Laboratory Animal Behavioral Technician I

Charles River Laboratories; Shrewsbury (MA); On-site; USD 28,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Charles River Laboratories in Massachusetts seeks a Lab Animal Behavioral Technician I (Habituation Technician) to join our Veterinary Services team. You will support acclimation, enrichment, and conditioning activities that prepare animals for study procedures, ideal for candidates with animal care, husbandry, veterinary, or life sciences experience who are passionate about promoting animal welfare.

Schedule is Monday through Friday, 7:30am–4:00pm or 8:00am–4:30pm.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED plus 1 year of relevant experience or an associate degree.
• Experience with animals in research, husbandry, veterinary, shelter, kennel, or similar settings.
• Ability to safely handle common laboratory animal species and maintain records.

Responsibilities

• Handle animals and assist acclimation programs for study procedures.
• Support behavioral management through basic operant conditioning.
• Maintain data and documentation for acclimation and enrichment programs.
• Receive, label, store, and organize food and enrichment supplies.
• Assist with food preparation and enrichment inventory.
• Provide environmental and social enrichment for animals.
• Build and evaluate enrichment devices in collaboration with teams.

Skills

Animal care

Recordkeeping

Organizational skills

Education

High school diploma or GED

Associate degree in Animal Science or Life Sciences

Bachelor's degree in Animal Science or Life Sciences (preferred)

Job description

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

We are seeking a motivated and compassionate Lab Animal Behavioral Technician I (Habituation Technician) to join our Veterinary Services team. In this role, you will support animal behavioral management programs by assisting with acclimation, enrichment, and conditioning activities that help prepare animals for study procedures. This position is ideal for individuals with animal care, husbandry, veterinary, or life sciences experience who are passionate about promoting animal welfare and providing high-quality care.

Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm (or 8:00am-4:30pm)

Job Type: Full-Time

The pay rate for this position is $21/hour. Please note that salaries vary within the range based on factors including, but not limited to, experience, skills, education, certifications, and location.

Key Responsibilities

• Handle animals and assist with acclimation programs that prepare animals for study procedures.

• Support behavioral management initiatives through basic operant conditioning techniques.

• Maintain, track, and review data related to acclimation and enrichment programs.

• Maintain accurate documentation and records related to behavioral management programs.

• Receive, label, store, and organize food and enrichment supplies.

• Assist with food preparation and enrichment inventory management.

• Provide appropriate environmental and social enrichment opportunities for animals.

• Build, maintain, and evaluate enrichment devices.

• Collaborate with veterinary, animal care, and other laboratory medicine teams to ensure animal welfare standards are met.

Qualifications

Required:

• High school diploma or GED plus 1 year of relevant experience, or

• Associate degree in Animal Science, Life Sciences, or a related field.

• Experience working with animals in a research, husbandry, veterinary, shelter, kennel, or similar environment.

• Ability to safely handle common laboratory animal species.

• Strong organizational and recordkeeping skills.

Preferred:

• Bachelor\'s degree in Animal Science, Life Sciences, or a related discipline.

• Multi-species animal care experience.

• AALAS ALAT certification.

• Knowledge of laboratory animal care standards, protocols, and regulatory requirements.

Physical Requirements

This position is based in a research and animal care environment. Employees may work around laboratory equipment, animal allergens, biological materials, and varying noise levels. Safety equipment and training are provided.

• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs regularly.

• Ability to push wheeled carts weighing up to 1,200 lbs.

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods throughout an 8-hour shift.

• Comfortable working in animal care and research environments.

• Ability to wear required personal protective equipment (PPE).

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, and work life balance flexibility.

Equal Employment Opportunity

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.

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