Cage Wash Lead

University of Minnesota; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Minnesota is seeking a Cage Wash Lead to ensure a seamless flow of sanitized equipment essential to biomedical research. You will balance logistics, troubleshooting, and daily leadership while maintaining cage wash inventory and preventing bottlenecks.

This in-person role at multiple Twin Cities facilities requires coordinating with animal care staff, management, and maintenance teams, onboarding staff, and performing daily cage wash duties during shortages or high‑demand

Qualifications

• BA/BS degree or a four-year combination of related education and professional practice
• High degree of reliability, punctuality, and attendance
• Ability to work 100% onsite to support daily hands-on facility operations
• Hold a valid driver’s license and meet university background standards for motor vehicle operation

Responsibilities

• 30% Cage Wash Daily Operations: perform safety checks, monitor temperature/steam, maintenance tasks, and preprocessing of cages; operate tunnel and rack washers; manage sanitation and autoclaving; maintain logs and label accuracy for audits.
• 30% Training & Leadership: lead hands-on cage wash training, onboarding, mentorship, SOP compliance, and coordinate with leadership on workflow.
• 20% Facility & Administrative Support: conduct facility walkthroughs, coordinate with facilities management and technicians, manage census fluctuations and inventory for consumables.
• 15% Safety and Compliance: ensure AAALAC, USDA, OLAW, and safety policy adherence; maintain logs and participate in inspections.
• 5% Professional Development and Other Duties: attend meetings, trainings, and assist with projects and emergencies.

Skills

Cage wash operations

Training & supervision

Onsite work

Safety compliance

Education

BA/BS or equivalent education

Tools

Autoclave operation

Microisolator technique

Inventory management

Job description

About the Job

Title: Cage Wash Lead

Job code: 8421OS

Employee Group: Civil Service

Full/Part Time (FTE): 100% FTE

Regular/Temporary: Regular

Job Summary: As a Cage Wash Lead, you ensure a seamless flow of sanitizedequipment critical to biomedical research. Balancing logistics,technical troubleshooting, and daily leadership, you maintainequipment inventory based on cage census and eliminate operationalbottlenecks. You serve as a key expert on cage wash facilities andequipment operations, connecting animal care staff, management, andmaintenance teams. You assist staff through onboarding andtraining, and perform daily cage wash duties during staff shortagesor high-demand periods.

Location and Work Environment: In-person at multiple facilities on the Twin Cities campus. This position is defined as an essential role under theUniversity’s State of Emergency policy, and plays a key role inensuring the health and welfare of RAR’s research animals. Duringemergencies or other situations that impact normal operations, thisposition may be required to perform additional duties as assignedto support the team and ensure animal care is not compromised.These duties may include, but are not limited to, animal husbandry,sanitation, feeding, health monitoring, and will be determined atthe discretion of the direct supervisor and/or RAR seniorleadership based on operational needs. Training will be provided asneeded. Unscheduled, mandatory overtime may be assigned by thedirect supervisor/leadership as needed to ensure animal health andwelfare.

Physical and Environmental Requirements:

• There will be exposure to animal allergens
• Current Tetanus vaccination is required (may be obtained duringfirst week of employment)
• An annual test for Tuberculosis will be completed for workingwith certain species
• Due to the high level of noise, a hearing test is performedannually when assigned to a hearing conservation area
• Rabies Vaccines or titer will be completed when working withcertain species or the employee may complete a declinationform.
• An annual Flu vaccine is a requirement to work with some animalspecies
• Measles titer may be drawn
• The employee may work in wet rooms or around large industrialcage washers
• Employee may work in an outside environment in any weatherconditions
• Employee may be required to wear a powered air purifyingrespirator (PAPR) or N95 mask

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 6:00 am-2:30 pm and may require occasionalevening, weekend, holiday, or on-call hours to meet operationalneeds.

Primary Responsibilities

30% Cage Wash Daily Operations

• Complete safety checks, temperature/steam monitoring,preventative maintenance tasks, and minor troubleshooting ofmachines.
• Promptly escalates unresolved mechanical failures or significantsafety hazards to the Supervisor/Manager.
• Perform daily cage wash duties, including but not limited todumping cages, operating tunnel and rack washers, emptying andfilling water bottles, facility sanitation, equipment sanitation,autoclaving, and using microisolator technique.
• Service procedure rooms, including replacing compressedgases.
• Maneuver chemical drums up to 55 gallons using a mechanicallift/dolly.
• Identify and remove broken or improperly sanitizedsupplies/equipment.
• Maintain accurate records in accordance with departmentaldocumentation standards.
• Ensure continuous audit-readiness for AAALAC and IACUCinspections by verifying label accuracy, monitoring expirationdates, and auditing logbook completion.
• Perform delegated duties during peer absences to ensureoperational continuity.

