UT Austin

Animal Husbandry Attendants, Animal Resources Center

AUSTIN, TX Full time

Job Posting Title:

Animal Husbandry Attendants, Animal Resources Center

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Hiring Department:

Animal Resources Center

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

To Be Determined at Offer

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Earliest Start Date:

Ongoing

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue

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Location:

AUSTIN, TX

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Job Details:

General Notes

The Animal Resources Center at The University of Texas at Austin covers approx. 150,000 sq. ft. of research animal space. The Animal Resources Center is responsible for managing three centralized animal facilities as well as some of the smaller satellite locations.

UT Austin offers a competitive benefits package that includes:  

  • 100% employer-paid basic medical coverage  

  • Retirement contributions

  • Paid vacation and sick time

  • Paid holidays

Please visit our Human Resources (HR) website to learn more about the total benefits offered.

Purpose

We are seeking dedicated individuals to join our team as a Cagewash Attendant, Animal Attendant II, or Animal Attendant III with placement based on experience and qualifications. In these roles, you will provide support to the ARC animal care mission, directly contributing to discoveries that improve lives through research.

Responsibilities

Cagewash Attendant

  • Operates cagewash equipment including rack washers, tunnel washers, and sanitizes animal housing equipment using cage washing machines. Fills drinking bottles with fresh water and cages with bedding.

  • Performs preventative maintenance on equipment as required and reports any equipment that requires repairs or maintenance.

  • Maintains all required records regarding cagewash and performs all required steps to ensure adequacy of sanitation.

  • Maintains and sanitizes facility rooms and walls.

  • Prepares and uses dips, sprays, detergents, and disinfectants for use. Tracks inventory of supplies and notifies supervisor when additional materials need re-stocking.

  • Accepts deliveries of equipment and supplies from vendors. Processes and stores supplies in assigned storage areas upon delivery. 

  • May act as point of contact for cagewash statuses, equipment ordering statuses, and sanitization statuses.

  • May work without onsite supervision on weekends and University holidays as required.

  • Participates in training and continued education activities as provided by the ARC and required by federal guidelines and accreditation standards. Interacts and communicates effectively with ARC staff and University of Texas at Austin research staff. Attends meetings as needed to improve skills and knowledge or as required by management.

  • Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

  • Experience in using tools for routine maintenance and repair. 

  • Experience learning new skills and application of that training to assigned tasks and responsibilities. 

  • Demonstrated ability to be detail oriented and meticulous when completing tasks. 

  • Ability to work efficiently in a high-stakes environment. 

  • Applicant must successfully pass the WorkSteps physical abilities test. 

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

  • American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) Certification.

  • Previous experience working in a research vivarium 

  • Relevant degree in a related field

  • Experience working with wild caught species and non-human primates in a research setting

Salary Range

$38,000

Responsibilities

Animal Attendant II

  • Provides animal husbandry to all ARC-managed species, including USDA-covered large animals, other USDA-covered species, rodents, and aquatics.

  • Completes all required documentation, including per diem sheets, checklists, animal records, and files.

  • Prepares or mixes feed according to specific instructions. Tracks inventory of feed supplies and notifies supervisor when supplies need re-stocking. 

  • Cleans cages, pens, and animal quarters. Sanitizes animal rooms, equipment, and facilities to prevent infections and disease. Maintains accurate records of room/equipment cleans. 

  • Serves as a backup for cagewash staff and operates cagewash equipment as needed.

  • Performs routine maintenance checks on equipment and reports any equipment that requires repairs or maintenance. Maintains accurate records of equipment checks. 

  • Sets up incoming animal deliveries. Receives, identifies, and houses newly arrived animals. Verifies animal deliveries against order documentation and submits delivery documentation to supervisor. 

  • Transfers or transports rodents, feed, and bedding materials to their specified room.

  • May work without onsite supervision on weekends and University holidays as required. 

  • Participates in training and continued education activities as provided by the ARC and required by federal guidelines and accreditation standards. Interacts and communicated effectively with ARC staff and University of Texas at Austin research staff. Attends meetings as needed to improve skills and knowledge or as required by management. 

  • Provides animal husbandry and care for all species housed in all ARC facilities, as needed, to assist when facilities are understaffed.

  • Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

  • High school diploma or GED and at least 1 year of experience in animal care. 

  • Experience learning new skills and application of that training to assigned tasks and responsibilities. 

  • Demonstrated ability to be detail oriented and meticulous when completing tasks. 

  • Demonstrated ability to work efficiently in a high-stakes environment. 

  • Ability to understand policy, procedure, and regulations regarding care for lab animals

  • Applicant must successfully pass the WorkSteps physical abilities test. 

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

  • American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) Certification.

  • Previous experience working in a research vivarium. 

  • Relevant degree in a related field.

Salary Range

$41,000

Responsibilities

Animal Attendant III

In addition to the Animal Attendant II Responsibilities, the Animal Attendant III is responsible for:

  • Operating UT owned carts and vehicles to transport equipment and/or animals between facilities.

  • Execute facility-level tasks using vivarium specific software. 

  • Provide care to animals in decentralized facilities with little supervision. Act as a liaison between research staff and supervisors in decentralized facilities. Provide independent animal care for unique and novel studies and equipment. 

  • Submit reports upon completion of decentralized facility assignments and animal care, as needed. 

Required Qualifications

  • High school diploma or GED and at least 3 years of experience in animal care

  • Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of cagewash, facility maintenance, animal husbandry small and large animal species in all biocontainment levels, cage preparation, receipt and transportation/storage of equipment deliveries, and routine equipment inspection checks. 

  • Demonstrated commitment to understanding policy, procedure, and regulations regarding care for lab animals.

  • Applicant must successfully pass the WorkSteps physical abilities test. 

  • A valid class "C" operator's Texas Driver’s License is required.  

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

  • American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) Certification.

  • Previous experience working in a research vivarium 

  • Relevant degree in a related field

  • Experience working with wild caught species and non-human primates in a research setting

  • Experience driving large commercial vehicles 

Driving Required

This job requires a class "C" operator's driver's license. The applicant selected must provide a current three year driving record from the current state of residence. If not currently a Texas resident, a Texas driver's license must be obtained within 30 days of becoming a Texas resident. Employees who are required to have a CDL are subject to drug and alcohol testing (pre-employment, post-accident, reasonable suspicion, random, return-to-duty, and follow-up drug and alcohol testing).

Salary Range

$46,000 + depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

  • Usual research or laboratory animal facility. 

  • Use of protective clothing is required and furnished.

  • Contact with a variety of animals that may bite or scratch.  

  • Possible exposure to animal bites, diseases, allergens and bio-hazards. 

  • May work around chemical fumes, biohazards or chemicals.

  • May work in all weather conditions

  • May work in extreme temperatures

  • Use of manual dexterity

  • Climbing of stairs & ladders

  • Lifting and moving

  • Occasional evening, weekend and holiday work to meet essential operational standards.

Required Materials

Please mark "yes" on the application for required materials. Failure to attach all additional materials listed may affect candidates being considered for the position.

  • Resume/CV

  • 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor.

  • Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.