Senior Animal Technician - Floater, Animal Lab

Description

Under the supervision of the Area Supervisor, the Animal Husbandry Technician is responsible for performing routine animal husbandry and cage wash tasks at an operational level, including maintaining cleanliness in Cage Wash, Biosecurity, and Hazard Containment areas as required. This role involves adhering to departmental procedures and guidelines outlined in the American Association of Laboratory Animal Sciences Manual for Laboratory Technicians.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform routine animal husbandry tasks such as cleaning, watering, feeding, and grooming of laboratory animals.

• Develop and implement proper processes, conduct personnel training, and ensure equipment checks and maintenance are carried out according to standards.

• Maintain cleanliness and organization of work areas, including transportation of cages and accessories between campus buildings.

• Serve as a backup for planned and unplanned employee absences to ensure continuous operations.

• Conduct quality assurance checks in assigned support areas to verify compliance with internal Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Work Instructions (WI), forms, as well as UCLA and extramural regulations governing cage wash operations.

• Overtime may be required, and flexibility to work holidays and weekends may be necessary.

Salary: $25.89 - $31.98 hourlyQualifications

Required

• Working knowledge of animal husbandry procedures sufficient to care for laboratory animals in an experimental environment attested by the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science at the ALAT level.

• Skill in handling a variety of animals in a variety of situations sufficient to prevent injury or distress to the animal or self.

• Ability to lift 50 pound bags of feed, 60-70 pound animals and to push 200-300 pound cage racks of animals.

• Knowledge of cleaning and sanitizing materials and techniques sufficient to maintain a healthful environment.

• Skill in reading and numbers to be able to follow instructions, maintain records and identify specific animals, and phrases to complete identification cards, and inventory forms.

• Knowledge and skills working with Microsoft Office and other basic processors.

• Ability to euthanize rats and mice using CO2 chambers. Must be able to follow the procedures for euthanasia including the use of the CO2 chamber, as well as be able to ascertain that death has occurred. Knowledge of appropriate labeling and disposal of the animals euthanized, including bio-hazardous animals.

• Knowledge of and the ability to apply the concept of contamination control practices including engineering, administrative, and procedural controls for the containment of pathogens, including disinfection, and waste handling methods, including work in Hazcon, biocontainment animal facilities up to BSL2 level with BSL3 practices.

• Knowledge of and ability to accurately follow all SOPs associated with a GLP study, including required by study protocol and GLP documentation procedures.

• CA Driver's License

• Husbandry and cagewash services as operationally needed.

Preferred

• American Association for Laboratory Animal Science certification at LAT or higher level at the ALAT level.

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