Principal Animal Technician

University of California - San Francisco; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of California - San Francisco is hiring a Principal Animal Technician responsible for overseeing animal care duties, managing staff, and ensuring compliance with health regulations. This role demands technical skills in handling various lab animals and supervising care activities to promote optimal health and welfare.

Applicants must have relevant experience, a high school diploma, and specific training certifications. Join a supportive team focused on advancing biomedical research through quality animal care.

Qualifications

• Experience working under minimal supervision is essential.
• Knowledge of care and handling for various species of laboratory animals.
• Ability to communicate animal health information to relevant personnel.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily work activities of animal care personnel.
• Perform record-keeping duties such as temperature and humidity logs.
• Monitor room conditions and report abnormalities.

Skills

Animal husbandry

Supervisory experience

Biological safety

Record keeping

Basic computer skills

Education

High school diploma or equivalent training

AALAS Laboratory Animal Technologist certification

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Job Summary

Principal Animal Technician’s duties cover any species of animal and provide the same basic husbandry duties that would relate to the needs of that species. In addition to all of the duties assignable to an Animal Technician, the PAT is responsible for overseeing limited technical and environmental control activities in distinct animal care areas. The PAT typically oversees the daily work activities of a group of three or more FTE animal care personnel and evaluates employee performance with the area supervisor/manager. The PAT recommends employment and termination decisions of staff, trains staff members, may provide facility trainings to laboratory staff, initiates and arranges orders and transfers of animals, supplies and equipment, ensures compliance with occupational health and safety regulations, reviews all area operations and records, and performs other related duties as required. The PAT may also head projects that require a higher level of technical skill (e.g. design, construct coordinating animal enrichment, breeding and colony management, quarantine procedures, administer treatments, and perform paraveterinary procedures). The PAT is responsible for performing technical duties and data entry required for the management of mouse breeding colonies and other species as assigned, including oral or injectable doses, temperature, heart rate, behavior assessment, animal identification, weaning, euthanasia, blood and tissue collection for genotyping, and other duties as assigned. Record keeping duties include maintaining per-diem records, animal health surveillance, feed logs, temperature/humidity charts, animal receipt and disposition logs, submitting daily electronic reports, entering data into a central breeding colony management database, maintaining a project history log, and tracking breeding/pedigree of mice bred if applicable. The PAT works with minimal supervision and may be rotated as a floater to various LARC locations to provide technical or back‑up assistance on an as needed basis.

Department Summary

The Laboratory Animal Resource Center (LARC) supports the research programs of the faculty by providing all services associated with the care and use of laboratory animals, including purchasing/receiving, daily care and monitoring of the health of all species, and acting as a facility leader.

Core Responsibilities

Husbandry Duties

• Daily maintenance of vivarium facilities with little to no supervision
• Change cages/racks, clean primary enclosures per schedule, feed and water different species of animals used in LARC
• Maintain all animals and animal housing areas according to LARC standard operating procedures for each species
• Perform daily sanitation duties according to LARC standard operating procedures
• Always handle animals humanely and with care (mistreatment of animals can result in severe consequences).
• Monitor room conditions for temperature, humidity and sanitation; report conditions outside of set ranges to your Supervisor.
• Remedy animal care needs as they arise.
• Communicate with the faculty on animal housing/husbandry issues in a professional and articulate manner
• Prepare animal cages for transportation between UCSF facilities
• Perform cage wash duties as needed
• Conduct all activities according to federal, state and UCSF requirements and regulations including BSL2 and higher Bio‑Safety level areas
• Safely control loose animals in all Bio‑Safety Levels
• Perform Animal Health /Research related technical skills (e.g. providing oral or injectable doses, taking temperatures, heart rate, assessing behavior/attitude, etc.)
• Quarantine: acclimate and isolate animals as needed, report abnormal and unhealthy animals
• Maintain and inventory facility supplies (e.g. order PPE, feed, cleaning supplies, enrichment)
• Perform Facility Orientations for new lab and LARC employees in a professional and articulate manner

Area Lead

• Provide on‑the‑job training of new employees, including safety training
• Act as facility leader
• May provide animal housing oversight in assigned lead facility
• Assist in time management of other employee work schedules
• Assign/redistribute tasks of other employees as needed
• Provide facility orientations as needed for new employees
• Perform preliminary inspection of facility in preparation for site inspections
• Review assigned areas for items or activities that might raise protocol or regulatory compliance concerns. If found, remedy those that relate to the duties of PAT and report all others to supervisors, managers or other staff as directed.

