Animal Attendant

McGill University•Montreal, QC

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Animal Attendant is responsible for assisting in the proper care and maintenance of animals, ensuring their well-being and adherence to established standards. This role involves a variety of tasks related to animal husbandry, health monitoring, receiving and shipping, facility maintenance, equipment processing, and providing support to research staff. The position requires adherence to Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) standards and CMARC standards for veterinary care. The schedule is based on a 5-day shift, including weekends, and may require support in different areas of CMARC. Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is mandatory, including the N95 mask, and participation in the Occupational Health Program (OHP) is required for personnel in contact with non-human primates.

Requirements

High School Diploma
6 Months Related Experience
Authorized to work in Canada
Willing to work in the province of Quebec
Knowledge of English (level assessed at # on a scale of 0-4)

Nice To Haves

Participation in OHP is mandatory for personnel in contact with non-human primates.

Responsibilities

Assists in the proper care and maintenance of animals, including feeding according to standards and schedules, and ensuring access to potable water.
Inspects animal housing conditions and cleans/changes cages, pens, enclosures, and ancillary items.
Provides appropriate enrichment for different animal species and ensures the macro environment follows CCAC standards.
Verifies the macroenvironment for anything abnormal (visual, auditory, olfactory) and checks equipment functionality.
Completes standard reports and logs for all tasks mandated by CCAC.
Monitors the general health of animals and informs the Animal Health Technician of any changes.
Reports any urgent matters concerning physical and/or behavioral abnormalities, deviations to housing standards, or malfunctioning equipment.
Applies various treatments to animals as instructed by the Veterinary Care group.
Verifies received animals' paperwork, sex, number, and health condition against the order, reporting discrepancies.
Prepares and verifies animals for shipment following established standards.
Sanitizes all animal-related areas according to standards and reports any malfunctioning equipment or facility issues.
Performs minor work relating to the construction or repair of cages, enclosures, pens, etc.
Takes inventory of animals and assists in inventory and restocking of animal-related supplies and equipment.
Disposes of carcasses and waste according to standards.
Sanitizes, prepares, and sterilizes animal-related equipment according to standards.
Performs scheduled maintenance of processing equipment, including weekly and monthly maintenance of washers, autoclaves, dumping stations, filling stations, and associated equipment.
Liaises with research staff regarding access to equipment and answers basic veterinary care questions or redirects them.
Assists in demonstrating all duties of an animal care attendant to new employees.
Collaborates with team members to ensure daily and weekly tasks are accomplished.
Attends required meetings and training sessions.
Identifies and suggests potential improvements to the supervisor regarding processes and/or equipment.

Benefits

Competitive benefits package (Health, Dental, Life Insurance) (if eligible)
Defined contribution pension plan (with employer contribution up to 10%) (if eligible)
Group Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) and Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA)
Competitive vacation policy
Two (2) personal days
Two (2) floating holidays
Nine (9) "Summer Fridays" - paid days off between the St-Jean Baptiste holiday and Labour Day
Paid time off over the December holiday period
Tuition waiver for regular employees and their dependents
Up to two (2) days of remote work per week where the position permits