Animal Care Technician - Office of Laboratory Animal Resources

The Office of Laboratory Animal Resources at West Virginia University is currently accepting applications for an Animal Care Technician.

Performs animal care duties including washing soiled animal cages, caging racks and other equipment; setting up clean cages for animal rooms; performing other custodial duties within the animal vivarium, daily trash removal, cleaning support areas, and maintaining certain types of specialized equipment. Feeds, waters, and changes cages on a variety of animal species used in Biomedical Research.

Observes animals closely and notifies veterinary staff or supervisors if any abnormalities are noticed.

This position involves work during weekends, weekdays, holidays or after hours. The applicant must be available during these times. It also requires initial and periodic Medical Monitoring exams through the Occupational Medicine Program.

• 37.5-hour work week
• 13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)
• 15 annual leave (vacation) days per year (employee leave)
• 18 sick days per year (for when you're ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family's, regularly scheduled medical appointments. Who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in-laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)
• Health insurance and other benefits
• 401(a) retirement savings with 6% employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks
• Wellness programs

• Animal Husbandry
  :
  Disassemble rodent caging and separate equipment; dump soiled cages in the wash area and run them through the rack and tunnel washer; operate cage washers for sanitizing and sterilizing rodent cages; prepare routine daily maintenance on cage washers as described in SOPs and as directed by supervisors; reassemble rodent cages, auxiliary equipment, other cages and equipment; prepare cages for room setups and cage changes;
  
  provide cage setups and general support to the "Core Facilities" within the perimeter of the vivariums; remove trash daily; provide general custodial duties for work area and support areas.
• Animal Care
  :
  Observe animals in assigned rooms and report any abnormalities to the supervisor or veterinary staff; provide food and water to animals and perform cage changes as described in the SOPs and daily work schedule; set up for newly arrived animals and place them in cages as directed by the supervisor; provide topical and other basic clinical treatments as prescribed by veterinary staff;
  
  document all procedures performed in animal rooms including room logs, temperature/relative humidity, and monthly room duties as described in logbook; report to supervisors any abnormalities with equipment or other matters that require immediate attention.
• Facility Maintenance
  :
  Maintain vacuum cleaners in animal rooms; change and maintain filters for change stations and ventilated racks; operate floor scrubbers and pressure washers for animal room sanitation and support area cleanliness; remove animal carcasses weekly from the cold room and refrigerators and pack them into boxes for removal by an outside contractor; stock PPE cabinets and other areas where supplies need to be stocked;
  
  assist in unloading feed trucks and putting feed away; assist in receiving all other supplies to the vivariums; assist in transporting caging and other equipment between vivariums.
  Pay Grade: 10

• Associate’s degree
• A minimum of 0–6 months of experience in the following:
  • Experience working with either laboratory animals or farm animals.
• Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience will be considered.
• All qualifications must be met by the time of employment.

• Perform tasks in washroom in a timely fashion by working efficiently and effectively as a team with co‑workers.
• Ability to wear proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including a PAPR (personal air purification respirator).
• Good observation skills and manual dexterity for handling small laboratory animals (e.g., mice and rats).
• Ability…