Research Vivarium Husbandry - Associate

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Animal Caretaker to join our Insourcing Solutions team, located in Frederick, MD. 

As the Animal Caretaker, you will maintain, monitor and document the health, care and physical environment within the customer's varied animal care environments at The National Institutes of Health. Clean, sanitize, maintain and repair all animal caging materials and cagewash facilities/equipment as required.

Additional responsibilities include: 

• Provides training to new hires in the duties and responsibilities of animal care and facility operations.
• Provides quality assurance to include animal health surveillance, monitoring of environmental parameters and effectiveness of facility sanitation.
• Works independently with minimal or no direct supervision.
• Reviews, comprehends and complies with all SOPs and quality assurance standards pertaining to specific area.
• Monitors daily animal health and welfare while performing daily animal health observations and animal husbandry duties to maintain quality and health of research animals, to include: perform daily water bottle /automatic water line and cage checks; provide appropriate food and water; perform cage changing and/or cage cleaning as required; record animal health concerns per SOP and/or specified protocols.
• Maintains accurate records of animal health and housing as well as support areas as required by Institute and facility.
• Assists with restraint, handling and manipulation of various animal species as assigned by the on-site Supervisor or facility veterinarian.
• Strictly follows all procedures necessary to maintain animal housing areas including room or facility personnel entry and personnel protective equipment use.

Duties continued

• Receives, inspects and puts away incoming animals.
• Receives, inspects and puts away supplies including animal feed and bedding.
• Sanitizes, maintains, and repairs caging materials as needed. Maintains cagewash facilities in a clean and organized manner, in adherence with all SOP and facility requirements.
• Operates equipment and uses supplies according to safety guidelines; performs general housekeeping and adheres to safety procedures.
• Loads and unloads cages, bagged waste and other materials into autoclaves.
• Maintains facility equipment and performs routine preventative maintenance on rack washers and autoclaves.
• Maintains consistent practice of general company and safety policies and procedures and SDS guidelines, including those related to biohazards and radioactive substances. Performs all duties in compliance with local, state and federal regulations.
• Maintains required attendance level and adherence to work schedule in accordance with required staffing levels in order to ensure that assigned duties are completed.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Job Qualifications

• Education:  High school diploma or general education degree (GED) required.

• Experience:  One or more years related animal care and handling experience required.  Experience working with mechanical washing equipment desirable.

• Certification/Licensure:  AALAS certification at the Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician level (ALAT) or above; or become certified within one year of eligibility.

Knowledge, Skills and abilities:

• Must be able to follow verbal and written instructions and exhibit interpersonal skills that are conducive to effective communication and that contribute to a congenial work environment. Maintain positive work atmosphere by behaving and communicating in a professional manner with clients, customers, coworkers, and supervisors.
• Computer literacy in word processing and database record keeping helpful.
• Ability to read, write, speak and understand English.

Physical Demands:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms. The employee frequently is required to walk and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee is occasionally required to sit.
• The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Work environment

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee regularly works with computers, frequently works near moving mechanical parts; is exposed to fumes or airborne particles, laboratory animal caging of various species including mice, rats, other rodents, rabbits and nonhuman primates; is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, toxic or caustic chemicals, biohazard materials/agents, infectious disease and risk of electrical shock.
• This position requires working at Animal Biosafety Level 4 (ABSL-4) with animals infected with dangerous or toxic agents that pose a high individual risk or life-threatening disease, aerosol transmission, or related agent with unknown transmission.
• Personnel must wear a positive pressure protective suit in the ABSL-4.
• This position requires working near different imaging modalities including MR, PET/CT, SPECT/CT, X-ray and exposure to animals injected with radioactive isotopes.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

The pay range for this position is $25 USD per hour.  Please note that salary rates are based on varying factors including, but not limited to, experience, skills, education, certifications, and location.