Animal Health

• Identify and report all sick and unhealthy animals to Supervisor, Animal Health Technician, veterinary staff and/or Principal Investigators
• Restrain animals during veterinary exam
• Head projects that require a higher level of technical skill (e.g. design and construct animal enrichment, breeding and colony management, quarantine procedures, etc.)
• Perform duties in animal health screening programs (rodent sentinel program and sample collection, weighing large animals) as assigned
• Administer treatments, routine medications, and technical skills with little to no supervision
• Other animal health duties as assigned

Record Keeping

• Perform record‑keeping duties such as per‑diems records, feed logs, temperature and humidity charts, animal receipt and disposition logs
• Basic knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, and web‑based software (computer data entry for per diems, weanings, fatalities, etc.)
• Perform sanitation record verification, such as cage wash water temperature, bacterial sample collection, water sample collection, or autoclave logs, RODAC or ATP testing
• Perform all duties as assigned in animal housing rooms and log in daily check sheet
• Perform preliminary inspections of facilities
• Fill out records needed for various assurances to animal welfare regulatory agencies and UC‑IACUC

Maintenance Duties

• Ability to use small hand tools to repair cages, racks and address minor mechanical needs (e.g. automatic watering systems, water fillers, etc.)
• Maintain and change rack, BioSafety Cabinet, humidifier, room filters; repair and maintain large animal enclosures
• Maintain/Restock supplies in common areas, including feed, PPE, and equipment
• Troubleshoot facility issues and implement strategies for addressing them. Work closely with Supervisor and Facility and Maintenance staff on all facility related issues.

Miscellaneous

• Other duties as assigned.
• Transport animals, caging, feed, supplies and equipment to satellites and other campus locations
• Prepare rooms to house animals of all species. Must have ability to perform all tasks regularly performed by Assistant Animal Technicians (AAT), Animal Technicians (AT), and Senior Animal Technicians (SAT).

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience working under minimal supervision.
• Graduation from high school, completion of training equivalent to the Laboratory Animal Technologist certification of the AALAS, and three years of related animal care experience with demonstrated supervisory ability; or an equivalent combination of education and experience; and knowledge and abilities essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the position.
• Complete Ergonomics training.
• Complete Ethics training.
• Complete and remain current in BRER training.
• Complete and remain current in Laboratory Safety for Researchers training.
• Complete Facilities Orientation assigned site for each.
• Incumbent has strong knowledge of feeding, caging, and space requirements for multiple species of laboratory animals used in biomedical research and the ability to assist training new hires in these areas.
• Ability to read, write and verbalize in English and maintain legible records for permanent status and communicate animal health information to appropriate personnel.
• Computer competency required; Basic knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, and ability to learn and use web based software for data entry and/or on line training.
• Have knowledge of federal and other licensing agencies' regulations.
• Ability to recognize sick animals, report conditions to veterinary staff and assist with their treatment.
• Full knowledge of disinfection, sanitation and cleaning agents, knowledge and ability to use cage‑washers for cleaning and autoclaves for sterilization of cages.
• Satisfactory job performance ratings at all times during probationary employment period.
• Ability to follow instructions, work independently or in shared assignments with others; ability to explain routine work assignments to others including schedules, policies and best practices using positive communication (verbal and written).
• Ability to bend, squat, kneel, stand, reach above shoulder level, and move on hard surface for up to 7 hours/day.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.