Husbandry Technician / Animal Caretaker

Please note that this position is contingent upon the successful award of a contract currently under bid.

Goldbelt Apex, a part of the Healthcare Technology Transformation Group, is a data-focused company dedicated to process and quality in every aspect. As healthcare IT experts, Apex is committed to building systems that enable healthcare organizations to communicate and exchange data seamlessly across different systems and devices.

Summary:

Goldbelt Apex LLC is seeking an experienced Laboratory Animal Husbandry Technician (Animal Caretaker) to support the United States Army Institute for Surgical Research (USAISR) at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Essential Job Functions:

• Performing animal husbandry duties for rodents, rabbits, and large animals (swine, sheep, and goats), to include the preparation and actual changing and/or cleaning of animal cages and related cage accessories, feeding, and manual watering or monitoring automatic watering devices. Provides entry and husbandry-related duties in Biosafety Level (BSL) II animal holding and procedure rooms.
• Maintaining feed and water containers daily.
• Operating cage wash equipment in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs); Preparing caging, transport containers/carts, and related equipment for cage wash, including scraping floor grids, breaking down caging, and dumping pans or scraping cages.
• Conducting daily inspection of automatic watering systems, door latches, fittings, and reporting needed repairs following established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Cleaning and sanitizing animal rooms, facility, and animal care equipment, and associated animal facility areas.
• Performing animal census to include the BLS II animal rooms if necessary.
• Performing animal health observations and reporting any abnormal conditions or behavior of animals to the Veterinarian, Facility Manager, Vivarium Manager, and/or Surgery Manager.
• Completing all husbandry-related logbooks, checklists, and other records accurately and in a timely fashion.
• Monitoring and reporting any irregularities in the room temperature, light cycles, air changes, and other environmental conditions that may affect animals to the Facility Manager and/or Vivarium Manager.
• Stocking an adequate supply of personnel protective equipment throughout the vivarium.
• Ensuring accurate identification of animals moved, requested, or treated.
• Disposing of animal carcasses following established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Performing bacteriological surveys designed to determine the effectiveness of equipment washing, decontamination, and sanitizing procedures.
• Coordinating the distribution and stocking of husbandry-related supplies and materials, to include animal feed, bedding, and enrichment.
• Performing animal environmental enrichment duties for rodents, rabbits, and large animals (swine, sheep, and goats) to include preparing and distributing produce, enrichment feed, and environmental enrichment devices.
• Maintaining supplies and materials to include animal feed, bedding, and enrichment to ensure efficiency and longevity.
• Providing environmental enrichment feed and other enrichment devices, and/or providing behavior assessment.
• Documenting husbandry procedures and enrichment distribution.
• Entering vivarium data into the computer-based Research Management System (RMS) management tool.
• Preparing and maintaining animal medical records following established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Maintaining the computer-based monitoring equipment, such as the Edstrom Watchdog system.
• Coordinating with the Logistics Division for vivarium and medical equipment maintenance.
• Conducting and recording the water quality testing program for the vivarium.
• Providing refresher training for all Laboratory Animal Husbandry Technicians on equipment and husbandry-related procedures.
• Tracking animals, feed, enrichment, and/or supplies.
• Performing prescribed treatments on animals following established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Receiving and in-processing animals and performing routine animal care.
• Providing onboarding of new Veterinary Support Branch (VSB) Laboratory Animal Husbandry Technicians.
• Coordinating and scheduling animal, procedural, and surgical rooms.
• Other duties as assigned by the Supervisor.

Necessary Skills and Knowledge:

• Knowledge of laboratory animal care practices, including feeding, watering, and sanitation procedures.

• Understanding of animal behavior, health monitoring, and enrichment techniques.

• Familiarity with biosafety and biosecurity procedures in a research or laboratory setting.

• Ability to recognize signs of illness, injury, or distress in animals and report to veterinary staff promptly.

• Knowledge of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and Good Laboratory Practices (GLP).

• Skill in handling and restraining a variety of laboratory animal species safely and humanely.

• Basic understanding of recordkeeping and data entry related to animal care and facility maintenance

Minimum Qualifications:

• Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician (ALAT) certified.
• Must be a US citizen by birth or naturalization.
• Must be able to pass a National Agency Check with Inquiries (NACI).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in biology or a similar field of study.
• At least two to four (2-4) years of laboratory experience is desired.
• Experience providing animal husbandry technical support in a DoD environment is preferred.
• Must be willing to work 0630-1500 (6:30 AM-3 PM), to include occasional weekend work.

Pay and Benefits
At Goldbelt, we value and reward our team's dedication and hard work. We provide a competitive base salary commensurate with your qualifications and experience. As an employee, you'll enjoy a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with company matching, tax-deferred savings options, supplementary benefits, paid time off, and professional development opportunities.