Research Animal Specialist 3 - Cagewash

Mass General Brigham•Boston, MA

4d•$29•Onsite

About The Position

A Research Animal Specialist 3 provides all the animal husbandry, facility maintenance, sanitization, health and welfare monitoring duties of a RAS 1 and 2. In addition to RAS1/2 technical duties the RAS 3 position serves as a group lead for the area of work assignment. In this role, the RAS 3 should check-in and reassign work for their area work group and serve as mentor for newly assigned technicians in the area. Additional technical responsibilities include providing research support services, performing complex or non-standard husbandry requests, maintenance of facility and animal medical records, and ensuring compliance standards are followed within the CCM animal facilities. All Research Animal Specialists are required to work in a team environment following Lean Management principles and participate in continuous improvement and problem-solving projects. This position involves daily exposure to laboratory animals, their waste products, and possibly chemical agents, radioactive isotopes and ASBL2 hazards. Rotating weekend and holiday work hours are required.

Requirements

High School Diploma or Equivalent required or Associate's Degree Animal Sciences preferred.
Associate's Degree Related Field of Study preferred
Experience - Animal Care Experience 3-5 years required
Preferred 2 years of laboratory animal care experience and have been assessed on all basic husbandry SOPs, basic facility operations SOPs, and the basic technical skills SOPs.
Certification by the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science at the ALAT certification level or successful completion of CCM leadership training curriculum.
Proficient in verbal and written English.
Ability to learn CCM and Partners computer applications.
Knowledge of basic computer skills including email and Microsoft Outlook.
Ability to lift and move 50 lbs on a regular basis.
Long periods of standing.
Has a customer-focused, positive attitude and enjoys working with similarly dedicated persons in a team fashion within a high-energy research environment.
Ability to work effectively in a team environment.
Ability to problem solve work process within the scope of their job
Ability to learn and use bar code/tablet technology and basic computer skills including email and Microsoft Outlook.
Valid driver’s license if assigned to team with delivery responsibilities.

Nice To Haves

Able to perform all duties and responsibilities of a Research Animal Specialist 1 and 2

Responsibilities

Performs Facility Cage Wash Operations
Assures monthly autoclave validations are completed
Supervise and schedule cagewash team tasks and reallocate task assignments as required
Clean and sanitize animal caging and accessory equipment
Troubleshoot and maintain equipment and performs routine repairs on caging and racks, and train cagewash staff on performing routine repairs and maintenance
Ensure the routine cleaning, descaling, and preventative maintenance on the cage washers and autoclaves
Schedule PMs with vendors
Performs Facility Maintenance and Sanitization
Performs Facility Support Functions
Orders and receives facility supplies, monitoring material replenishment systems.
Keeps cage slip supplies stocked
Submits routine work requests/tickets through the appropriate BWH applications and/or vendors.
Coordinates daily with cage wash technicians ensuring all RAS staff have adequate supplies available.
Prepares, submits, and maintains required cage wash records, charts, logs, and inventories as requested
Authorized hands-on trainer for CCM cagewash operations
Works with the CCM Training Program Manager to provide training to new and transferred facility staff on facility procedures and SOPs.
Updates employee training files to document trainings and proficiency review
Serves as subject matter expert for cagewash
Responsible for the creation, validation and maintenance of visual controls within the facility.
Interact with all personnel and outside entities with excellent and professional oral and written communication.
Helps evaluate SOP drafts
Complies with CCM and BWH policies and standard operating procedures.
Works holiday and weekends as assigned.
All other duties as assigned.
Performs Animal Husbandry Tasks
Supervise animal care tasks within a portion of the facility and reassign task assignments as required.
Working with team to address non-standard husbandry requests.
Assists in importation/quarantine, isolation, and housing of animals in the BWH facilities with any special health concerns to protect the health of other colony animals.
Performs containment and monitoring duties in the case of infection or disease health outbreaks or other bio-containment situations.
Able to perform husbandry and health monitoring of animals in ABSL2 areas.
Works within prescribed protocols for chemical and biological hazards.
Able to perform husbandry and health monitoring of USDA covered species, updating Individual Animal Records when required.
Houses incoming or newly arrived animals.
Performs initial inspections and ensures that they are acclimated and appear physiologically stable prior to research initiation.
Transfers animals to cages/pens per SOP.
Documents and processes new arrivals.