Animal Caretaker 4 - Biologic Resources Laboratory

University of Illinois Chicago•Chicago, IL

1d•Onsite

About The Position

This position is intended to be eligible for benefits. This includes Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, a Retirement Plan, Paid time Off, and Tuition waivers for employees and dependents. Employees in this position supervise lower-level personnel and/or supervise a function/procedure in laboratory animal care operation/setting and/or oversee facilities or units within larger facilities. Primary duties include the management of activities required for the proper care and maintenance of laboratory animals and research facilities, ensuring staff follow all SOP's and quality standards and providing resolutions to operational issues. Laboratory Animal Care Coordinators train and supervise staff, establish work priorities, coordinate and organize work schedules, develop and maintain effective teamwork with staff, management and research staff.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
Any one or combination totaling four (4) years (48 months) from the categories below: Coursework in animal science, biological science, veterinary technology, zoology, or a closely related field, as measured by the following conversion table or its proportional equivalent: 30 semester hours equals one (1) year (12 months) Associate’s Degree (60 semester hours) equals eighteen months (18 months) 90 semester hours equals two (2) years (24 months) Bachelor’s Degree (120 semester hours) equals three (3) years (36 months)
Work experience in an animal care facility which could include a research laboratory, veterinary hospital, veterinary clinic, intensive or industrial animal farm, or closely related experience.
Two (2) years (24 months) of supervisory or administrative experience in an animal care facility which could include a research laboratory, veterinary hospital, veterinary clinic, intensive or industrial animal farm, or closely related experience.
Laboratory Animal Technician (LAT) certification from American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS). Laboratory Animal Technologist (LATG) is a higher certification to satisfy this requirement.

Nice To Haves

Thorough knowledge of basic biology and care of laboratory animals.
Knowledge of federal regulations affecting animal care facilities.
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Previous management and/or leadership experience within an academic laboratory research environment preferred.

Responsibilities

Supervise, manage and/or coordinate husbandry operational activities and personnel functions in one or more areas of the laboratory animal facilities.
Oversight of daily inspection of animals, equipment, supplies, and related service areas of the facility for compliance.
Guide, advise, and/or direct facility users on operational activities and/or government, industry, or institutional regulatory guidelines and standards.
Establish work schedules for daily animal husbandry tasks for 5 10 employees and coordinate with appropriate experimental protocols, BRL expectations and/or departmental needs.
Monitor staff and inspect daily operation of work area to ensure proper completion of assigned daily tasks as needed.
Communicates effectively with other supervisors, caretakers, veterinarians and researchers.
Oversight of inspections in the animal care facility areas for adherence with government and institutional regulatory guidelines and initiate corrective action as required.
Monitor, research, and distribute information regarding changes in regulatory guidelines as well as trends and developments in techniques and technology relevant to the field; maintain and updates protocol/SOP manuals.
Maintain accurate records on environmental monitoring, animal inventories, equipment, supply inventories, breeding programs, and individual job performance.
Under veterinary supervision, oversee animal treatment schedules and maintain appropriate health record system.
Completes daily record keeping and assists in performing regular time studies necessary for setting appropriate changes.
Prepare standard operation procedures for animal care, room sanitation, environmental control, and use of equipment.
Oversee inventory management to coordinate equipment/supply availability for scheduled job tasks.
Inspect work areas for sanitation, and condition of cages to ensure proper compliance with federal and departmental guidelines.
Select, purchase, and coordination of equipment and/or supplies.
Serves as a main point of contact for suppliers and service personnel.
Participate in personnel functions including interviewing, selecting, training, evaluating performance, developing staff; organizing staff meetings; coordinating continuing education training and in-services for staff.
Assist in planning and implementation of animal care on-the-job and formal training programs.
Train/evaluate husbandry personnel and participate in promotional or disciplinary action as required
Perform duties of the lower levels of the Animal Caretaker classifications and/or other related duties and participate in special projects as assigned.