DescriptionUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus 
Department: Office of Laboratory Animal Resources (OLAR)
Job Title: Animal Care II
Position #705320 – Requisition #19126
 
* Applications are accepted electronically ONLY at www.cu.edu/cu-careers *
 
The University of Colorado Denver l Anschutz Medical Campus seeks individuals with demonstrated commitment to creating an inclusive learning and working environment.  We value the ability to engage effectively with students, faculty and staff of diverse backgrounds.

Who We Are:

A national leader in health care and life sciences, CU Anschutz is the only comprehensive academic health sciences center in Colorado and the largest in the Rocky Mountain region. Located in Aurora, Colo., it is one of the newest education, research and patient care facilities in the world. With six schools and colleges, CU Anschutz trains the health sciences workforce of the future by blending education, research and clinical care all in one place. This strategic collaboration among diverse health care fields allows knowledge to travel directly from the research bench to the patient’s bedside. Read CU Anschutz Quick Facts here.

The Office of Laboratory Animal Resources (OLAR) department has an opening for a full-time University Staff (unclassified) Animal Care II position.

Job Summary:

This full-time, University Staff (unclassified) Animal Care II position will provide animal care and husbandry for research laboratory animals by feeding, watering, changing/cleaning/sanitizing soiled cages and pens; evaluate animals for basic health status; keep records concerning environment, daily work activities and animal census; clean, sanitize and autoclave animal cages and equipment/supplies and prepare such for reuse.  This position may assist with interviews for new hires. This position will also act as a lead technician that may train employees, audit work areas, and assist supervisors with daily adjustments in work assignments.    

Examples of Work Performed:
The Animal Care Technician II position assists with oversight of husbandry tasks. Duties include but are not limited to: 

• Changing and/or cleaning soiled animal cages and/or pens, feeding devices and watering devices. 
• Evaluates the basic health status of animals and reports abnormalities to the appropriate personnel.  
• Weighs, administers medications, sets up breeding cages, records breeding status data, weans, euthanizes, restrains, collects samples, performs identification (i.e. tattoo, ear tag, ear punch, etc.), houses and transports laboratory animals as directed by Supervisor, Veterinarian or Lab. 
• Contact appropriate personnel regarding dead/sick animals, overcrowded cages, euthanasia requests and specific project requirements via e-mail or phone. 
• Collect soiled animal bedding and other wastes and transports to designated waste disposal sites (i.e. cage wash room or dumpster). 
• Procure animal feed and supplies from appropriate support areas and transports to required use site.   
• Records daily animal care activities on room check-sheets, contacts appropriate personnel regarding dead/sick animals via e-mail, flag or phone. 
• Scans cage cards to record animal census in the animal rooms. 
• Selects, prepares, dispenses and utilizes hazardous chemicals and disinfectants according to manufacturer’s instructions in cleaning and sanitizing animal rooms, racks, cages and pens and animal support areas. 
• Operates mechanical equipment used to clean and sanitize surfaces. Cleans/sanitizes/disinfects animal holding rooms, procedure rooms, support rooms. Other duties relating animal husbandry as assigned. 
• Monitors the progress of the assigned work area by ensuring that all SOP’s/policies are being followed, assigns and adjusts coverage for their assigned area to accommodate employee absences. 
• Performs room audits of breeding core established areas to ensure SOP/policy compliance, this includes auditing supplies and storage areas. 
• Ensure that all appropriate documentation is completed for all rooms assigned to their area.  
• Performs and monitors the completion of various technical assignments offered by the department including; weaning, ear tagging, transferring of animals, tail snips, injections and overall health monitoring of the rooms in their assigned care by working closely with a Supervisor, Veterinarian or Veterinary Technician. 
• Mentors and trains others regarding all aspects of animal husbandry and breeding maintenance, provides input into areas that should be covered by performance plans and provides feedback to supervisors for preparation of evaluations.  
• On occasion may be required to drive a University vehicle to transport animals in cases of emergency.

This description is a summary only and is describing the general level of work being performed, it is not intended to be all-inclusive. The duties of this position may change from time to time and/or based on business need. We reserve the right to add or delete duties and responsibilities at the discretion of the supervisor and/or hiring authority.

