Laboratory Animal Technician

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 Overview

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

As the Laboratory Animal Technician, you will perform standard veterinary technical support for the NIAID Integrated Research Facility. Maintain performance levels consistent with and according to company standards at The National Institutes of Health.

Additional responsibilities include:

• Reviews, comprehends and complies with all SOPs and quality assurance standards pertaining to specific areas. Cares for and maintains laboratory animals in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act and the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals , as well as, NIH policies and Guidelines and other pertinent regulations and policies.

• Works closely with Clinical Veterinarian(s) and Research Support Specialist(s) to perform daily health assessments, perform experimental manipulations and provide animal treatments as instructed by Clinical Veterinarian(s).

• Performs technical functions required by research protocols utilizing rodents and nonhuman primates in infectious disease research.

• Maintain individual health records for nonhuman primates and maintain accurate records of animal importations, health observations, and housing or support areas as required by Institute and facility.

• Communicating with veterinary support staff, facility veterinarian(s), investigators and other staff members regarding the health of animals and experimental manipulations.

• Performs daily colony health examinations and clinical observations of sick animals prior to reporting adverse findings to Clinical Veterinarian(s) and Research Support Specialists.

Job Summary continued

• Provides technical support (e.g. animal handling and restraint, tail vein injections, collecting blood and other samples, perform injections, treatments, surgical preparation and post-operative observations and assist with research procedures as directed).

• Familiarity with and the ability to use various forms of anesthetics and their means of application, including gas and injectable anesthetics.

• Assist with various imaging modalities (e.g. CT/PET, CT/SPECT, MRI and XRAY) by providing patient monitoring and experimental manipulations.

• Actively interacts with facility veterinarian(s) and investigators as required to solve customer requests, inquiries, and complaints and to provide technical assistance.

• Assists with training animal facility staff in husbandry and technical procedures.

• Performs animal husbandry - which can include feed, watering, and cleaning cages as required. Provide environmental enrichment and/or behavioral assessments.

• Prepares and submits written reports, charts, logs and inventories as requested by management.

• Operates equipment and uses supplies according to safety guidelines; performs general housekeeping and adheres to safety procedures. Complies with safety policies and procedures and MSDS guidelines, including those related to biohazards and radioactive substances.

• Assists with the receipt, stocking and maintenance of supply inventories.

• Maintains required attendance level and adheres 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. Possession of an Associate of Arts degree in Veterinary Technology or equivalent college level program is desired.

Experience : Three years' experience in a laboratory animal facility, with experience relevant animal care, handling and technical experience required.

Certification/Licensure: AALAS certification at the Laboratory Animal Technician level (LAT) required.

Knowledge, Skills and abilities:

• Basic knowledge of animal technical skills and ability to identify sick animals and provide medical treatment as prescribed. Ability to perform tail vein injections.

• Computer literacy in word processing and database record keeping preferred.

• 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.

• Ability to read, write, speak and understand English.

Work Environment & Physical Demands

Physical Demands:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand and reach with hands and arms. The employee frequently is required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is occasionally required to stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee is frequently required to type at a computer or typewriter.

• 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 Enviroment:

• 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. Must be able to work within a Magnetic Resonance Imaging suite.

• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Comments:

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

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

The pay rate for this position is $35.00 USD per hour.

About Insourcing Solutions

Charles River Insourcing Solutions℠ can streamline research by delivering operational and cost efficiencies through the strategic insourcing of GMP, GLP and non-GLP research services from discovery through safety assessment. Insourcing Solutions℠ provides you with the ability to maintain control of your facility and expertise while leveraging available space.

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 is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, family status, pregnancy, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

It is unlawful in some states (including Massachusetts) to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

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.

For more information, please visit

236579