30% Training & Leadership

• Act as the primary hands‑on trainer for cage wash operations,including sanitation processes, cage wash equipment, and safety, aswell as autoclave processes and microisolator technique.
• Assist with onboarding and ongoing assessments of the cage washpersonnel.
• Partner with leadership and the Training Team to implementeducational initiatives, providing direct mentorship to staff toensure SOP compliance.
• Assist in auditing SOPs for technical accuracy and operationalalignment.
• Provide essential onsite guidance for the cage wash team andfacilitate communication with supervisors.
• Coordinate production workflows and communicate resource needs toleadership; conduct regular facility rounds to verify that cagingorders/needs remain on schedule.
• Serve as a technical mentor and resource for peer professionaldevelopment.
• Engage in specialized projects to optimize workflow efficiencyand upgrade vivarium infrastructure.
• Participate in the interview process for cage washpersonnel.

20% Facility & Administrative Support

• Conduct routine facility walkthroughs to confirm that all checksheets and logbooks are accurately maintained.
• Meet with UMN Facilities Management, RAR facilities staff, andoutside technicians regarding equipment issues and preventativemaintenance.
• Act as the primary point of contact for Animal Care Leadsregarding daily census fluctuations and cage changing schedules;proactively adjust cage wash output to match the expanding orcontracting needs of the animal rooms.
• Identify operational issues or communication gaps that arisebetween the Animal Care and Cage Wash teams to ensure a unifiedworkflow.
• Provide support for departmental administrative planning and thecoordination of emergency response protocols.
• Complete inventory for feed, bedding, PPE, chemicals, and varioussanitation consumables.
• Prepare and submit supply requests once authorized by theSupervisor.
• Coordinate the distribution of feed, bedding, and materials tovarious vivarium sites as required.
• Assist with the movement of equipment and bulk supplies betweenthe offsite warehouse, the loading dock, and the facilities.
• Monitor fluctuations in equipment demand to adjust inventorylevels and manage the removal of surplus caging supplies.

15% Safety and Compliance

• Ensure compliance with university safety policies, AAALACstandards, and applicable federal and state regulations (USDA,OLAW, PHS).
• Maintain accurate logs for sanitation cycles, autoclavevalidation, and safety inspections.
• Conduct and document safety training sessions and ensure properuse of PPE.
• Participate in facility inspections, AAALAC site visits, andinternal audits.
• Attend meetings, safety training, and continuing educationseminars.
• Partner with the RAR QA Coordinator to perform and documenttesting (e.g., biological indicators, thermal strips) to ensurethat sanitation and sterilization standards are consistentlyachieved.
• Maintain individual professional competency by completingmandatory training and staying informed on proceduralchanges.

5% Professional Development and Other Duties

• Participate in team and/or project meetings to discuss facilitystatus, updates, and process improvements.
• Attend conferences, webinars, and/or online continuing educationclasses.
• Assist other members of the infrastructure team during absencesor projects.
• Serve as the Cage Wash Supervisor’s designee whenrequested.
• Serve as a back‑up cargo van driver for animal and supplytransport.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• BA/BS degree or a documented four‑year combination of relatededucation and professional practice.
• High degree of personal reliability, consistent punctuality, and a strong attendance record.
• Ability to work 100% onsite to support daily hands‑on facilityoperations.
• Hold a valid driver’s license and maintain eligibility under theUniversity’s background standards for motor vehicle operation.Safely operate a cargo van.

Preferred Qualifications:

• At least one year of experience in cage wash operations, ABSL2waste management, microisolator technique, autoclave operation, andrecordkeeping.
• Experience working in the University of Minnesota’s RAR cage washfacilities.
• AALAS certification(s).
• Experience in a lead, training, or supervisory role.
• Practical knowledge of animal welfare guidelines and AAALACInternational standards (PHS, OLAW, USDA).
• Background in Lean or Continuous Improvement methodologies withinan operational setting.
• Experience in logistics, industrial sanitation (hospital,laboratory, or animal facility), commercial inventory, ormanufacturing production lines.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Must be able to understand and follow written and oralinstructions in English.
• Must be able to read and write in English with the ability tocommunicate electronically via email.
• Must be comfortable operating iPads and computers.
• Must possess basic skills in Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets,Gmail, Calendar, Chat) or Microsoft Office (Word, Excel).
• Must have the ability to understand the flow between Animal Careand Cage Wash and predict needs before they become emergencies.
• Must be able to professionally and effectively collaborate withresearch personnel, vendors, other university departments, and allinternal RAR teams.
• Must be able to navigate working in multiple vivarium locationswhile balancing various high-priority assignments.
• Must be capable of lifting 50 pounds