Animal Care Technician

University of British Columbia•Vancouver, BC

4d•CA$4,696 - CA$5,140•Onsite

About The Position

This position is responsible for directly supporting the animal-based research community within the University of British Columbia by providing high level animal care in working closely with the Clinical Veterinarians and Animal Care Teams. The Animal Care Technician (ACT) will provide facility support within the Centre for Comparative Medicine, including basic animal husbandry duties, cage processing, laundry and general facility maintenance. CCM Technicians are responsible for the daily maintenance and care of specific species of small and large laboratory animals. The position requires thorough knowledge of working with animals exposed to hazardous and bio-hazardous agents, and radioactive compounds. Due to the work involving the use of potentially hazardous material, the use of personal protective equipment, and adherence to strict safety protocols is expected. The Centre for Comparative Medicine (CCM) is a rapidly growing and dynamic environment in which staff partner with researchers from both academia and industry. The research encompasses a broad range of topics from furthering our understanding of basic medical sciences, to enhancing our abilities to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease in human and non-human animals.

Requirements

High school graduation, some additional training in a related field and a minimum two years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own
Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion
Sound theoretical and working knowledge of the principles and practice of laboratory animal science
Working knowledge of veterinary technology, biomedical research, medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and intensive/critical care.
Effective oral and written communication, interpersonal, organizational and problem-solving skills.
Ability to work both independently and within a team environment.
Ability to be thorough, accurate, and have a high level of attention to detail.
Ability to operate job-related equipment.
Ability to effectively use software at a moderate level (e.g., Outlook, MS Word, MS Excel, MOSAIC, Workday).
Ability to read and comprehend technical material.
Ability to train others.
Ability to understand and apply policies, SOPs, instructions and applicable Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) guidelines.
Ability to prioritize and work effectively under pressure to meet deadlines.
Ability to listen actively and attentively, and obtain clarification as required.
Ability to deal with a diversity of people in a calm, courteous, and effective manner.
Ability to work toward consensus and resolve differences.
Ability to demonstrate a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
Ability to develop and maintain cooperative and productive working relationships.
Ability to resolve complaints and interpersonal conflict in a calm, non-confrontational manner, and by exercising sound judgment.

Nice To Haves

Undergraduate degree in a relevant field or graduation from a technical college or institute.
B.Sc. degree in an animal related field and/or AHT diploma an asset.
CALAS Registered Laboratory Animal Technician (RLAT) preferred.
Experience in working with small and large animals in a research capacity.
Experience working in a CL2 environment.
Working with industry and/or research teams an asset.
Be willing to maintain and upgrade training.
Ability to work weekends, evenings and statutory holidays.

Responsibilities

Providing consistent, high quality and compassionate care to all animals in accordance with the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) guidelines and established research protocols.
Responsible for providing basic husbandry, handling, and restraint for large and small animal species on a daily basis.
Duties include health, behavior and welfare surveillance of laboratory animals; along with continuous awareness of current species-specific welfare issues, such as common signs of illness, pain, trauma or depression, in accordance with Canadian Council of Animal Care guidelines.
Performing rounds to observe and check the physical health and well-being of laboratory animals; isolating infected or ill animals and reporting to veterinarian, euthanasia and general housekeeping and maintenance of facility and equipment.
Operating a bedding vacuum system, bottle filling system, high pressure spray units and autoclaves.
Maintaining and sanitizing assigned animal rooms, performing appropriate decontamination methods and procedures, including mixing of appropriate cleaning solutions and chemicals to disinfect and sanitize bottles, pails, pans, cages, pens and entire work area.
Cage and laundry processing duties including but not limited to: Operating rack and tunnel washers; assembling clean cage units; ensuring equipment is available and ready at appropriate times, prioritizing laundry tasks and treat soiled laundry to produce clean linen, when required; conducting inventory of consumable supplies as required for cage and laundry processing.
General upkeep and cleaning of the facility, including disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste.
Performing and reporting periodic minor maintenance, adjustment, repair, and setup tasks of facility related equipment to support facility activities.
Performs minor technical procedures, including ear notching, sample collection, injections, euthanasia, necropsy, topical treatments, blood, tissue and organ collection as necessary under the direction of the Operations Manager, Supervisors or Veterinarians.
May support the UBC Animal Care and Use (ACUP) Training Program in basic tasks such as set-up and take-down of training areas.
Demonstrate and explain T2 duties and tasks to new hires.
Assists CCM research staff and users with animal care procedures and techniques.
Follow all safety standards, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and policies.
Recommends revisions to existing policies and procedures to the CCM Supervisors.
Receives and packs live animal shipments.
Packages, labels, processes biological, biochemical, radioactive and hazardous materials out of the facility.
Treat confidentially all information related to research projects, personnel, and locations and agrees not to disclose any such information to any person except as may be necessary in the proper discharge of work obligations.
Keep abreast of developments in the field of animal husbandry and welfare, participating in continuing education programs and maintains necessary certifications.
Report any safety concerns to the ACS Joint Occupational Health & Safety Committee (JOHSC).
Perform other related tasks as required.