Animal Attendant II, Animal Resources Center

Animal Husbandry Attendants, Animal Resources Center

Hiring Department: Animal Resources Center

Position Open To: All Applicants

Weekly Scheduled Hours: 40

FLSA Status: To Be Determined at Offer

Earliest Start Date: Ongoing

Location: AUSTIN, TX

General Notes

The Animal Resources Center at The University of Texas at Austin covers approx. 150,000 sq. ft. of research animal space. The Animal Resources Center is responsible for managing three centralized animal facilities as well as some of the smaller satellite locations.

UT Austin offers a competitive benefits package that includes:

• 100% employer-paid basic medical coverage
• Retirement contributions
• Paid vacation and sick time
• Paid holidays

Please visit our Human Resources (HR) website to learn more about the total benefits offered.

Purpose

We are seeking dedicated individuals to join our team as a Cagewash Attendant, Animal Attendant II, or Animal Attendant III with placement based on experience and qualifications. In these roles, you will provide support to the ARC animal care mission, directly contributing to discoveries that improve lives through research.

Responsibilities

Cagewash Attendant

• Operates cagewash equipment including rack washers, tunnel washers, and sanitizes animal housing equipment using cage washing machines. Fills drinking bottles with fresh water and cages with bedding.
• Performs preventative maintenance on equipment as required and reports any equipment that requires repairs or maintenance.
• Maintains all required records regarding cagewash and performs all required steps to ensure adequacy of sanitation.
• Maintains and sanitizes facility rooms and walls.
• Prepares and uses dips, sprays, detergents, and disinfectants for use. Tracks inventory of supplies and notifies supervisor when additional materials need re-stocking.
• Accepts deliveries of equipment and supplies from vendors. Processes and stores supplies in assigned storage areas upon delivery.
• May act as point of contact for cagewash statuses, equipment ordering statuses, and sanitization statuses.
• May work without onsite supervision on weekends and University holidays as required.
• Participates in training and continued education activities as provided by the ARC and required by federal guidelines and accreditation standards. Interacts and communicates effectively with ARC staff and University of Texas at Austin research staff. Attends meetings as needed to improve skills and knowledge or as required by management.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Experience in using tools for routine maintenance and repair.
• Experience learning new skills and application of that training to assigned tasks and responsibilities.
• Demonstrated ability to be detail oriented and meticulous when completing tasks.
• Ability to work efficiently in a high-stakes environment.
• Applicant must successfully pass the WorkSteps physical abilities test.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) Certification.
• Previous experience working in a research vivarium or cagewashing facility.
• Experience in cagewash repair.

Salary Range

$38,000

Responsibilities

Animal Attendant II

• Provides animal husbandry to all ARC-managed species, including USDA-covered large animals, other USDA-covered species, rodents, and aquatics.
• Completes all required documentation, including per diem sheets, checklists, animal records, and files.
• Prepares or mixes feed according to specific instructions. Tracks inventory of feed supplies and notifies supervisor when supplies need re-stocking.
• Cleans cages, pens, and animal quarters. Sanitizes animal rooms, equipment, and facilities to prevent infections and disease. Maintains accurate records of room/equipment cleans.
• Serves as a backup for cagewash staff and operates cagewash equipment as needed.
• Performs routine maintenance checks on equipment and reports any equipment that requires repairs or maintenance. Maintains accurate records of equipment checks.
• Sets up incoming animal deliveries. Receives, identifies, and houses newly arrived animals. Verifies animal deliveries against order documentation and submits delivery documentation to supervisor.
• Transfers or transports rodents, feed, and bedding materials to their specified room.
• May work without onsite supervision on weekends and University holidays as required.
• Participates in training and continued education activities as provided by the ARC and required by federal guidelines and accreditation standards. Interacts and communicated effectively with ARC staff and University of Texas at Austin research staff. Attends meetings as needed to improve skills and knowledge or as required by management.
• Provides animal husbandry and care for all species housed in all ARC facilities, as needed, to assist when facilities are understaffed.
• Provides cross-campus support by fulfilling assigned job responsibilities in all ARC vivaria, as needed, to ensure consistent coverage during staff absences or fluctuations in animal census.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED and at least 1 year of experience in animal care.
• Experience learning new skills and application of that training to assigned tasks and responsibilities.
• Demonstrated ability to be detail oriented and meticulous when completing tasks.
• Demonstrated ability to work efficiently in a high-stakes environment.
• Ability to understand policy, procedure, and regulations regarding care for lab animals
• Applicant must successfully pass the WorkSteps physical abilities test.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) Certification.
• Previous experience working in a research vivarium.
• Relevant degree in a related field.

Salary Range

$41,000

Responsibilities

Animal Attendant III

In addition to the Animal Attendant II Responsibilities, the Animal Attendant III is responsible for:

• Operating UT owned carts and vehicles to transport equipment and/or animals between facilities.
• Execute facility-level tasks using vivarium specific software.
• Provide care to animals in decentralized facilities with little supervision. Act as a liaison between research staff and supervisors in decentralized facilities. Provide independent animal care for unique and novel studies and equipment.
• Submit reports upon completion of decentralized facility assignments and animal care, as needed.
• Provides cross-campus support by fulfilling assigned job responsibilities in all ARC vivaria, as needed, to ensure consistent coverage during staff absences or fluctuations in animal census.

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED and at least 3 years of experience in animal care
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of cagewash, facility maintenance, animal husbandry small and large animal species in all biocontainment levels, cage preparation, receipt and transportation/storage of equipment deliveries, and routine equipment inspection checks.
• Demonstrated commitment to understanding policy, procedure, and regulations regarding care for lab animals.
• Applicant must successfully pass the WorkSteps physical abilities test.
• A valid class "C" operator's Texas Driver's License is required.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) Certification.
• Previous experience working in a research vivarium
• Relevant degree in a related field
• Experience working with wild caught species and non-human primates in a research setting
• Experience driving large commercial vehicles

Driving Required

This job requires a class "C" operator's driver's license. The applicant selected must provide a current three year driving record from the current state