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Laboratory Animal Resources – Animal Cage Wash Technician

(Animal Technician I)

Work Hours: 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM from Monday through Friday and supervisor scheduled weekends/holidays/weather emergencies/university closings.

Summary:

The Laboratory Animal Resource (LAR) group at Princeton University is a centralized administrative department reporting to the Dean for Research and is responsible for animal and veterinary care of all research animals at Princeton University. The Animal Cage Wash Technician provides state-of-the art animal care for laboratory animals housed within these facilities. He/she receives direction from the LAR Facility Manager. The primary responsibility is to operate and maintain the animal cage washing equipment for LAR facilities. LAR animal facilities house various laboratory species (rodents, aquatics, and USDA-covered species). The Animal Cage Wash Technician will ensure the cleanliness of the facility and all related supplies and caging. Additional duties will include maintenance of adequate supplies of food and bedding materials, including PPE. The Animal Cage Wash Technician will work together and support the work of other animal care technicians (assist with cage change outs) as directed by the LAR Facility Manager. This individual must be willing and able to rotate through all LAR facilities. The Animal Cage Wash Technician pursues and improves methods of operating and maintaining the cage wash facilities and resource utilization. He/she ensures the highest quality of laboratory animal care and research support, and has good communication skills with co-workers, the LAR management team, PI’s, research staff, students, facility maintenance crews and other support services. This position reports directly to the Facility Manager.

Animal Cage Wash Duties:

• Animal Technicians are considered essential services staff. Essential service staff performs jobs that are necessary and required to maintain basic University operations during scheduled or unscheduled work closures due to emergencies, events or other situations.
• Provides animal care for all species housed according to specified Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) including sanitizing all supplies (cages, water bottles, food bins and other animal care related equipment), maintaining clean animal rooms, procedure rooms, hallways and other support areas, and keeping records related to animal support areas.
• Completes work in a timely fashion and according to established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and follows other written and verbal instructions as needed.
• Operates cage wash machinery (automated cage wash machines), ventilated rodent caging, bottle fillers, Edstrom watering systems, bedding dispensing/disposal units, full size to table top autoclaves and other animal care equipment typical for animal care operations while following safety procedures.
• Discovers and reports any facility maintenance issues to the LAR Facility Manager.
• Monitors, documents, and reports deviations of environmental parameters such room temperature, humidity, lights, and air quality.
• Dispose of waste in compliance with university and federal/state regulations.
• Rotates with other technicians for week night, weekend and holiday coverage as needed.

Receiving and Other Record Keeping:

• Receives and maintains adequate inventory levels of cleaning materials, PPE supplies and, food and bedding materials.
• Movement/delivery of feed/bedding, cages, racks, pans, carts, dollies and other equipment.
• Enters data accurately and timely into the electronic management systems, order and service request forms, husbandry logs, census sheets, vivarium calendar, and time reporting system. Provides receiving documents in a timely manner.

Other Duties As Assigned

• Exhibits a willingness to assume additional responsibilities and increase knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• Other duties as assigned by the LAR facility manager.

Minimum Qualifications:

• High school Diploma or General Education Diploma (GED).
• AALAS certification at the ALAT level (or within the first year of employment).
• Willing and able to work safely with biological and chemical hazards and able to lift a minimum of fifty (50) lb.
• Work attendance during scheduled or unscheduled work closures due to emergencies, events or other situations. Animal Care Technicians are considered essential services staff. Essential services staff performs jobs that are necessary and required to maintain basic University operations.
• Ability to work weekends and holidays when scheduled by supervisor.
• Basic knowledge of biology and behavior of laboratory animal species including non-human primates.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a laboratory animal resources team and ability to share husbandry knowledge with other animal care staff, students and new researchers.
• Proven ability to work independently and communicate well with different levels within the organization, and work well with a diverse team for a common goal consistent with the mission of the Laboratory Animal Resources Department.
• Proficient knowledge of federal, state and local Animal Welfare legislation and sound judgment how to balance optimal animal care, research goals, and regulatory compliance.
• Ability to handle assignments and changing priorities as circumstances may dictate.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, and the ability to communicate well person to person as well as per E-mail.
• Ability to use Microsoft Office Applications including Outlook and other software applications used in animal research and compliance such as an electronic animal management system.
• Ability to follow-up tasks from beginning to completion and carry out duties in accordance to supervisor deadlines and university policies.
• Work successfully in a team environment and accept constructive criticism willingly and make corresponding changes.
• Preserve confidential information and not disclose contents of this information except in the performance of the work assignment and in accordance with University and departmental policies and procedures.
• The final candidate will be required to successfully pass a background check.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Associates degree in an animal related field.
• ALAT Certification.

Job Type: Full-time