Salary and Benefits:

• The hiring salary range for this position has been established at $38,340 - $45,000 and is commensurate with skills and experience
• This position is eligible for overtime compensation
• Your total compensation goes beyond the number on your paycheck. The University of Colorado provides generous leave, health plans and retirement contributions that add to your bottom line.
• Benefits: https://www.cu.edu/employee-services/benefits.
• Total Compensation Calculator: https://www.cu.edu/employee-services/total-compensation 

Diversity and Equity:

• Please click here for information on disability accommodations: http://www.ucdenver.edu/about/departments/HR/jobs/Pages/JobsatCUDenver.aspx
• The University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus is committed to recruiting and supporting a diverse student body, faculty and administrative staff. The university strives to promote a culture of inclusiveness, respect, communication and understanding. We encourage applications from women, ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities and all veterans. The University of Colorado is committed to diversity and equality in education and employment.
• The University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus is dedicated to ensuring a safe and secure environment for our faculty, staff, students and visitors. To assist in achieving that goal, we conduct background investigations for all prospective employees. 

QualificationsMinimum Qualifications:

• At least two (2) years of experience caring for, feeding, or providing health care for animals in a veterinary laboratory, breeding, or boarding facility. One (1) of the two (2) years of required experience must be for research and/or instructional purposes.
• Substitution:  College coursework in veterinary technology, animal science, biology, or a related field of study related to the work assignment may substitute year-for-year for the general experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience as a work leader assigning tasks, monitoring the progress and work flow, and scheduling work for other employees
• Experience entering data into a database (e.g. Excel and Access)
• Experience keeping activity logs and managing inventory
• Experience handling rodents (rats and mice)
• Experience in an animal research facility
• Experience operating complex machinery

Competencies:

• Oral communication skills with the ability to exchange and collect information
• Ability to communicate effectively in written form, which includes the ability to check for typographical, grammatical and spelling errors
• Ability to enter data in a database
• Ability to handle rodents
• Perform repetitious tasks of a dexterous nature (i.e. ear tagging and tattooing, etc. on large numbers of animals)
• Knowledge of an animal research facility
• Ability to maintain an activity log
• Ability to work with complex machinery
• Planning and organizational skills
• Mechanical ability
• Physical ability
• Ability to teach and lead others by example
• Provide high quality customer service 

Conditions of Employment:

• Must be willing and able to sit, stoop, kneel and balance on an occasional basis, with or without accommodation
• Must be willing and able to lift, carry, push, and pull up to 100 lbs. on an occasional basis, with or without accommodation
• Must be willing and able to stand, walk, climb stairs, crouch and squat on a frequent basis, with or without accommodation
• Must be willing and able to lift and carry up to 50 lbs. on a frequent basis, with or without accommodation
• Must be willing and able to type/enter data on a frequent basis, with or without accommodation
• Must be willing and able to bend and reach above shoulders on a constant basis, with or without accommodation
• Must be willing and able to lift and carry up to 10 lbs. on a constant basis, with or without accommodation
• Must be willing and able to work around chemicals and solvents
• Must be willing able to work around noise and vibrations
• Must be willing able to walk on uneven surfaces and work in small, confined spaces
• Must be willing and able to operate moving equipment/vehicles and work around machinery
• Must be willing and able to work in hazardous conditions
• Must be willing and able to wear appropriate respiratory protection
• Must be willing and able to euthanize large and small animals
• Must be AALAS certified or must become AALAS certified within one year of the hire date
• Must possess and maintain a current, valid State of Colorado Driver’s License by the time of hire
• Must be willing and able to work straight or rotating shifts, weekends and holidays

NOTE: This position has been designated as essential personnel, “Subject to call 24 hours per day, seven days per week” and may be required to carry a department issued phone. Position may also be required to “stay over late” or “come in early” to “cover” shifts, as needed and may be required to respond to any emergencies as needed. If hired, you will be required to provide effective off-hours phone contact info for emergency call-in purposes.

Job Category: Health Care
Primary Location: Aurora
Schedule: Full-time
Posting Date: Sep 1, 2020
Unposting Date: Sep 11, 2020, 12:59:00 AM