
• Perform all tasks in compliance with Good Laboratory Practice Regulations (GLPs) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Review documentation of functions performed as part of quality control requirements.
• Perform quarantine & isolation procedures as they relate to husbandry tasks.
• Perform duties associated with the transportation, receipt, transfer and distribution of animals as assigned.
• Perform cagewash duties as assigned.
• Collect laboratory data and independently use equipment related to the collection of data.
• May perform basic veterinary technical and husbandry tasks with guidance, including the following:
• Administration of various therapeutic measures by IV, IM, SQ, topical, oral routes, etc.
• Bandage/wrapping techniques.
• Nail/hoof/teeth clipping/trimming.
• Venipuncture techniques.
• Vaginal swabs.
• Proficient animal restraint techniques.
• Monitor critical care animals (i.e., place IVs, monitor fluids, etc.).
• Perform all other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Education: High school diploma or General Education Degree (G.E.D.) required.
• Experience: Minimum of 6 months related experience in animal research and/or husbandry preferred or must have demonstrated full knowledge of competencies and positive performance at the previous level. Experience working in a regulated environment preferred.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be accepted as a satisfactory substitute for the specific education and experience listed above.
• Certification/Licensure: AALAS certification at the ALAT level preferred
• Other: Ability to handle common laboratory animal species. Basic knowledge of GLP regulations preferred. Ability to work on assignments that are semi-routine in nature in which ability to recognize deviation from accepted practice is required. Ability to receive and understand general instructions on routine work and detailed instructions on new assignments.

Physical Demands

• Employees must be able to lift, move, manipulate, and/or hold heavy objects up to and including 50 pounds; this includes work materials, equipment, and/or animals.
• Must be able to perform procedures, which require, talking, hearing, standing or sitting for long periods of time, entering data into a computer, using appropriate instruments, reaching with hands and arms, working in narrow spaces, and wearing safety equipment (PPE) according to OSHA regulations and company standards.
• Must be able to frequently firmly hold species while utilizing fine motor skills.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

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.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Charles River is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, family status, pregnancy, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.