Lead Lab Animal Technician-Lab Animal Care Unit

Responsibilities

• Handles, cares for, feeds, maintains records for, and transports animals including those in biohazard or barrier containment.
• Demonstrates, teaches, performs, and leads other technicians in appropriate animal husbandry and care procedures such as microisolator techniques, cage change procedures, health checks, room checks, and quality control checks of food, water, and equipment.
• Receives newly arrived animals, checks order information and records for accuracy. Assigns animals to appropriate housing location, appropriate caging and identifies correctly. Verifies and records housing information on appropriate forms, updates census information electronically, and submits these records to supervisor of office.
• Carrries out the disease surveillance program in the work area under the direction of the supervisor and veterinary staff. Ensures sentinel animals are placed appropriately in animal rooms, identified correctly, and records are maintained. Collects environmental samples or biological samples from animals for disease surveillance in accordance with standard operating procedures.
• Collaborates with investigators and research staff to lend assistance to various research projects that require unique or specialized husbandry practices. Serves as the principal contact for research staff for specialized services. Teaches and leads other technicians in the delivery of unique or specialized husbandry practices or services.
• Generates and maintains written records of requests and procedures. Observes individual animals and colonies for signs of disease, illness, injuries, abnormal behavior, mortality, or deviations in husbandry procedures and formally reports these to the supervisor and veterinary staff per standard operating procedures.
• Administers medications and/or treatments as instructed by veterinary staff. Generates and maintains animal health records as directed by the veterinary staff.
• Prepares and directs other technicians on appropriate procedures and use of cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting solutions.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Requirements

• High School Diploma or GED.
• Three (3) years of experience in maintaining research animals; OR successful completion of a formal 12-month course (1296 hours) training program in Animal Lab Technology (Certificate or Diploma) and two (2) years of experience; OR certification as an Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician (ALAT) by the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) and two (2) years of experience.
• Must be able to read and understand simple instructions; requires physical effort and ability to lift up to 50 lbs.; requires excellent manual dexterity for manipulating cages during animal transfer and cleaning.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of sterile microisolator techniques.
• Ability to measure and mix chemical disinfectants.
• Ability to follow standard operating procedures.
• Ability to communicate effectively and work as a team.
• Skill in documenting animal health or room conditions on forms and electronically.
• Experience handling animals with the ability to evaluate the health status of animals.
• Ability to effectively follow appropriate biosafety practices and procedures.
• Ability to work effectively and efficiently while wearing proper personal protective equipment.