Materials Handler I

University of Colorado•Aurora, CO

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Department of Office of Laboratory Animal Resources (OLAR) is hiring a full-time University Staff (unclassified) Operations Technician I to provide routine and specialized operational support for laboratory animal facilities serving biomedical research and education. The position works onsite in Aurora, Colorado, and reports to the OLAR Operations Supervisor. Daily assignments cover cage wash, dock, auxiliary support, and procedure-room areas across OLAR-operated vivariums, as directed by the Operations Supervisor or Operations Lead. The role includes stocking and inventory control for personal protective equipment, general supplies, laundry, caging, equipment, and cleaning supplies; receiving and inspecting deliveries; entering inventory data; and ensuring items are sanitized, stored, rotated, and monitored for expiration. Duties also include decontaminating equipment and work areas, handling waste and carcasses, operating and maintaining cage-washing and sterilizing equipment, preparing and using cleaning chemicals, and supporting facility projects. The employee may transport supplies in a university vehicle and must follow applicable standard operating procedures, safety requirements, and required personal protective equipment practices. This position is designated as essential personnel and may be called at any time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It may require covering shifts by staying late or coming in early and responding to emergencies. The employee must provide effective off-hours contact information. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without current or future sponsorship.

Requirements

At least one year of relevant experience in an occupation related to the assigned work; appropriate education or related experience may substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis.
Ability to communicate effectively and professionally, including in writing, and to exchange and collect information calmly.
Knowledge of different waste streams.
Ability to work as part of a team and to prioritize, plan, organize, and multitask.
Ability to maintain activity logs.
Must possess and maintain a current, valid State of Colorado driver’s license by the time of hire.
Must be willing and able to perform physical work, including lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling up to 100 pounds occasionally; lifting and carrying up to 50 pounds frequently; and lifting and carrying up to 25 pounds constantly.
Must be able to sit, stoop, kneel, and balance occasionally; stand, walk, climb stairs, crouch, and squat frequently; bend and reach above the shoulders constantly; and type or enter data occasionally, with or without accommodation.
Must be able to use peripheral, near, and far vision and depth perception frequently, and hearing and verbal communication constantly.
Must be willing and able to work around chemicals or solvents, infectious and radioactive agents, hazardous conditions, noise, and vibrations; walk on uneven surfaces; work in confined spaces; operate moving equipment and vehicles; work around machinery; and wear appropriate respiratory and hearing protection.
Must be willing and able to euthanize rodents and work with dead animal carcasses.
Must be willing and able to work straight or rotating shifts, weekends, and holidays.
Must be available for essential-personnel on-call coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and may need to cover shifts, work early or late, or respond to emergencies.
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without requiring sponsorship now or in the future.

Nice To Haves

Experience with email, word processing, and entering data into a database.
Experience operating and maintaining complex machinery.

Responsibilities

Decontaminate equipment belonging to OLAR or research staff, including animal transfer stations, animal housing and procedure rooms, veterinary equipment, and research equipment, following applicable procedures.
Follow standard operating procedures and use required personal protective equipment.
Receive and inspect deliveries, verify that goods are not expired, and sanitize or decontaminate them before distribution or storage.
Enter received-goods information into the inventory system and use electronic databases and tracking systems as needed.
Rotate stock and monitor expiration dates to ensure goods are used before expiration or removed when expired.
Operate mechanical cleaning and handling equipment, including pallet jacks, lift jacks, flatbeds, cage and rack washers, conveyors, foamers, floor scrubbers and buffers, autoclaves, small washers, robots, and bedding disposal and supply equipment; respond to alarms.
Prepare, dispense, and use hazardous chemicals and disinfectants according to manufacturers’ instructions for cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting animal rooms, procedure rooms, racks, cages, pens, and support areas.
Maintain a safe work environment when handling hazards and follow departmental procedures.
Maintain equipment validation and monitoring logs, including biological indicator, temperature tape, and sterigage logs.
Sanitize work areas at the required frequency using appropriate methods and materials.
Assist with logging and maintaining records for the facility pest-control program.
Remove carcasses from refrigerators and freezers and dispose of them through the appropriate waste stream; maintain and disinfect refrigerators and freezers as scheduled.
Transport supplies using a university vehicle when needed.
Operate cage-washing and sterilizing equipment, including rack washers, index washers, robotic equipment, vacuum disposal, bedding dispensers, and large bulk sterilizers.
Load and unload caging and equipment onto conveyors and into or out of washers and autoclaves; disassemble and reassemble equipment as needed to maintain appropriate cage production and flow.
Monitor cage-wash dust collectors in the interstitial space.
Perform basic equipment repairs and preventive maintenance; report equipment requiring repair, maintenance, or replacement.
Assemble large equipment such as carts, racks, cabinets, chairs, shelving, and hoods.
Handle animal waste, soiled bedding, chemicals, animal blood, and other bodily materials.
Participate in required training and meetings and perform other duties as assigned.
Work on facility projects with coworkers; stock and control inventory of PPE, supplies, laundry, caging, equipment, and cleaning supplies; ensure appropriate trash removal.
May procure animal feed, bedding, and supplies from support areas and transport them to required sites.
May remove, sort, weigh, and prepare carcasses for vendor pickup as directed by a lead or supervisor.