Animal Care Technician I

Charles River; Worcester (MA); On-site; USD 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus/incentives based on performance

401K

paid time off

Stock purchase program

Health and wellness coverage

employee and family wellbeing support

work life balance flexibility

Job summary

Charles River is seeking an Animal Care Technician I to perform hands-on animal care in the in vivo services group, including husbandry, handling, restraint, treatment administration, and health observation.

The role requires lifting up to 50 pounds, ability to work with live animals and data entry, and adherence to SOPs and safety guidelines. Starting pay is $20.00 per hour; benefits include bonus, 401K, PTO, and more.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required; AA/AS preferred.
• Zero to six months related experience in animal research and/or husbandry.
• ALAT certification preferred.
• Equivalent combination of education and experience acceptable.

Responsibilities

• Perform in vivo husbandry procedures including animal receipt.
• Observe, record and report atypical findings of environment and animal health.
• Administer treatments via various routes.
• Collect and process biological samples according to SOPs.
• Provide quality care and health monitoring for all animals.
• Maintain accurate animal health and census records.
• Adhere to SOPs, policies and practices.
• Assist Veterinary Staff with animal care as requested.
• Perform facility sanitization and general housekeeping.
• Follow safety guidelines and document procedures accurately.

Skills

Animal care

Documentation

Teamwork

Data entry

PPE safety

Education

High school diploma or GED

Associate degree in animal science or related field

Job description

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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

TheAnimal Care Technician I will be involved in all aspects of animal care for the in vivo services group. This position is hands-on with responsibilities including, but not limited to animal husbandry, animal handling and restraint, treatment administration, animal health observations, cage changes, room sanitization and accurate documentation of animal health records.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Perform in vivo husbandry procedures including animal receipt
• Observes, records and reports atypical findings of the environment, facility and animal health
• Administer treatments via various routes
• Collect and process biological samples according to appropriate protocol and SOP requirements
• Provide quality care and health monitoring for all animals
• Identify and report any facility related issues or animal health concerns as necessary
• Interact with veterinary staff to convey and assist with animal health issues
• Maintain a safe and clean work environment
• Adhere to all applicable guidelines for the care and use of animals in research
• Perform facility sanitization, including animal rooms, hallways and other areas of the facility as needed
• Clearly and accurately document procedures including husbandry and sanitization
• Ensure that raw data records are accurate, complete and in appropriate order
• Maintain accurate animal health and census records
• Keep facilities stocked with supplies needed for daily operations
• Assist with review, development and improvement of departments forms and SOPs
• Follow company SOPs, Policies, and Practices
• Assist Veterinary Staff with animal care as requested, such as physical examinations
• Perform other related duties as assigned

The starting pay for this position is $20.00 per hour.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education: High school diploma or General Education Degree (G.E.D.) required. Associate’s degree (A.A./A.S.) in animal science or related field preferred.

Experience: Zero to six months related experience in animal research and/or husbandry or must have fully satisfied technical and experience requirements for the previous level.

Certification/Licensure: ALAT preferred.

An equivalent combination of education and experience may be accepted as a satisfactory substitute for the specific education and experience listed above.

Other: Ability to handle common laboratory species. Effective communication and listening skills in a teamwork environment. Excellent organization skills with minimal supervision enabling effective management of multiple, concurrent tasks and priorities. Proficient in basic technical skills and the operation of data collection equipment. Knowledge of Testing Facility SOPs and other federal regulations and guidelines relating to the care of laboratory animals. Basic understanding of study design and protocols.

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.
• Works in a research environment, which requires use of sharp objects, working around mechanical parts, working with or near known or unknown toxic or caustic chemicals and/or biological hazards, exposure to fumes and airborne particles.
• The employee regularly works with live animals with risk of exposure to dander, allergens, zoonotic disease, and biohazards.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to work/type at a computer.
• Mix of office and vivarium work. The noise level in the work environment ranges from low to high.
• While performing the duties of this job, travel between facilities may be required.

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.

With over 20,000 employees within 110 facilities in over 20 countries around the globe, we are strategically positioned to coordinate worldwide resources and apply multidisciplinary perspectives in resolving our client’s unique challenges. Our client base includes global pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, government agencies and hospitals and academic institutions around the world.

At Charles River, we are passionate about our role in improving the quality of people’s lives. Our mission, our excellent science and our strong sense of purpose guide us in all that we do, and we approach each day with the knowledge that our work helps to improve the health and well-being of many across the globe. We have proudly worked on 80% of the drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the past five years.

We’re committed to providing benefits that elevate your quality of life. Based on your position these may include:

• bonus/incentives based on performance
• 401K
• paid time off
• stock purchase program
• Health and wellness coverage
• employee and family wellbeing support programs
• work life balance flexibility.

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.

It is unlawful in some states (including Massachusetts) to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

If you are interested in applying to Charles River Laboratories and need special assistance or an accommodation due to a disability to complete any forms or to otherwise participate in the resume submission process, please contact a member of our Human Resources team by sending an e-mail message to [e-mail]. This contact is for accommodation requests for individuals with disabilities only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

For more information, please visit www.criver.com.