Research Animal Care Specialist

Ohio State University; United States; On-site; USD 48,224,000 - 62,664,000; Full time

Job summary

Ohio State University seeks a Research Animal Care Specialist at the PAAR Facility on the CFAES Wooster Campus. The role provides direct and indirect care in BSL-3/BSL-3Ag settings, focusing on bovine, porcine, and avian species, and supports study setup, execution, and closeout.

Responsibilities include animal welfare, waste management, and ensuring IACUC protocol adherence, while coordinating with veterinary leadership and facility staff.

Qualifications

• Education: Associate degree in Animal Science, Veterinary Technology, Biological Sciences, or a related field required; Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Experience: 2+ years of relevant animal husbandry experience in a research environment; 4–6 years preferred for high-containment livestock management.

Responsibilities

• 50% Animal Care & Research Project Support: daily care, feeding, health monitoring for bovine, porcine, and avian species in high-containment settings.
• 25% Waste Management & Facility Operations: manage autoclaves, waste streams, and decontamination; prepare and sanitize housing rooms.
• 10% Compliance & Biosafety: maintain IACUC protocol adherence and biosafety records.

Skills

Animal care

Livestock husbandry

Biosafety

IACUC knowledge

Research support

Education

Associate degree in Animal Science or related field

Tools

Autoclave equipment

BSL-3 containment equipment

Job description

Job Title: Research Animal Care Specialist Department: Veterinary Medicine | Veterinary Preventive Medicine

The Research Animal Care Specialist at the PAAR Facility, located on the CFAES Wooster Campus, provides direct and indirect animal care and research support within BSL-3 and BSL-3Ag high-containment environments. This role serves as a primary operational contact for research projects, actively participating in study setup, execution, and closeout. Daily duties involve working in immediate proximity to high-consequence animal pathogens and zoonotic agents, with a primary focus on the husbandry, handling, observation, and welfare of livestock species - specifically bovine, porcine, and avian breeds. In addition to direct animal care and study execution, the role encompasses comprehensive research support operations both inside and outside of containment. This includes managing research waste streams and autoclave sterilization, tracking project supplies, and maintaining overall facility readiness.

50% Animal Care & Research Project Support

Direct Animal Care & Husbandry: Provide daily care, feeding, watering, and meticulous health monitoring for research animals, specializing in bovine, porcine, and avian breeds in high-containment settings.

Project Setup & Closeout: Lead operational prep work for incoming research projects (setting up animal housing, specialized pens, and study-specific supplies) and execute project closeout protocols (decontaminating housing spaces, organizing study records, and resetting animal rooms).

Experimental Support & Pathogen Handling: Assist research teams and principal investigators with animal restraint, sampling, health observations, and experimental procedures while working directly with high-consequence zoonotic pathogens.

Veterinary & Protocol Coordination: Ensure strict day-to-day adherence to approved Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocols and monitor daily animal welfare. Communicate routine health observations with the Attending Veterinarian and report clinical concerns, protocol variances, or animal welfare issues to the immediate supervisor, who serves as the primary liaison to veterinary leadership and compliance committees.

25% Waste Management & Facility Operations

Decontamination & Waste Disposal: Manage research waste streams by operating autoclaves, tissue digesters, and decontamination systems to sterilize waste materials generated inside high-containment areas. Ensure the proper, safe disposal of all processed, sterilized waste.

Facility Maintenance Support: Prepare, sanitize, and validate animal housing rooms, laboratories, and specialized equipment before and after project runs.

Equipment & Space Readiness: Assist with basic troubleshooting and routine maintenance of containment equipment, coordinating with facility staff and vendors when repairs are required.

10% Compliance & Biosafety Regulatory Compliance

Maintain strict compliance with IACUC guidelines, the Select Agent Program, and regulatory biosafety standards. Documentation & Recordkeeping: Maintain meticulous, detailed logs of animal care, project closeouts, equipment validation, waste sterilization cycles, and biosafety incident reports for audit readiness. SOP Adherence & Training: Follow and update SOPs related to animal husbandry, biosecurity, and waste decontamination. Assist with escorting visitors or newly cleared users within the facility as needed.

10% Administrative & Project Logistics

Supply & Inventory Control: Track, order, and stock necessary project supplies, personal protective equipment (PPE), animal feed, bedding, and sanitation chemicals to ensure uninterrupted study schedules.

Facility Support & Emergency Response: Support facility database tracking, assist with supply staging outside containment, and assist with facility emergency response needs as required.

5% Other Duties as Assigned

Performs other duties consistent with the position's classification and level of responsibility.

Additional Information:

Education: Associate degree in Animal Science, Veterinary Technology, Biological Sciences, or a related field required; Bachelor’s degree or higher in a relevant field preferred.

Experience: Required: 2+ years of relevant experience in animal husbandry working with bovine, porcine, and avian species within a research environment, including direct experience working under IACUC-approved protocols. Preferred: 4-6 years of experience in high-containment livestock management.

Critical Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities: Observational Skills & Attention to Detail: Exceptional attention to detail and acute observational skills are critical for detecting early signs of animal distress, illness, or biosafety protocol variances.

Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills required to effectively document experimental observations, liaise with supervisors and research teams, and maintain audit-ready records.

Physical Requirements: Ability to regularly lift, move, and handle equipment or animal supplies weighing up to 50 lbs.

Clearance Requirements: Must meet all necessary training, background check, and regulatory requirements to secure and maintain Select Agent clearance for high-containment work.

Special Conditions & Prohibitions High Containment Notice: This position requires daily work inside BSL-3 and BSL-3Ag high-containment facilities and direct handling of high-consequence, zoonotic animal pathogens.

Work Schedule & Availability: While this is a regular fulltime position, animal husbandry duties and project timelines will require work outside standard business hours, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holiday coverage.

Livestock Ownership Restriction: Because this position works directly with infectious diseases affecting animals, personal ownership or regular exposure to domestic livestock (specifically cattle, swine, and poultry) outside of work is strictly prohibited.

Health Restriction: Because this position involves work with zoonotic infectious diseases, individuals who are immunocompromised are strictly prohibited from performing these duties for biosafety and personal health reasons.

Target Salary Range: $16.82 - $21.85 per hour; commensurate with experience, internal equity, the unit’s available budget, and the candidate’s qualifications.

Location: Sisson Hall (0080)

Position Type: Temporary (Fixed Term)

Scheduled Hours: 40

Shift: First Shift

Final candidates are subject to successful completion of a background check. A drug screen or physical may be required during the post offer process.

The university is an equal opportunity employer, including veterans and disability.

Ohio State benefits give you options to take care of what matters most to you - and opportunities to make adjustments as your life and needs change, including:

• Medical, dental and vision coverage, with Ohio State paying a significant portion of the cost.
• Paid time off, including sick and vacation time and 11 holidays.
• State retirement plan or an alternative retirement plan, both with generous employer contributions.

As Buckeyes, we accomplish more together. No matter your role, you’ll be part of creating what people need now: pathways to education, research and health care. Working at Ohio State means you’re part of a team with a strong sense of community and an unwavering commitment to excellence - and, of course, incomparable Buckeye spirit. We bring out the best in people, help each other succeed and learn together. By joining Ohio State, you become part of a top-20 public university with one of America’s leading academic health centers. We’re a team of dedicated colleagues with access to boundless resources that support you.

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