Primate Technician I

Charles River Laboratories; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 20,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus incentives

401K

Paid time off

Stock purchase program

Health and wellness coverage

Employee and family wellbeing support

Work life balance flexibility

Job summary

Charles River Laboratories is seeking an entry-level Primate Technician I to join our team in Houston. You will gain hands-on experience in daily animal care, under supervision, contributing to the health and wellbeing of research animals and ultimately benefiting patient outcomes worldwide.

The role provides structured training, a steady schedule, and opportunities to develop skills in a regulated, supportive environment. A strong team attitude is essential.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED preferred, but not required.
• Animal care experience preferred.
• Previous experience in a physically demanding role.
• Previous experience maintaining records and SOPs.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Enjoys being part of a team.
• Flexible and available to work holidays and overtime as needed.

Responsibilities

• Providing food and water.
• Inspect feeding and watering devices for proper function.
• Cleaning and sanitizing cages and enclosures.
• Observe animals for overall health and wellbeing.
• Assisting with the movement of animals.
• Log animal care data and maintain accurate records.
• Other assigned duties, including restocking supplies.

Skills

Animal care

Physical demand

Attention to detail

Team player

Holiday overtime

Record keeping

Education

High School Diploma or GED

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 Summary

This is an entry-level position where you can gain experience and begin your career in life sciences. Training provided!

Role Description

As a Primate Technician I, you will be responsible for the daily care of research animals. Your contribution will ensure the health and well-being of our animals, as well as impact the lives of patients across the world.

Training schedule

Monday - Friday, 6:15am - 2:45pm

Permanent schedule

Sunday - Thursday or Tuesday - Saturday, 5:45am - 2:15pm

Responsibilities

• Providing food and water
• Inspect feeding and watering devices for proper function
• Cleaning and sanitizing cages and enclosures
• Observe animals for overall health and wellbeing
• Assisting with the movement of animals
• Log animal care data and maintain accurate records
• Other assigned duties, including restocking supplies

Work Environment & Physical Demands

• Work is performed in an warm, climate controlled environment.
• PPE (protective equipment) includes regular use of surgical mask, cap, goggles, face shield, scrubs, and boots.
• The warm setting, physicality of the job duties, and use of personal protective equipment (PPE), when combined, frequently cause employees to become hot and sweaty.
• Job duties require employee to regularly stoop, crouch, kneel, and reach up with hands and arms to perform repetitive tasks, and walk and stand for extended periods of time.
• Employee must be able to regularly lift, hold and/or move up to 50 pounds.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED preferred, but not required
• Animal care experience preferred
• Previous experience in a physically demanding role
• Previous experience maintaining records and complying with regulations and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
• Strong attention to detail
• Enjoys being part of a team
• Flexible and available to work holidays (on rotational basis) and overtime as needed

Pay

The starting pay for this position is $17.75 per hour.

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.

Benefits

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
• 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.

If you are interested in applying to Charles River Laboratories and need special assistance or an accommodation due to a disability to complete any forms or to otherwise participate in the resume submission process, please contact a member of our Human Resources team by sending an e‑mail message to [e-mail]. This contact is for accommodation requests for individuals with disabilities only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

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