Animal Research Technician - No Experience Required

For 75 years, Charles River employees have worked together to assist in the discovery, development and safe manufacture of new drug therapies. When you join our family, you will have a significant impact on the health and well-being of people across the globe. Whether your background is in life sciences, finance, IT, sales or another area, your skills will play an important role in the work we perform. In return, we'll help you build a career that you can feel passionate about.

Job Summary

Technician I, Technical Operations (Animal Research Technician)

Ashland, OH

Start Your Career in Science - No Experience Needed!

Looking to break into the life sciences field? At Charles River, we're hiring motivated individuals ready to learn and grow, while enjoying a 4-day work week! You don't need prior experience, just curiosity, a strong work ethic and a desire to be part of meaningful work.

Join our team and play a role in advancing research that helps bring life‑saving treatments to patients.

What You'll Do

Through our structured, paid training program, you'll build valuable, in-demand skills while working alongside a supportive team. You'll:

• Learn how to safely handle and care for research animals.

• Perform basic lab and research support tasks.

• Collect and record data used in scientific studies.

• Follow safety and quality procedures used in professional labs.

• Work as part of a supportive, team-focused environment.

No Experience? No Problem.

We're looking for potential-not perfection. If you have the following, we'll train you on the rest:

• High school diploma or GED (preferred).

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Computer skills (e.g., Microsoft Office Suite).

• Ability to ensure that a safe working environment is maintained.

• Able to work a physical job that requires a lot of walking and standing and lifting up to 50 pounds.

• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

• A willingness to learn and grow.

• Strong attention to detail.

• Ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities to achieve goals.

• Must be authorized to work in the United States without a sponsor visa, now or in the future.

Pay, Schedule & Training

• The starting pay for this position is $19.00 per hour, paid bi-weekly.

Paid Training (5-9 weeks):

• Tuesday-Friday | 6:00 AM - 4:30 PM.

After Training:

Weekday Shift Option:

• Tues-Fri | 6:00 AM - 4:30 PM or Mon-Thurs | 6:00 AM - 4:30 PM.

• Includes every 4th weekend and alternating holidays.

• This position requires overtime, weekend, holiday, and/or after-hour shift coverage, as needed.

Additional Pay Opportunities

• +10% for shifts starting at 2:00 PM or later.

Why Start Your Career at Charles River?

• Paid training program designed for beginners.

• Tuition reimbursement up to $20,000 annually.

• Opportunities to grow into advanced technical or scientific roles.

• Learn skills that can launch a long-term career in biotech and research.

Great Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage. Effective on the first of the month following your date of hire.

• 401(k) with company match.

• Paid time off and holidays.

• Life and disability insurance.

• Volunteer time off.

• Employee Assistance Programs.

If you're ready to learn, grow, and make a difference, This is Your Moment.

About Safety Assessment

Charles River is committed to helping our partners expedite their preclinical drug development with exceptional safety assessment services, state-of-the-art facilities and expert regulatory guidance. From individual specialty toxicology and IND enabling studies to tailored packages and total laboratory support, our deeply experienced team can design and execute programs that anticipate challenges and avoid roadblocks for a smooth, efficient journey to market. Each year approximately 300 investigational new drug (IND) programs are conducted in our Safety Assessment facilities.

About Charles River

Charles River is an early-stage contract research organization (CRO). We have built upon our foundation of laboratory animal medicine and science to develop a diverse portfolio of discovery and safety assessment services, both Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and non-GLP, to support clients from target identification through preclinical development. Charles River also provides a suite of products and services to support our clients' clinical laboratory testing needs and manufacturing activities. Utilizing this broad portfolio of products and services enables our clients to create a more flexible drug development model, which reduces their costs, enhances their productivity and effectiveness to increase speed to market.

With over 20,000 employees within 110 facilities in over 20 countries around the globe, we are strategically positioned to coordinate worldwide resources and apply multidisciplinary perspectives in resolving our client's unique challenges. Our client base includes global pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, government agencies and hospitals and academic institutions around the world.

At Charles River, we are passionate about our role in improving the quality of people's lives. Our mission, our excellent science and our strong sense of purpose guide us in all that we do, and we approach each day with the knowledge that our work helps to improve the health and well-being of many across the globe. We have proudly worked on 80% of the drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the past five years.

We're committed to providing benefits that elevate your quality of life. Based on your position these may include: bonus/incentives based on performance, 401K, paid time off, stock purchase program, Health and wellness coverage, employee and family wellbeing support programs, and work life balance flexibility.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Charles River Laboratories is an Equal Opportunity Employer - all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

If you are interested in applying to Charles River Laboratories and need special assistance or an accommodation due to a disability to complete any forms or to otherwise participate in the resume submission process, please contact a member of our Human Resources team by sending an e-mail message to View email address on click.appcast.io. This contact is for accommodation requests for individuals with disabilities only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

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