Animal Technician

The Garvan Institute of Medical Research; Moss Vale; On-site; AUD 58,000 - 76,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary packaging

Paid parental leave (18 weeks)

Discounted Health Insurance

Training and development

Lifestyle discounts

Job summary

The Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney is seeking an Animal Technician to care for and maintain mouse colonies within a cleanroom environment. The role involves hands-on animal husbandry, daily cage changes, hygiene, and adherence to ethical standards to support researchers.

Salary: $64,600 + 12% super + salary packaging. Employment type: Permanent. Generous benefits include training, parental leave, health insurance discounts, and more.

Qualifications

• TAFE Animal Technology qualification is desired but not essential.
• Commitment to animal welfare and high care standards.
• Rodent husbandry knowledge and biosecurity awareness.
• Excellent attention to detail and observational skills.
• Good verbal and written communication abilities.

Responsibilities

• Manage animal husbandry within delegated area and adhere to ethics standards.
• Daily assessment and cage changes (up to 350 cages per day).
• Routine hygiene and monitoring of water and feed per protocol.
• Report health or behavioural abnormalities to senior staff.
• Admin tasks: animal dispatch, arrivals, data entry on breeding/welfare.
• Weigh and administer medications under supervision; follow drug dilutions.
• Operate and maintain equipment such as anaesthetic and biosafety cabinets.
• Attend team meetings and participate in weekend/public holiday rosters.

Skills

Attention to detail

Observational skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Reliability

Teamwork

Education

TAFE Animal Technology qualification

Tools

Computer literacy

Job description

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Animal Technician is a support role and the primary function is to provide for the care and maintenance of animals used in medical research and to indirectly support research staff involved in animal research. The principal responsibilities of this position involve the breeding, maintenance and care of inbred and genetically modified mouse colonies within a cleanroom environment. The animal technician role is a physical role and does require standing for up to 2.5 hours at a time and keeping moving through the whole work day (7.6 hours). This position adds value to the Garvan Institute by providing animal care services, to allow research staff to focus on scientific research outcomes. Effective and breakthrough scientific outcomes ultimately result in further funding success for Garvan's ultimate goal in prevention and treatment of disease.

Salary: $64,600 + 12% super + salary packaging

Employment Type: Permanent

SNAPSHOT OF BENEFITS

• Generous salary packaging to save you income tax on your wages thereby boosting your monthly take home pay (max. $15,900 general expenses + $2,650 meals/accom)
• Ample opportunities for on-going training and development
• 18 weeks paid parental leave for both parents including paid superannuation
• A range of additional leave types to meet your personal needs including cultural leave, conference leave, community service and study leave
• Discounted Health Insurance
• Lifestyle discounts with our community partners

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Management of animal husbandry within a delegated area, duties include:
• Adhere to Garvan's Animal Ethics Monitoring Standards
• Daily assessment and changing of animal cages (up to 350 cages within a day)
• Routine cleaning to ensure required hygiene of animal rooms as per instructions and protocol requirements
• Monitor and refill water and feed as per instructions and protocol requirements
• Monitor animals and diligently report health or behavioural abnormalities to more senior animal care staff
• Adhere to strict monitoring, welfare and husbandry procedures, checklists and ethical standards for the care of animals
• Administrative responsibilities such as animal dispatch, animal arrivals, data entry regarding breeding, welfare, etc.
• Weigh and administer medication to animals when requested by senior ABR staff and/or researchers.
• Follow instructions for the dilutions of drugs and chemicals.
• Carry out basic manipulation techniques under supervision of senior trained staff, such as, injections, bleeding techniques, euthanasia, post mortems, administration of anaesthesia, minor surgery
• Routine use and maintenance of equipment, such as anaesthetic machine, tail tattooing machine, balances, animal change station/biosafety cabinet, computer station and associated IT equipment
• Actively communicate with and support ABR/BTF team members in a positive and helpful manner in order to maintain the welfare and ethical monitoring standards of the animals in your care
• Maintain up to date skills and knowledge of ethical, monitoring policies, protocols and checklists
• Strictly maintain confidentially and protection of Garvan's research and operational procedures
• Participate in ongoing professional development and training
• Attend and proactively participate in team meetings
• Be available to participate in shifts and work rosters covering weekends and public holidays
• All staff are required to comply with Garvan's workplace polices (as amended from time to time) and especially Garvan's Work Health & Safety (WHS) Policy, including working in accordance with the WHS management system at all times, as safety is Garvan's number one priority.

ABOUT YOU

• Relevant TAFE qualifications in Animal Technology or equivalent is desired but not essential.
• Possess a strong commitment to animal welfare and care
• General experience in handling rodents is desirable but not essential (due to biosecurity issues, owning pet mice or rats at home is not permissible).
• Basic knowledge of the husbandry, housing and breeding requirements of lab or other animals.
• Excellent attention to detail and observational skills
• Strong customer focus and commitment to quality
• Good verbal and written communication skills
• Basic computer skills
• Reliability, patient and must be trustworthy
• The ability to work individually or as a member of a group
• Ability to organise own time
• A professional and caring approach
• Ability and motivation to develop new skills and learn new procedures
• Escalation to Senior Animal Technician requires passing a skills and knowledge test.

ABOUT GARVAN

Garvan Institute of Medical Research is an independent Medical Research Institute (MRI) in Sydney, delivering scientific and clinical impact on a global basis and in partnership with organisations that share our vision. We are proud to be one of Australia's largest and most highly regarded MRI's. Our vision is global leadership in discoveries to impact and our enduring purpose is to impact human health, by harnessing information encoded in our genome. We seek to see our world-class discovery research achieve life-changing impacts, not only for individual patients with rare diseases, but for the many thousands affected by complex, common disease. Garvan promotes a diverse workplace and is committed to the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging. We are always looking for culture 'add', not culture 'fit' and are building diverse teams with great sets of complementary styles and skills to help deliver our important work effectively.

We are always looking for culture 'add', not culture 'fit' and are building diverse teams with great sets of complementary styles and skills to help deliver our important work effectively. The Garvan Institute of Medical Research brings together world leading researchers and clinicians, collaborating locally and globally, to improve human health. Our mission is to harness all the information encoded in our genome to better diagnose, treat, predict and prevent disease. From the individual patient with rare disease, to the many thousands affected by complex, widespread illness, we are pioneering discoveries across diseases that have the deepest impact on our community. Through our key scientific strengths in data, genomics, cellular, translation and clinical science, we aim to catalyse research from fundamental discovery to transformational impact. Enabled by cutting-edge technology and world-class facilities, and the support of our passionate Garvan family; our researchers and professional staff strive, every day, to create a future where everyone lives longer, healthier lives.

VIDEO

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