Animal Care/Maintenance Technician

JOB SUMMARY:
Provides veterinary technical assistance and husbandry skills for non human primates as well as performs construction, electrical and plumbing assistance.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Perform construction, electrical and plumbing activities
• Operate boats, forklifts and bobcats after onsite training
• Perform basic veterinary technical assistance and animal husbandry duties providing feed, water, enrichment and cleaning of cages
• Assist in processing animals and cleaning feeders
• Trap, tattoo, inject and weigh NHP's quarterly
• Perform animal health observations. Report and document any abnormal conditions or animal behavior to the Assistant Project Manager
• Monitor, report, and document animal irregularities
• Perform animal husbandry and veterinary technical assistance on designated weekend and holidays
• Perform all work assignments in accordance with guidelines established by federal, state, and local regulatory agencies and Morgan Island SOP and specific protocol instructions.
• Perform all other related duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum one year experience in construction and/ or facility maintenance field. Basic knowledge, skills and experience performing maintenance tasks including but not limited to carpentry, plumbing, electrical, small engines and vehicles.
• Knowledge or ability to grasp training for reoccurring tasks with a reasonable degree of independence under normal supervision and after a customary orientation period for including but not limited to chainsaws, gas powered water pumps, pressure sprayers, generators, trucks, trailers, forklift, bobcat, and boats.
• Experience with boat operation preferred.
• Ability to use a pallet jack.
• Ability to obtain Boat Class II certification within 90 days of hire and Barge Class II certification within 1 year of hire.
• One year animal care experience with at least six months working with non-human primates desirable but not required. Transferable experience typically found through work on farms, in zoos, veterinary clinics, or nonhuman primate facilities performing husbandry and animal care procedures including but not limited to feed, water and environmental enrichment, cleaning and sanitizing of cages and equipment and other basic animal husbandry practices.
• Knowledge or ability to work and learn handling of nonhuman (Rhesus) primates during processing sessions to perform duties including but not limited to proper lifting, carrying, weighing, shaving and tattooing animals.
• Successful completion of the OSHA forklift certification required at the next available training opportunity after employment.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be accepted as a satisfactory substitute for the specific education and experience listed above

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Good leadership and communication skills. Ability to comprehend supervisor or team leader's instructions and follow directions exactly. Ability to read and understand soon after hire the Morgan Island nonhuman primate safety procedures, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and other information on working safely with Biohazards before performing any work.
• Experience in clinical research, veterinary assistance, clinical treatments or the equivalent is desired.
• Good reading, writing, and verbal skills.
• Good math skills.
• Basic computer skills and use of Microsoft Office programs.
• Ability to work unsupervised as well as in a team environment.
• Demonstrate understanding of Standard Operating Procedures.

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

The employee must have a high school diploma or general education degree.

LANGUAGE SKILLS:

Ability to read and interpret documents, including treatment protocols, standard operating procedures, and other instructions. Ability to communicate verbally and in writing to all levels of employees, including division managers.

REASONING ABILITY:

Must be able to make decisions relative to animal clinical care and must know when to contact the Staff Veterinarian. Must have sufficient skills and abilities to know when there are problems within primate groups and be able to work with appropriate personnel to stabilize groups. The individual must be able to deal with a wide diversity of problems, to propose resolutions, and to implement approved resolutions.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job, with or without reasonable accommodation. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, lift, and reach. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee may be required to lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. Additionally, the employee must be able to distinguish colors. A physical fitness exam will be required.

JOB SPECIFIC DEMANDS:

• Ability to lift and carry up to 25 pounds repeatedly.
• Ability to lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to capture a monkey up to 30 pounds with a 7 pound net within a large area.
• Ability to perform basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division calculations.
• Ability to perform all job functions in extreme weather conditions.
• Ability to multi-task.
• Ability to walk up and down stairs repeatedly, with or without carrying additional weight up to 20 pounds.
• Must have good vision or corrective eyewear.
• Must be able to work weekends and holidays.
• Overtime required.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job, with or without reasonable accommodations. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to wet and/or inclement weather, including cold, heat with high humidity, and precipitation. The employee also regularly works in high, precarious places and near moving mechanical parts. The noise level is usually moderate.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $17.50 - $25.00 per hour

Expected hours: 40 per week

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Disability insurance
• Employee discount
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Day shift

Work Location: In person

Salary : $18 - $25