Animal Caretaker

Astrix Inc.; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 21,000 - 26,000; Full time

Job summary

The Vivarium Animal Facility in Philadelphia, PA is seeking an Animal Caretaker to support clinical veterinary services, animal husbandry, procurement, enrichment, investigator support, training, and compliance oversight. This full-time role requires daily animal health checks, cage maintenance, and adherence to SOPs; the candidate should be self-motivated with good English communication skills.

Responsibilities include handling various species, processing shipments, maintaining census records,

Qualifications

• General background in animal care or research training preferred.
• High School Diploma is required.
• Must be self-motivated and able to work independently to perform required tasks and recognize operational problems.
• Good communication skills and fluency in English.
• Basic computer skills and ability to handle physical requirements of the job

Responsibilities

• Performs daily animal health checks and reports any abnormal animal conditions to the veterinary technician and/or Area Supervisor.
• Disposes of dead animals following standard SOPs and policies.
• Changes animal caging, including feed and water, according to SOPs and the established schedule by the Area Supervisor.
• Sexes and weans animals according to SOPs.
• Maintains daily animal census sheets, room equipment and status forms; completes forms requested by the Area Supervisor.
• Cleans and sanitizes animal facility, rooms and cages according to SOPs.
• Maintains and repairs animal caging and support equipment.
• Receives, examines, transfers, identifies and houses incoming animal shipments according to SOPs.
• Assist with restraint, handling and manipulation of various animal species as requested by investigators.
• Perform routine cleaning, descaling, and preventive maintenance on cage washers and autoclaves; check filters and spray manifolds.

Skills

Communication

English Fluency

Education

High School Diploma

Job description

Title: Animal Caretaker
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Contract to Hire
The Vivarium Animal Facility is looking to hire a Animal Caretakerto take care of our animal colony. The team's responsibilities include clinical veterinary services, animal husbandry, animal procurement, animal enrichment, investigator support, training, and compliance oversight.

Duties include:

• Performs daily animal health checks and reports any abnormal animal conditions to the veterinary technician and /or Area Supervisor.
• Disposes of dead animals following standard SOPs and policies.
• Changes animal caging, to include feed and water, according to SOPs and/or specific approved protocols and the schedule established by the Area Supervisor.
• Sexes and weans animals according the SOPs.
• Maintains daily animal census sheets, room equipment and status form sheets, and other forms requested by the Area Supervisor.
• Cleans and sanitizes animal facility, assigned rooms and cages according to SOPs.
• Maintains and repairs animal caging and support equipment.
• Receives, examines, transfers, identifies and properly houses incoming animal shipments according to SOPs.
• Assist with the restraint, handling and manipulation of various animal species as requested by the investigators.
• Perform routine cleaning, descaling, and preventative maintenance on the cage washers and autoclaves, including checking and cleaning filters and spray manifolds.
• Process clean caging and accessory equipment appropriately, including putting bedding into cages and autoclaving cages and supplies.

Requirements:

• General background in animal care or research training preferred
• High School Diploma is required
• Must be self-motivated and able to work independently to perform required tasks and recognize operational problems
• Good communication skills and fluency in English
• Basic computer skills
• Ability to handle the physical requirements of the position (e.g., repetitive motions, lifting 6-liter (12 lb.) tanks of water, extended periods of standing, walking, and sitting)

This job description is a complete list of all desired skills, but not all are required. We look forward to a conversation to learn more about you!