Animal Care Attendant

Rice University; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 10,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

An established university in Houston is seeking a dedicated Animal Care Attendant to support vital research activities. This role involves maintaining cleanliness in animal facilities, ensuring proper care for research animals, and performing essential janitorial services. Ideal candidates will possess strong interpersonal skills and the ability to follow instructions meticulously. This position is crucial for fostering a healthy research environment and offers a chance to be part of a community that values responsibility, integrity, community, and excellence. Join a vibrant team dedicated to advancing research and education in a supportive atmosphere.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience or equivalent education.
• Ability to follow oral and written instructions.

Responsibilities

• Maintain cleanliness of animal facilities and equipment.
• Perform routine maintenance on cage wash equipment.
• Manage supply inventories and perform laundry services.

Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Teamwork

Logical and Efficient Work

Equipment Handling

Lifting Equipment

Hand Tool Usage

Sanitation and Disinfection

Basic Mechanical Operations

Record Keeping

Chemical Solution Mixing

Education

High School Diploma or Equivalent

Job description

Special Instructions to Applicants:

All interested applicants should attach a resume and cover letter in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in a PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.

About Rice:

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice’s culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name — RICE — Responsibility, Integrity, Community and Excellence.

Position Summary:

The Animal Resources Facility is the backbone support for the groundwork in research developments and innovations by providing basic care for the animals involved in research and teaching at Rice University

The Animal Care Attendant (ACA) provides janitorial services for the animal facility. This position involves keeping husbandry staff provided with clean animal cages.

Ideal Candidate Statement:

The ideal candidate is a self-starter who can follow written and verbal instructions and apply standard operating procedures.

Workplace Requirements:

This position is exclusively on-site, necessitating all duties to be performed in-person.

This role is classified as an essential position, requiring on-site presence to effectively carry out its vital functions.

*Non-Exempt (hourly) positions under FLSA are eligible for overtime.

Hiring Range: $15.72 - $17.00, contingent upon qualifications and experience.

Minimum Requirements:

• HS Diploma or equivalent
• 2+ years of experience
  • In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis may be substituted

Skills:

• Good interpersonal skills and ability to work as a team with others
• Ability to work logically and efficiently.
• Ability to push/pull pieces of equipment which may have dimensions in excess of 6 ft. high, 3 ft. wide and/or 8 ft. long, weights ranging up to 25lbs.
• Ability to lift equipment up to 50lbs.
• Ability to utilize hand tools and must be able to follow oral and written instructions of varying length and complexity.
• Ability to understand and follow concepts of clean and dirty flow patterns and sanitation and disinfection and utilize appropriate applications.
• Ability to understand basic mechanical operations and routine maintenance, access basic computer functions, and mix chemical solutions correctly.
• Ability to maintain accurate written records.
• Ability to accurately measure/dilute cleaning solutions.
• Work may require protective clothing.

Essential Functions:

• Processing clean and dirty caging equipment
• Perform routine preventive maintenance on cage wash equipment
• Maintaining supply inventories
• General cleaning of all areas of AR facilities. Dusts furniture, woodwork, equipment and dust-mops floors. Wet-mops/ vacuums rooms, halls, stairways and public areas.
• Cleaning break areas and bathrooms.Cleans and disinfects all fixtures, floors, mirrors, windows, doors and walls of bathrooms
• Trash removal - Gathers and disposes of trash and waste materials
• Stocking supplies and PPE stations.
• Floor maintenance – includes running floor machines/buffers.
• Performs laundry service. Removes waste and soiled linens from work area and places in specific bags or containers
• Polishing stainless steel equipment.
• Emptying carcasses freezer/refrigerators.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Rice University HR | Benefits:https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits

Rice Mission and Values:Mission and Values | Rice University

Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please contact Rice University’s Disability Resource Center at 713-348-5841 [e-mail] support.

If you have any additional questions, please email us [e-mail]. Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.