Job Summary: The Laboratory Animal Husbandry Supervisor assists with the supervision of daily husbandry in the laboratory animal facilities and performs husbandry duties as needed. This position entails front-line supervision of daily work production and provides husbandry staff with daily direction. The husbandry supervisor also assists in staff training and development and troubleshoots problems, issues, and concerns (equipment issues, husbandry procedures, personnel problems) of a routine nature. May act as a functional manager in the absence of the manager.Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Helps to coach, lead and train student workers at two sites, assisting with on-going staff development and staff scheduling
- Provides animal care and oversees the daily work of the staff at assigned site for the day
- Performs feeding, watering, and observations of animals and cage cleaning
- Operates vivarium equipment including cage washers, floor machines, etc.
- Maintains animal census records and other animal care records
- Performs end-of-day quality control checks of animal rooms and records
- Alerts Facility Manager and/or veterinary staff on animal health related matters and maintains health logs
- Provides veterinary assistance for treatments and procedures on animals
- Breeds, weans and euthanizes animals
- Obtains supplies, transports animals, restrains, weighs or doses animals, and collects samples
- Provides access for students doing work in the lab and assists with tour groups and community outreach activities (A-Day, Kids camps, etc.)
- Maintains a current awareness of regulatory requirements pertaining to the housing of animals and maintains compliance with applicable regulations
- Performs general custodial tasks as directed
- Provides a safe working environment for all staff
- Maintains vivarium equipment including scheduled preventative maintenance, and provides timely reporting of all environmental and plant conditions that are out-of-order
- Other duties as assigned
Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Ability to motivate, mentor and lead a diverse team of student workers
- Has a desire and ability to work with a variety of small animals
- Good interpersonal skills, oral and written communication skills, and ability to give and follow oral and written instruction in English
- Ability to utilize computer software including Word, Excel, Access, and Power Point
- Working knowledge of federal regulations pertinent to animal research
Education and Experience:
- Bachelor's degree in biological or veterinary sciences is preferred
- Minimum of 3 years' experience working with a variety of laboratory animals
- Supervisory experience preferred
- American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) certification preferred Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician (ALAT); Laboratory Animal Technician (LAT); or Laboratory Animal Technologist level.
Physical Requirements and Working Conditions:
- Occasionally sitting at a desk and working on a computer
- Occasionally lifting 50 lbs or less
- Frequently lifting 25 lbs or more
- Typically standing or walking
- Typically bending, crouching, stooping
- Climbing ladders and step stools
- Performing tasks requiring high manual dexterity and repetitive motion (assembling caging and water bottles, animal restraint, use of pipettes, syringes and needles for injections, oral dosing and venipuncture.)
- Exposure to chemicals
- May be exposed to human pathogens
- Exposure to animal allergens
- Exposure to moving machinery
- Exposure to unpleasant odors
- Exposure to animal feces and specimens
- May be exposed to animal bites, scratches and contagious diseases
- Required to wear personal protective equipment for up to 6 hours at a time (respirators/masks; gloves, safety eyewear)
- High noise environment
- High dust, dirt, grease environment
- High humidity, air temperature, and low light conditions
- Ability to work flexible schedule including evenings, weekends, holidays and breaks
- Required to be on-call
3 days per week. Shift starts at 2:00 PM.25 hours per week until June 1, 2024 (Academic Year).