LABORATORY TECH ASSISTANT 3

LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans; New Orleans (LA); On-site; USD 16,531 - 17,688; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, life, dental, and vision insurance

Flexible spending accounts

Retirement plans

Paid holidays

Employee assistance program

Job summary

LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans is hiring a Laboratory Technical Assistant to perform animal husbandry duties for various research animals. Responsibilities include monitoring animal health, maintaining sanitary conditions, and operating specialized equipment. Candidates must have experience in animal care or related fields. The role requires weekend and holiday work, and positions are subject to probation. Comprehensive benefits are provided, including health and retirement plans.

Qualifications

• Experience in animal husbandry or related fields.
• Ability to operate specialized autoclave equipment.
• Experience with health monitoring of laboratory animals.

Responsibilities

• Perform specialized animal husbandry duties.
• Monitor health status of research animals and report abnormalities.
• Maintain husbandry and sanitation of animal housing facility.
• Conduct cage changing operations on weekends.
• Maintain records and logs of animal health and environment.

Skills

Animal husbandry

Phlebotomy

Monitoring animal health

Sanitation

Education

Associate's degree in medical technology or related field

Certification as Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician

Tools

Large autoclave

Job description

Opening date: May 6, 2026

Closing date: May 20, 2026

Title: LABORATORY TECHNICAL ASSISTANT 1, 2 or 3

Employee Classification: LABORATORY TECHNICAL ASSISTANT 3

Department: Animal Laboratories-Downtown

Campus Location: ANIMAL CARE/CLINICAL SCIENCES

Job Summary

The experienced incumbent will be responsible for basic and specialized animal husbandry duties for a large variety of research animals maintained and housed within the Division of Animal Care. The Facility Manager, Clinical Veterinarian, Laboratory Technical Assistant Supervisor, and Laboratory Technician Supervisor will provide supervision for this position. The position will require weekend and holiday duties.

Job Duties

• Perform specialized maintenance or animal husbandry duties in biosafety level 1, 2, 3 areas. Independently maintain husbandry and sanitation of animal satellite housing facility exceeding regulatory requirements.
• Visually inspect and monitor the health status of research animals and report abnormalities to the veterinarian. Record animal behavior, fecal and urine output, and food and water intake. Identify and report subtle signs of illness in all laboratory animals.
• Operate large, specialized autoclave equipment to ensure proper sanitation and disinfection of materials used in the facility.
• Perform cage changing in specialized behavioral areas during weekends. Cross train for all areas in the facility to provide husbandry as needed.
• Maintain weekly animal and feed inventory.
• Maintain daily monitoring logs of animal environment.

Special Requirements

All new hires are required to participate in the Division of Animal Care Occupational Health Program mandated by Federal Law. New hires will complete a Risk Assessment Evaluation/Review Form. They will also undergo physical and blood work that includes a Complete Blood Count, a Blood Chemistry Profile, and measles titer tuberculosis testing. New hires may further be scheduled for the following: Toxoplasmosis testing (women); tetanus/diphtheria immunization; Diphtheria/Pertussis/Tetanus (DTP) immunization; and measles, mumps, rubella vaccine.

Compensation

Starting rate of pay for the LTA 1 is $12 and $12.84 for the LTA 2. Pay rate depends on the applicant’s level of experience. An additional $3 Premium Pay and $1 Longevity Pay per hour are paid for "hours worked only".

Hours and Appointment

Hours of Operation: 7:00 am – 4:00 pm Monday – Friday, every other weekend and holiday 6:00 am – 10:00 am.

Appointment Type: Probational.

Pre‑employment drug testing, TB skin test, and criminal background check are required. The selected applicant will be placed on probation for at least six months.

Minimum Qualifications

Required education: None.

Number of years required: 0 for LTA 1, 1 for LTA 2, 2 for LTA 3.

Type of experience required: Two years of experience as a phlebotomist, EKG/ECG technician, pulmonary technician, or respiratory care technician, or in the care, preparation, or handling of laboratory specimens, animals, or cadavers; or an associate’s degree in medical technology, nursing, clinical laboratory science, or a biological, physical, or chemical science; or certification as an Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician by the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science.

Substitution: Every six semester hours earned from an accredited college or university in any of the biological, physical, chemical, or agricultural sciences will substitute for one year of the required experience.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits are available to eligible employees and their dependents, including health, life, dental, and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; retirement plans; generous annual and sick leave; 14 paid holidays per year; and an employee health primary‑care clinic. Full benefits details are available at https://www.lsuhsc.edu/administration/hrm/benefits-about.aspx.

Other employee benefits include a full‑service credit union, wellness benefits featuring complimentary fitness center membership for employees and their spouses, employee assistance program, campus assistance program, and pet insurance option. More information is available at https://www.lsuhsc.edu/administration/hrm/addtlbenefits.aspx.