Technical Assistant I (Animal Care)

UMass Amherst•Amherst, NY

6d•Onsite

About The Position

Under the direct supervision of the Animal Care Managers, the Technical Assistant I performs a variety of duties related to laboratory animal care. The primary responsibilities are to maintain a clean and healthy environment for laboratory animals and to observe animals for their general health and wellbeing. The position is based onsite in Amherst within Animal Care Services, Central Research Support, and is full time. The work schedule is 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, with rotating on-call coverage and rotating weekend, holiday, and campus-closure coverage schedules. The employee may need to respond to operational needs outside regular business hours and is designated as essential personnel, expected to report during campus emergency closures. Work is performed in a laboratory or healthcare setting and may involve exposure to chemicals or infectious diseases. The role requires standing for extended periods and wearing personal protective equipment. Minimum PPE includes scrubs, exam gloves, head cover, dust mask, and shoe covers; additional PPE may be required in some areas. Showering may be required. The position is subject to final budgetary and administrative approval.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Four years of full-time relevant experience, such as husbandry or research experience with rodents or other research animal species, or daily care and observation of small mammals, birds, or similar animals. Certification as an Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician (ALAT) by AALAS may substitute for this experience.
Experience working with common laboratory animals.
Valid Class D state driver’s license.
Ability to provide laboratory-animal care safely and sanitarily, using necessary equipment and established institutional operating procedures.
Ability to handle, restrain, and determine the gender of common laboratory animals without injuring the animals or endangering oneself or others.
Knowledge of universal laboratory-animal identification systems and ability to maintain accurate identification records.
Knowledge of personal hygiene and safety regarding hazardous substances, institutional sanitation procedures, and the handling of equipment and chemicals used for cleaning, disinfecting, and sterilizing.
Ability to effectively functionally supervise work-study students and schedule workloads efficiently and productively.
Basic to intermediate computing skills.
Ability to wear required personal protective equipment.
Ability to stand for extended periods and work in settings that may involve exposure to chemicals or infectious diseases.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of or experience working with ABSL-2 and ABSL-3.

Responsibilities

Observe, record, and report atypical environmental findings, physical-plant maintenance activities, and animal health or behavior, including sick animals, maintenance problems, safety hazards, and animal mistreatment or inappropriate treatment.
Perform animal husbandry duties, including feeding, watering, and cage or pen cleaning.
Sanitize animal rooms, procedure rooms, corridors, cage-wash rooms, the animal morgue refrigerator, and the necropsy room.
Restrain and determine the sex of laboratory animals.
Maintain animal room records, including census, sanitation, enrichment, feeding, and cage-card identification records.
Prepare and distribute routine medications as directed by veterinary staff, such as medicated drinking water or feed.
Sanitize animal-care equipment.
Operate and perform routine maintenance on rack washers, autoclaves, animal waste-removal systems, and biosafety cabinets or clean-bench hoods.
Maintain cage-washer validation records and room maintenance records for assigned areas.
Keep assigned work areas stocked with supplies needed for routine operations.
Remove and dispose of waste.
Follow Animal Biosafety Level 2 and 3 practices, including changing animals in a biosafety cabinet and specially handling bedding, including packaging it for incineration.
Provide general technical assistance to the supervisor or investigators.
Operate a University of Massachusetts-owned or authorized motor vehicle to travel between assigned work sites for animal care and related operational duties.
Functionally supervise student employees.
Perform other tasks as directed by the Supervisor of Animal Care.
Participate in rotating on-call, weekend, holiday, and campus-closure coverage schedules and respond to operational needs outside regular business hours as required.