Animal Research Technician III - Animal Care - Certified

1551 Eastlake Ave E, Seattle, WA 98102, USA Req #1668

Thursday, August 29, 2024

Formerly Puget Sound Blood Center and Lane Blood Center, Bloodworks is backed by more than 70 years of Northwest history and 250,000 donors. A national leader in transfusion medicine, Bloodworks has been chosen to serve more than 90 hospitals in Washington, Oregon and Alaska – partnering closely with local hospitals to deliver the highest level of patient care. Patients with traumatic injuries, undergoing surgeries or organ transplantation, or receiving treatment for cancer and blood disorders all depend on our services, expertise, laboratories and research. We are local, nonprofit, independent, volunteer-supported and community-based.

We have a wonderful new job opportunity to provide support as an Animal Research Technician III. In this role, you would provide leadership for ART1 and ART2 positions. ART staff perform animal husbandry, facility sanitation, and custodial duties and help maintain equipment and machinery.

In addition to Animal Care Duties, this position is responsible for providing training and certification of animal use procedures and may perform research activities.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES include, but are not limited to:

Animal Welfare Regulations & Records Management

Follow all regulations set by animal welfare governing bodies.
Assist the Manager of Regulatory and Animal Care Programs with regulatory reports, as required.
Work closely with the Manager of Regulatory and Animal Care Programs to ensure accurate and timely data entry into all Vivarium databases.
Assist the Manager of Regulatory and Animal Care Programs with writing Vivarium Methods and SOPs.
Assist the Manager of Regulatory and Animal Care Programs with updating processes, procedures, and documentation.
Attend monthly IACUC meetings.

Hands-On Animal Use Procedures

Perform Training and Certification of animal use procedures.
May perform animal use procedures in support of research projects.

Animal Care & Facilities Maintenance

Animal Care
Perform the duties of Animal Care Technician I and II. Care for mice including cage changing, cage washing, animal health surveillance, sick animal reporting, animal receiving, and environmental monitoring by all state and federal animal welfare regulations.
Follow all vivarium methods and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) related to cage washing, animal husbandry, and general lab maintenance activities.
Provide hands-on support and coordination for all activities related to the Animal Health Programs and Environmental Monitoring. This includes schedules, documentation, reports, controlled substance monitoring, and other regulatory compliance.
Ensure all Methods are followed as outlined in the Vivarium Methods and Procedures Manual.
Create and maintain databases for animal and supply inventory. Order animals and supplies as required.
Create and maintain databases including creation of new breeding records, weaning information, pregnancy tracking, animal health status, genotyping results, mouse ear tag number entry, termination status, and cage card generation.
Perform technical manipulations such as ear tagging, injections, blood collections, and breeding functions (weaning, sexing, etc.) and tissue collections as an hourly fee for service to science groups.

Vivarium Facilities, Equipment Management and Maintenance

May provide hands-on support and coordination for all activities related to Vivarium facilities cleaning, equipment monitoring and maintenance, space allocation, physical plant inspections, supply monitoring, and stocking.
May evaluate and improve general operating procedures for workflow activities. Perform daily, weekly, and monthly maintenance testing of the automatic reverse osmosis-chlorinated animal watering system.
May monitor and manage functionality of the electronic Edstrom “Pulse” control system that controls the automatic watering schedule.
May respond to monitoring system alarms and troubleshoot repairs.
May monitor and ensure functionality of the vivarium surveillance system.
May troubleshoot and relay information to the Bloodworks Facility Team, outside vendors, and contractors when systems are not functioning properly.
May schedule maintenance and repairs and make recommendations for equipment replacement.
Make recommendations on equipment purchases.

