Animal Support Technician III

Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 36,000 - 51,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

Flexible spending accounts: health, 
d

Short and long-term disability

Life and AD&D insurance

403(b) retirement plan with matching

PTO: 13 holidays, 3 weeks vacation, 2s

Employee assistance program

Educational assistance program

Subsidized ORCA pass

Wellness benefits

Voluntary benefits

Job summary

Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason in Seattle is seeking an Animal Support Technician III to provide technical research support and coordinate daily care and husbandry of rodents in the vivarium. The AST III trains staff, leads AST I and II, and ensures regulatory compliance and accurate study records.

The role requires five years' experience with laboratory animals, surgical proficiency, strong documentation skills, and teamwork to maintain high standards of animal welfare and

Qualifications

• Five years of laboratory animal care and research experience with mice.
• Surgical experience required.
• AALAS LAT or LATG certification preferred.
• Advanced knowledge of federal, state, and local regulations governing laboratory animal care and use.
• Ability to push or pull up to 100 pounds and lift or carry up to 50 pounds.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate with researchers to determine study requirements, maintain animal inventories and records.
• Perform advanced lab animal procedures including dosing, blood collection, anesthesia, survival and terminal surgeries, irradiation, euthanasia, and tissue collection.
• Monitor animal health, conduct health assessments, and report abnormalities.
• Perform animal husbandry: cage changes, sanitation, feeding, enrichment, and cleaning.
• Provide training and certification for procedures such as anesthesia and euthanasia.
• Lead AST I/II staff and assign study tasks based on proficiency.
• Develop and maintain SOPs, protocols, records, and job aids.
• Maintain health, study, environmental monitoring, and regulatory records.
• Prepare for arrival of new animals and house them per procedures.
• Perform tissue harvesting, data collection, and research documentation.
• Follow IACUC protocols and applicable regulations.
• Identify process improvements to enhance efficiency and quality.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Surgical experience

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Recordkeeping

Discretion and judgment

English literacy

Physical stamina

Education

High school diploma or GED

AS in Veterinary Technology

BSc in Biology/Animal Science/Life Sciences

LAT or LATG certification preferred

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Job description

Overview

The Animal Support Technician III (AST III) provides technical research support and coordinates the daily care and husbandry of rodents housed in the vivarium. This role supports internal and external researchers by coordinating study requirements, maintaining accurate records, and ensuring animal care activities are performed in accordance with approved protocols and regulatory requirements.

The AST III performs advanced animal procedures, provides training and procedural certification to research staff, and serves as a resource and leader for Animal Support Technicians I and II. The position works collaboratively as part of a professional team and completes assignments with reduced supervision while maintaining a high standard of animal welfare, research support, and regulatory compliance.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate with internal and external researchers to determine study requirements, supplies, schedules, costs, and billing; maintain accurate animal inventories and project records.


• Perform advanced lab animal procedures, including dosing, blood collection, anesthesia, survival and terminal surgical procedures, irradiation, euthanasia, and tissue collection.


• Monitor animal health and well-being, conduct health assessments and clinical observations, and report abnormalities or concerns to appropriate personnel.


• Perform animal husbandry activities, including cage changes and sanitation, feeding, watering, environmental enrichment, and cleaning and disinfecting animal rooms and support areas.


• Provide training and certification for research procedures such as animal restraint, injections, blood collection, anesthesia, and euthanasia.


• Assign Animal Support Technicians to studies based on their procedural proficiency and provide leadership and technical guidance to AST I and AST II staff.


• Develop, update, and maintain standard operating procedures, protocols, records, instructions, and job aids.


• Maintain accurate animal health, study, environmental monitoring, and regulatory records in accordance with facility procedures and applicable regulations.


• Prepare for the arrival of new animals, evaluate their condition, and house them according to established procedures.


• Perform animal identification, tissue harvesting, weaning, database entry, and research data collection.


• Monitor environmental conditions and support environmental monitoring activities to help ensure animal health and facility compliance.


• Follow IACUC protocols, federal regulations, facility procedures and applicable standards governing laboratory animal care and use.


• Identify opportunities to improve processes and make recommendations to enhance operational efficiency and quality.


• Perform other duties as assigned and comply with all organizational policies and standards.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required.


• Five years of laboratory animal care and research experience with mice, or an equivalent combination of related education and required experience.


• Surgical experience required.


• Associate of Applied Science in Veterinary Technology preferred.


• Bachelor's degree in Biology, Animal Science, Life Sciences, or a related field preferred.


• AALAS Laboratory Animal Technician (LAT) or Laboratory Animal Technologist (LATG) certification preferred.


• Advanced knowledge of federal, state, and local regulations governing laboratory animal care and use, including applicable animal care and use guidelines.


• Advanced knowledge of animal health, husbandry, behavior, disease transmission, sanitation, aseptic techniques, and environmental factors affecting laboratory animals.


• Advanced knowledge of anesthetic principles and advanced skills in animal handling, restraint, dosing, blood collection, anesthesia, euthanasia, and surgical procedures.


• Advanced computer skills, including proficiency with Microsoft Excel and Word.


• Strong mathematical, observational, documentation, and recordkeeping skills.


• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to follow detailed oral and written instructions.


• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and work collaboratively in a team environment.


• Ability to exercise discretion, analyze problems, and apply sound judgment.


• Ability to read, write, speak, and comprehend English.


• Ability to push or pull up to 100 pounds and lift or carry up to 50 pounds.

Compensation

$25.66 to $37.21 hourly

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision insurance


• Flexible spending accounts: health care, dependent care, commuter


• Short and long-term disability


• Life and AD&D insurance


• 403(b) retirement plan with matching funds after one year of employment


• PTO: 13 holidays, three weeks of vacation and two weeks of sick leave per year


• Employee assistance program


• Educational assistance program


• Subsidized ORCA pass


• Wellness benefits


• Voluntary benefits

About Us

Benaroya Research Institute (BRI)has a bold mission: to advance the science to predict, prevent, reverse and cureimmune system diseases, fromautoimmune diseasetocancertoasthmaandallergies. We create detailed pictures of the immune system in health and disease, aiming to understand how disorders start and how to rebalance the immune system back to health. Equipped with innovative tools and robustbiorepositories, our team chips away at the biggest mysteries behind these conditions to work toward our vision of a healthy immune system for everyone.BRI is a nonprofit research institute based in Seattle and affiliated with Virginia Mason Franciscan Health.We collaborate with clinicians and patients to accelerate the path from innovative lab discoveries to life-changing patient care.

At BRI, each individual is valued as an important contributor to our vision and mission. Consider making a difference by joining our team. Because together, we arepowering possibility.To learn more, visitbenaroyaresearch.organd connect with us onLinkedIn,Bluesky,Instagram,Threads,FacebookandYouTube.Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by state or federal law.

If you need an accommodation or assistance completing the online application, please contact Human Resources at 206-342-6547 or [e-mail] contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.