Job Description:

The Animal Care Technician supports Mount Holyoke’s vibrant research by providing a compliant and ethical research facility to conduct animal research. The Animal Care Technician completes daily quality animal care for all housed research animals, such as rats, mice, fish, frogs, snakes, and others that may be held in our facilities. The incumbent's assignments would include animal husbandry tasks such as cage changing, animal health checks, veterinary health monitoring, cage washing, and facility maintenance, i.e., sanitization of equipment, research housing areas, and materials. Additional responsibilities include but are not limited to, animal receiving and housing, census data collection, and other duties necessary for the support of our animal care and welfare program. Weekend hours possible.

Specific Duties/Responsibilities:

Cage Changing:

• All resident animals are on a cage-changing cycle and must change their cages every 7 to 14 days, depending on the species and caging system.
• Cage changes of the resident animals are done on an as-needed basis. While all animals are on a set schedule for changeouts, it may be determined during daily health checks that additional changes are required and should be completed as needed.

Health Assessments:

• Responsible for daily health assessments done on every animal in assigned rooms, which include noting the animal’s feed and water intake, urine and fecal output, cleanliness of housing, hair coat and grooming, patterns, mobility, alertness, general behavior and/or stereotypical behaviors, and research-associated issues.

Room Sanitation and Facilities Inspection:

• Responsible for scheduling / planning room and rack, sanitizing cycles, documenting sanitation procedures, and keeping them on appropriate timetables.
• Ensure biosecurity measures by using appropriate containment procedures;
• Ensure appropriate disinfectants are in date and used properly, and follow room logs to ensure all daily and weekly standard operating procedures are followed.
• Ensure quality living conditions for the animals by checking room temperature and drainage and monitoring rooms for signs of mold, peeling paint, and other potential problems.

Cage Wash / Support areas:

• Responsible for processing animal caging and equipment through cage wash.
• Initiates preparation tasks for upcoming change-out procedures, including caging preparation, bedding dispensing, cage set-ups, water bottle preparation, autoclaving caging, personal protective equipment preparation, recycling, and restocking.
• Receive, transport, and process feed and bedding.

Technical and Regulatory Assistance:

• Performs special requests for principal investigators and assists veterinary staff (assisting Technical Services personnel as needed).
• Ensures all cages are properly identified and compliant with federal and state regulations.
• Maintain proper signage and documentation in compliance with our animal welfare regulatory mandates.

Student Worker Training and Supervision

• Interview, hire, train, and supervise student workers to assist with daily health checks and other animal husbandry tasks.

Institutional Committees:

• Serve as a member of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and liaise with the Chair, the IACUC veterinarian, and/or the Director of the Science Center as necessary to ensure that animal use in teaching, research, and animal care facilities operates in accordance with government regulatory bodies.
• Serve as a member of the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) to maintain awareness and familiarity with College and individual laboratory safety policies and practices as they pertain to animal care facilities.

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED. Additional education or certification and/or experience with animal care a plus.
• Must be able to lift and carry up to 50 lbs; bend, stoop, climb, and stand for prolonged periods of time; and wear full Personal Protective Equipment (face mask, coveralls, gloves, etc.) for several hours per day.
• Ability to write legibly, operate a telephone, and possess basic computer skills, including familiarity with Microsoft Office and Google applications.
• Good organizational skills and attention to detail. Ability to understand standard operating procedures and protocols.
• Ability to perform duties and responsibilities with minimal supervision
• Effective oral and written communication skills include interacting professionally with all employees and working with a diverse student body.
• ALAT certification. Experience with animal husbandry.

Please apply using the following link:

https://mtholyoke.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/External/details/Animal-Care-Technician_R-0000000692

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $22.56 - $24.82 per hour

Expected hours: 37.5 per week

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Disability insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount
• Flexible schedule
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid parental leave
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift

Ability to Relocate:

• South Hadley, MA 01075: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person