Cage Wash Lead

Title:

Cage Wash Lead

Job code: 8421OS

Employee Group:
Civil Service

Full/Part Time (FTE): 100% FTE

Regular/Temporary:
Regular

Job Summary:

As a Cage Wash Lead, you ensure a seamless flow of sanitizedequipment critical to biomedical research. Balancing logistics,technical troubleshooting, and daily leadership, you maintain equipment inventory based on cage census and eliminate operationalbottlenecks. You serve as a key expert on cage wash facilities and equipment operations, connecting animal care staff, management, and maintenance teams. You assist staff through onboarding and training, and perform daily cage wash duties during staff shortagesor high-demand periods.

Location and Work Environment:
In-person at multiple facilities on the Twin Cities campus. This position is defined as an essential role under the University’s State of Emergency policy, and plays a key role in ensuring the health and welfare of RAR’s research animals. During emergencies or other situations that impact normal operations, this position may be required to perform additional duties as assigned to support the team and ensure animal care is not compromised.

These duties may include, but are not limited to, animal husbandry,sanitation, feeding, health monitoring, and will be determined atthe discretion of the direct supervisor and/or RAR senior leadership based on operational needs. Training will be provided asneeded. Unscheduled, mandatory overtime may be assigned by thedirect supervisor/leadership as needed to ensure animal health and welfare.

Physical and Environmental Requirements:

• There will be exposure to animal allergens
• Current Tetanus vaccination is required (may be obtained duringfirst week of employment)
• An annual test for Tuberculosis will be completed for working with certain species
• Due to the high level of noise, a hearing test is performedannually when assigned to a hearing conservation area
• Rabies Vaccines or titer will be completed when working withcertain species or the employee may complete a declinationform.
• An annual Flu vaccine is a requirement to work with some animalspecies
• Measles titer may be drawn
• The employee may work in wet rooms or around large industrialcage washers
• Employee may work in an outside environment in any weather conditions
• Employee may be required to wear a powered air purifyingrespirator (PAPR) or N95 mask

Work Schedule:

Monday through Friday 6:00 am-2:30 pm and may require occasional evening, weekend, holiday, or on-call hours to meet operational needs.

30% Cage Wash Daily Operations

• Complete safety checks, temperature/steam monitoring,preventative maintenance tasks, and minor troubleshooting of machines.
• Promptly escalates unresolved mechanical failures or significant safety hazards to the Supervisor/Manager.
• Perform daily cage wash duties, including but not limited todumping cages, operating tunnel and rack washers, emptying andfilling water bottles, facility sanitation, equipment sanitation,autoclaving, and using microisolator technique.
• Service procedure rooms, including replacing compressedgases.
• Maneuver chemical drums up to 55 gallons using a mechanicallift/dolly.
• Identify and remove broken or improperly sanitizedsupplies/equipment.
• Maintain accurate records in accordance with departmentaldocumentation standards.
• Ensure continuous audit-readiness for AAALAC and IACUCinspections by verifying label accuracy, monitoring expiration dates, and auditing logbook completion.
• Perform delegated duties during peer absences to ensure operational continuity.

30% Training & Leadership

• Act as the primary hands‑on trainer for cage wash operations,including sanitation processes, cage wash equipment, and safety, aswell as autoclave processes and microisolator technique.
• Assist with…