Animal Care Associate; GEMS - EG

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.

As an Animal Care Associate for our GEMS Breed Group in Wilmington, MA
. The GEMS Animal Care Associate will learn how and continue to maintain and monitor the health, production, and physical environment of client or Charles River Laboratories (CRL) animals housed at CRL facilities. These environments may include isolators or individual ventilated cages (IVC).

* This is a temporary opportunity with the potential to be hired as a full‑time, employee*

• Perform entry‑level husbandry tasks, including supplying food, bedding, water and environmental enrichment.
• Maintain rat and mouse colonies, including setting up matings, weaning and sexing of offspring, genetic sampling of animals.
• Handle rodents (mice and rats), including restraining of animals for collection of fecal pellets, ear/tail sampling as well as tagging animals for identification.
• Observe animals for any abnormalities or common health issues.
• Identify and select specific animals for customer shipments, genotyping, health monitoring, matings, transfers or other various tasks as needed.
• Learn, understand, and comply with all Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) with direct supervision and instruction for most processes/tasks.
• Learn and strictly follow all animal welfare standards and biosecurity procedures necessary to maintain isolator integrity and animal health status, including the proper sterilization and entry of supplies/animals into isolators.
• Be detailed‑oriented and enter accurate data entry into Internet Colony Management (ICM).
• Ensure compliance with all local, state and federal laws governing the use of research animals.
• Ability to prioritize and execute daily tasks with guidance from supervisor(s).
• Perform general housekeeping and adhere to EHS, safety, and ergonomic procedures.
• General computer skills and ability to quickly learn required computer programs, databases and other applications (i.e. ICM and Microsoft Office)
• Be able to learn to identify issues and communicate to management and learn the importance of our CRL DNA and core values.
• Perform all other related duties as assigned.

• Location: Wilmington, MA
• Schedule: Monday - Friday - 1st shift, no weekends required
• Benefits: Paid Sick Time/Volunteer Time Off and use of our gym onsite

• Experience:
  
  Entry‑level, no previous experience required.
• Sufficient computer knowledge to use a tablet computer and communicate using Microsoft Applications.
• The ability to develop knowledge of, respect for, and skills to engage with those of other cultures or backgrounds.
• The ability to communicate clearly and effectively.

• Certification/Licensure: AALAS certification at the ALAT or above.

The hourly pay rate for this position is $18.00. Please note that salaries vary within the range based on factors including, but not limited to, experience, skills, education, certifications, and location.

Fundamental to basic research and discovery is the use of in vivo models to help identify disease targets and determine potential biological pathways that regulate the condition. As the world’s leader in the production and distribution of the highest quality research animal, with 1 out of 2 animal models produced for preclinical research globally, we understand the importance of this step.

With seven decades of experience, our expertise is unmatched, allowing us to provide you with the perfect model, including disease‑specific and preconditioned options, for basic research and beyond.

Charles River is an early‑stage contract research organization (CRO). We have built upon our…