Lead Trainer and Subject Matter Expert in the following areas:

Train and also serve as the subject matter expert for Bloodworks and External Client staff on Vivarium Methods & SOPs and document in compliance with state, federal, and industrial regulations.
Train Bloodworks and External Client staff on animal use procedures (e.g., handling, restraint, dosing, blood collection, anesthesia, euthanasia, etc.).
Responsible for training new staff on Vivarium databases and programs, in addition to the following areas:
cage changing, daily room checks, and equipment cleaning.
facilities cleaning and maintenance. Animal health monitoring.
daily monitoring for sick or abnormal animals.
Train designated staff on receiving animals. Complete all documentation for this such as cage cards and receipt logs.
Document all animal husbandry and Vivarium facilities maintenance training.

Lead:

Ensure the actions of all those operating within the Animal Husbandry, Scientific Personnel & Facilities Maintenance group comply with established Methods.
Recommend to the Manager of Regulatory and Animal Care Programs, changes in workload based on resources and need.

General:

Comply with all applicable policies, procedures, and regulations including those governing research studies, grants, and laboratory practices.
Perform other duties as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS:

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

Experience working with research mice, including experience performing technical work with mice in a laboratory setting and care of research animals and facilities maintenance.
Demonstrated proficiency in animal use procedures for mice (e.g., handling, restraint, dosing, blood collection, anesthesia, euthanasia, etc.).
Surgical experience preferred.
Knowledge of husbandry, behavior, and phenotypes of mice, basic genetic and biological sciences knowledge.
Demonstrated ability to follow scientific protocols and procedures.
Excellent written and verbal skills.
Ability to participate and excel in a team environment.
Ability to provide excellent customer service to vivarium users.
Bachelor’s degree in animal-related work preferred.

SPECIFIC JOB SKILLS include, but are not limited to:

Required proficiency with various database navigation, Excel, and Word.
Strong writing and presentation skills.
Required mental activities involve continuous use of discretion, interpersonal skills, teamwork, problem analysis, customer service, the ability to read, write, speak, and comprehend English, and to perform basic Math. Required mental activities used less frequently include decision-making, creativity, negotiation, training/supervising, performing advanced math and independent judgment and/or independent action, (all used frequently); and presentations/teaching, mentoring, and the performance of basic programming (all used occasionally).
The ability to push, pull and an average of 200 pounds and lift an average of 25 pounds throughout the day is required, as is the ability to carry an average of 10-25 pounds throughout the day. Occasional heavy lifting required up to 60 lbs.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a health assessment provided by a contracted employee health company. These health assessments will be repeated periodically during work assignments.
Position is exposed to aerosol dander from mice. This position has direct exposure to blood-borne pathogens, requires work with human and animal blood and tissue samples, and may be required to work with and take specific precautions against and/or be immunized against potentially infectious agents. Specific precautions may include wearing respirators and/or protective clothing. Employee is personally responsible for following health and safety and security policies and procedures, and staying current on all required training.
Incumbents are at risk of injuries, bites, or scratches from vivarium animals.
Proper protective clothing or other protective devices are provided.
Job conditions to be expected include working a schedule that includes weekends and holidays. This job will require occasional overtime and on-call status. This may include minor travel. Requires the ability to participate in a 24/7 vivarium emergency response team capacity.
Required physical activities include continuous standing and walking, reaching, feeling, hearing handling, and repetitive motions of hands/wrists. Required physical activities used frequently include walking, bending, stooping, kneeling, climbing, talking (all used frequently); and sitting and crawling (all used rarely).
This position requires the administration of controlled substances for animal anesthesia and analgesia.
This work may be emotionally stressful.
Telecommuting is not offered in this role.

Benefits and Perks:

Employees regularly scheduled for 24+ hours per week are covered by medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, with family coverage also available. Also able to participate in retirement plans (401a & 403b), consolidated paid leave program (4.8 – 6.8 weeks of time off accrued per year, based on length of service), subsidized back-up childcare program, subsidized transit program, educational reimbursement. Candidates hired from outside of our service area may be eligible for a relocation assistance bonus*

*Conditions apply

Bloodworks Northwest is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, age, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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Animal Research Technician III - Animal Care - Certified