Principal Animal Technician

JOB SUMMARY:

Principal Animal Technician's duties may cover any species of animal and provide the same basic husbandry duties that would relate to the needs of that species. In addition to all of the duties assignable to an Animal Technician.  In addition to routine husbandry tasks (changing cages and racks, delivering food and water in accordance to established procedures, maintaining equipment and animal housing areas according to standard operating procedures and federal and state regulations), the Principal Animal Technician (PAT) is responsible for providing oversight of limited technical and environmental control activities in distinct animal care areas. The principal technician typically oversees the daily work activities of a group of three or more FTE animal care personnel and will evaluate employee performance with the area supervisor/manager (who conducts the review). The PAT recommends employment and termination decisions of staff.  The principal technician is responsible for training staff members and may provide facility trainings to laboratory staff. In addition, the PAT initiates and arranges orders and transfers of animals, supplies and equipment as needed for the specific animal care site. The PAT is also responsible for ensuring compliance with occupational health and safety regulations and reviews all area operations and records and performs other related duties as required. The PAT may also head projects that require a higher level of technical skill (e.g. design, construct coordinate animal enrichment, breeding and colony management, knowledge of quarantine procedures, administer treatments, and perform paraveterinary procedures).   The PAT is responsible for being familiar with and performing technical duties as well as data entry required for the management of mouse breeding colonies and other species as assigned. Technical duties include providing oral or injectable doses, taking temperatures, heart rate, assessing behavior/attitude, animal identification by tattoo/ear notch/ear tag, weaning, euthanasia, blood collection, tissue collection for genotyping, and other duties as assigned. Record keeping duties include maintaining per-diems records, animal health surveillance, feed logs, temperature/humidity charts, animal receipt and disposition logs, submitting daily electronic reports, entering data into a central breeding colony management database, maintaining a project history log, and keeping thorough records to track breeding/pedigree of mice bred if applicable to the assignment.  The Principal Animal Technician works with minimal supervision and may be rotated as a floater to various LARC locations to provide technical or back-up assistance on an as needed basis.

 

 DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

The Laboratory Animal Resource Center (LARC) supports the research programs of the faculty by providing all services associated with the care and use of laboratory animals including the purchasing/receiving, daily care and monitoring of the health of all species and acts as a facility leader. 

Required Qualifications: - Demonstrated experience working under minimal supervision. - Graduation from high school, completion of training equivalent to the Laboratory Animal Technologist certification of the AALAS, and three years of related animal care experience with demonstrated supervisory ability; or an equivalent combination of education and experience; and knowledge and abilities essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the position - Complete Ergonomics training - Complete Ethics training - Complete and remain current in BRER training. - Complete and remain current in Laboratory Safety for Researchers training. - Complete Facilities Orientation assigned site. for each - Incumbent has strong knowledge of feeding, caging, and space requirements for multiple species of laboratory animals used in biomedical research and the ability to assist training new hires in these areas - Ability to read, write and verbalize in English and maintain legible records for permanent status and communicate animal health information to appropriate personnel - Computer competency required; Basic knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, and ability to learn and use web based software for data entry and/or on line training - Have knowledge of federal and other licensing agencies’ regulations - Ability to recognize sick animals, report conditions to veterinary staff and assist with their treatment - Full knowledge of disinfection, sanitation and cleaning agents, knowledge and ability to use cage-washers for cleaning and autoclaves for sterilization of cages - Satisfactory job performance ratings at all times during probationary employment period - Ability to follow instructions, work independently or in shared assignments with others; Ability to explain routine work assignments to others including schedules, policies and best practices using positive communication (verbal and written) - Ability to bend, squat, kneel, stand, reach above shoulder level, and move on hard surface for up to 7 hours/day

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It is the only campus in the 10-campus UC system dedicated exclusively to the health sciences. We bring together the world’s leading experts in nearly every area of health. We are home to five Nobel laureates who have advanced the understanding of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, aging and stem cells.

UCSF is a diverse community made of people with many skills and talents. We seek candidates whose work experience or community service has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to professionalism, respect, integrity, diversity and excellence – also known as https://www.ucsf.edu/about/mission-and-values . In addition to , UCSF is committed to equity – both in how we deliver care as well as our workforce. We are committed to building a broadly diverse community, nurturing a culture that is welcoming and supportive, and engaging diverse ideas for the provision of culturally competent education, discovery, and patient care. Additional information about UCSF is available https://diversity.ucsf.edu/ . Join us to find a rewarding career contributing to improving healthcare worldwide.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.