Lab Animal Technician

About the role

The Lab Animal Technician, under immediate supervision, provides animal care, husbandry, and facility cleaning in an AAALAC accredited facility. Duties include feeding and watering animals, changing and cleaning tanks/cages, recording and reporting animal abnormalities, and maintaining life support systems.

Responsibilities

• Provide diligent and responsible animal care, including feeding and watering animals and changing and cleaning tanks/cages.
• Record and/or report animal abnormalities including altered eating, drinking, waste elimination, altered behavior, superficial lesions, and/or death.
• Maintain and perform quality control assessment on life support systems for fish colonies and vivarium equipment.
• Maintain LAR facilities: sanitizing equipment and facilities, ordering supplies/inventory, and stocking supplies.
• Provide minor technical assistance to facility users.

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED required, bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Knowledge of animal facility, animal husbandry, and colony maintenance as would normally be acquired with a bachelor’s degree in biology or animal sciences, a Veterinary Technician license, or 0-2 years of mouse room and/or freshwater aquarium experience.
• Some level of AALAS certification preferred.

Skills and Knowledge

• Knowledge of laboratory animal regulations, procedures, husbandry, colony maintenance, and protocols for collection of biological samples for colony health testing.
• Operate equipment and use supplies according to safety guidelines; perform general housekeeping and adhere to safety procedures.
• Must be available for weekend and holiday work rotation.
• Ability to read and follow standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Written and oral communications skills sufficient to permit clear and effective exchange of information.

Qualifications

• Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds.
• Must be able to work for extended periods in an environment maintained at approximately 82°F.
• Must be able to safely use a ladder for brief periods to perform tasks at heights between 6 and 8 feet.

Benefits

Not specified.

Pay

$17.55 per hour.

Schedule

Standard hours: 7:00 AM – 3:30 PM (academic year and summer). Schedule flexibility is required; hours may vary based on operational needs. Must be available for assigned weekend and holiday rotations.