Animal Care Technician

Job Summary

We are seeking an Animal Care Technician I to join our Insourcing Solutions team located in South San Francisco, CA
. As the Animal Care Technician I, you will observe, monitor, and document the health and physical environment within the Charles River Accelerator & Development Labs (CRADL) animal facility. Perform routine husbandry tasks such as feeding, watering, cage changing, and cleaning of equipment and rooms to maintain a safe and compliant environment. Support animal health and welfare by accurately reporting concerns and collaborating with veterinary staff, ensuring all work aligns with institutional, state and federal guidelines.

• Operate a washer for cleaning and sanitizing animal cage supplies through automatic processes.
• Operate autoclave machine to sterilize caging equipment and instruments for the animals.
• Maintain QA documentation including temperature strips, room environmental reports and logs, dish washer and/or autoclaving logs.
• Handle, transfer, and deliver animals, supplies (caging, gases, dry ice, liquid nitrogen), and waste as needed to and from work area(s).
• Perform daily cage duties including recycling and scheduled sanitation procedures.
• Review and comprehend relevant SOPs, BOPs, and quality standards and apply them to routine animal care and facility tasks under supervision.
• Monitor daily animal health and welfare and perform daily animal health observations.
• Perform animal husbandry duties to maintain quality and health of research animals, including water bottle and cage checks; provide appropriate food and water; perform cage changing and/or cleaning as required; record animal health concerns per SOP.
• Dispose of biological, hazardous, and animal facility waste following established procedures.
• Operate equipment and use supplies according to safety guidelines; perform general housekeeping (pest traps, common area cleaning, eye wash stations, emergency showers) and adhere to safety procedures.
• Assist with receiving and housing incoming animals under supervision.
• Print cage cards for incoming shipments and requests from clients; collect census data and upload manual or handheld scanner data.
• Assist with monitoring client row assignments in shared animal holding rooms to ensure correct labeling and assignment.
• Report non‑compliance or animal welfare concerns to the appropriate Animal Welfare Team member or IACUC office.
• Maintain an organized and clean work environment, including animal rooms, common areas, cage washrooms, procedure rooms, anterooms, storage areas, and grounds.
• Attend and participate in on‑the‑job and classroom training sessions; complete all assigned computer‑based safety and professional development training by due dates.
• Communicate procedural questions and training deficiencies to team lead or supervisor.
• Maintain required attendance and adhere to work schedule to ensure duties are completed.
• Perform all other related duties as assigned.

• Applies knowledge of individual facility SOPs to ensure proper compliance.
• Ability to learn and understand basic animal identification methods.
• Effectively follow verbal and written instructions; exhibit interpersonal skills conducive to effective communication.
• Maintain a positive work atmosphere; communicate professionally with coworkers, research staff, and managers.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong written and verbal English communication skills; numbers to follow instructions, maintain records, identify specific animals.
• Basic working knowledge of business software systems (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

• Move around inside the facility, stand, walk, use hands, reach, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl; occasionally sit.
• Regularly lift and/or move items up to 50 lbs independently; occasionally lift up to 100 lbs with assistance.
• Requires close, distance, peripheral vision, depth perception, adjust focus.
• Use personal protective equipment (PPE) including gloves, protective clothing, eye protection.

• Busy research environment with sharp objects, mechanical parts, toxic or caustic chemicals, biological hazards, fumes, and airborne…