Pet Caretaker (Cat)

Mars, Incorporated and its Affiliates; Tennessee; On-site; USD 36,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Health and dental coverage

Retirement plan

Generous vacation plan

Career advancement opportunities

Job summary

Mars Petcare US in Thompson’s Station, TN is seeking a Pet Caretaker – Cat to provide daily care for the cats in the feeding facility, maintain clean habitats, and apply enrichment programs.

The role reports to the Animal Operations Manager–Cat and works from Wednesday to Saturday, 6:30am–5pm, including holidays. It requires physical fitness and flexibility; Mars offers competitive pay and benefits.

Qualifications

• Minimum high school diploma or GED.
• BS or MS in a biological science preferred but not required.
• Knowledge of animal health and management issues.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs.
• Ability to work evenings, weekends and holidays.

Responsibilities

• Execute the daily operations of the care unit in the MARS Pet Feeding Facility to ensure pet safety and well-being and accurate data collection.
• Record data according to study protocols (consumption timing, amounts eaten, body weights, etc).
• Evaluate pet health for veterinary and enrichment needs.
• Daily cleaning of pet housing quarters per SOPs.
• Implement environmental enrichment programs as directed by the Scientist.
• Implement exercise programs as per SOPs or veterinary guidance.
• Perform basic animal health tasks such as grooming, nail trimming, weighing.
• Collect and evaluate feces quality.

Skills

Animal facility operations

Computer skills

Communication skills

Animal health knowledge

Physical ability (lift up to 50 lbs)

Evenings/weekends/holidays flexibility

Education

High school diploma or GED

BS/MS in biological science

Job description

Job Description:

Position Title: Pet Caretaker – Cat

Reports To: Animal Operations Manager–Cat

Location: Thompson’s Station, TN

Function: R&D

Level of Role: Individual Contributor

SHIFT: Wednesday - Saturday, 6:30am - 5pm. This will include holidays.

Purpose of Role

The focus of this role is to provide daily care for the pets within the MARS Petcare Feeding Facility including cleaning of the facilities and implementation of environmental enrichment programs.

Principal Accountabilities

• Execute the daily operations of the care unit of the MARS Pet Feeding Facility to ensure pet safety and well-being, efficient running of the facility and that quality data are gathered from the protocols and delivered to the business.
• Accurately record the requested data according to study protocols (ie, consumption timing, amounts eaten, body weights, etc)
• Evaluate pet health (both mental and physical) for any veterinary and/or enrichment needs.
• Daily cleaning of pet housing quarters (interior and exterior) in accordance with standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Implementation of environmental enrichment programs directed by the Pet Behavior Performance & Training Scientist
• Implementation of exercise programs in accordance with standard operating procedures and/or veterinary recommendations.
• Provision of basic animal health tasks such as grooming, nail trimming, weighing, etc to pets
• Collection and evaluation of feces quality

Critical Mars Leadership Competencies

• Priority Setting
• Planning
• Dealing with Ambiguity
• Integrity & Trust
• Problem Solving
• Attention to Detail

Key Functional Skills/Knowledge

• Knowledge in animal facility operations
• Computer skills
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Knowledge of animal health and management issues
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs.
• Ability to work evenings, weekends and holidays

Preferred Qualifications

• Minimum 6 Months of experience interacting with cats/dogs
• Experience working in an animal facility or Veterinary Hospital is preferred

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum high school diploma or GED
• BS or MS in a biological science preferred but not required

Every associate at Mars has responsibility for the achievement of quality and food safety.

As a privately-held, family-owned company, Mars Petcare US offers benefits which reflect our commitment to attracting and retaining great people. This includes excellent pay, competitive health and dental care coverage, a retirement plan, a very competitive vacation plan and unrivalled career advancement opportunities, to name just a few of our unique and generous benefits.

If you're looking for a place where you can take ownership for your work, where the pace is fast, the environment is built around the importance of open communication, and where employees are called "associates" and treated as such, then we want to hear from you.
What can you expect from Mars?
Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.
Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.