Animal Care AssociateWork with Purpose

We are seeking an Animal Care Technician in our GEMS Department in Hollister, CA!

The Animal Care Technician will learn how and continue to maintain and monitor the health, production, and physical environment of client or Charles River Laboratories (CRL) animals housed at CRL facilities. These environments may include isolators or individual ventilated cages (IVC).

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
 

• Perform entry-level husbandry tasks, including supplying food, bedding, water and environmental enrichment.
• Maintain rat and mouse colonies, including setting up matings, weaning and sexing of offspring, genetic sampling of animals.
• Handle rodents (mice and rats), including restraining of animals for collection of fecal pellets, ear/tail sampling as well as tagging animals for identification.
• Observe animals for any abnormalities or common health issues.
• Identify and select specific animals for customer shipments, genotyping, health monitoring, matings, transfers or other various tasks as needed.
• Learn, understand, and comply with all Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) with direct supervision and instruction for most processes/tasks.
• Learn and strictly follow all animal welfare standards and biosecurity procedures necessary to maintain isolator integrity and animal health status, including the proper sterilization and entry of supplies/animals into isolators.
• Be detailed-oriented and enter accurate data entry into Internet Colony Management (ICM).
• Ensure compliance with all local, state and federal laws governing the use of research animals.
• Ability to prioritize and execute daily tasks with guidance from supervisor(s).
• Perform general housekeeping and adhere to EHS, safety, and ergonomic procedures.
• General computer skills and ability to quickly learn required computer programs, databases and other applications (i.e. ICM and Microsoft Office)
• Be able to learn to identify issues and communicate to management and learn the importance of our CRL DNA and core values.
• Perform all other related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Entry-level, no previous experience required
• AALAS certification at the ALAT or above preferred
• Sufficient computer knowledge to use a tablet computer and communicate using Microsoft Applications
• The ability to develop knowledge of, respect for, and skills to engage with those of other cultures or backgrounds is required.
   

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand and occasionally ascend/descend a rolling work platform ladder and/or personnel lift to perform husbandry tasks.
• Frequently stand and walk on hard surfaces, twist, bend, stoop, squat, grasp/grip moderately, use fine manipulation. Occasionally sit, kneel, crawl, reach and work above shoulders.
• Perform tablet and/or desk-based computer task and write by hand.
• Lift, carry, push and pull objects up to 40 pounds.
• Position may require repetitive motion.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus

The pay rate for this position is $18.00 / hour. Please note that salaries vary within the range based on factors including, but not limited to, experience, skills, education, certifications, and location.