Lead Animal Technologist

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Job Details

Job Ref:
47216

Location:
450 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02215

Category:
Research Laboratory

Employment Type:
Full time

Work Location:
Onsite: 100% onsite

Overview

The Lead Animal Technologist reports directly to the Animal Resources Facility (ARF) Technical Services Manager or Technologist Supervisor. The Lead Animal Technologist provides animal clinical care and treatment to research animals as prescribed by the ARF Technical Services (TS) Manager or Technologist Supervisor and as directed by the Attending Veterinarian. Under the direction of the TS Manager/Supervisor may be responsible for packing and shipping sentinel animals to Charles River Laboratories for diagnostic testing. Must be able to sex and wean mice, and identify animals by ear punch, ear tag number or toe clip. Will perform injections (IV, IP, SC, IM, ID), blood sampling techniques as  assigned by (TS) Manager or (PT) to TS projects.

Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute brings together world renowned clinicians, innovative researchers and dedicated professionals, allies in the common mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS and related diseases. Combining extremely talented people with the best technologies in a genuinely positive environment, we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all ages; we conduct research that advances treatment; we educate tomorrow's physician/researchers; we reach out to underserved members of our community; and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.

Responsibilities

  • Routine handling, restraint, identification (including ear notching, tagging, tattooing, and toe clipping) and sexing of common laboratory animals.
  • Distinguishing various common laboratory animal strains in accordance with standardized genetic nomenclature and phenotype identification.
  • Maintains and reports accurate records, including but not limited to breeding records, health monitoring reports, receipt of sentinel animals and animal disposition logs.
  • Monitors animal colonies for injured, sick, moribund, or dead animals and recording/reporting any findings.
  • Maintains animal health records for on-going treatments in the HMR/IACUC database.
  • Monitors “Emergency Separation Notices,” separating overcrowded cages as necessary, transcribing correct animal information onto cage cards/ECCs after separations, and entering information accurately into Technical Services database.
  • Participates with the other Technologists in collection of sentinel animals. This includes accurate sentinel animal identification (room/rack #) for scheduled shipment to Charles River Laboratories for pathogen testing.  Blood collection and serum preparation for sentinel animals in ABSL-2/3 suite.
  • Maintains and reports accurate records, including but not limited to; technical service records, electronic cage cards, animal census, sterilization logs, breeding records, transgenic data, anesthesia machine logs, animal receiving and disposition logs, etc.
  • Performs sample collection for quarterly environmental testing of the animal facility, including equipment, surfaces, and RO water.
  • Assists as directed by the TS Manager/Supervisor with Intramural Transfers and Animal Exports/Imports.
  • Assists with animal quarantine imports; sexing, sample collect, treating and creating Charles River testing accessions.

Qualifications

  • High School Diploma or GED required. BA/BS preferred.
  • 3 years working in an AAALAC-accredited laboratory animal facility.  1 year of work experience in small animal studies in academia or industry preferred.
  • AALAS certification at the Laboratory Animal Technician (LAT) preferred.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

  • Knowledge in animal studies including IP, IV, SQ injections, oral gavage, blood collection, and minor surgical procedures preferred
  • Willingness to learn Bioluminescence Imaging (BLI) techniques.
  • Ability to safely handle, restrain, perform treatments, and euthanize laboratory mice as directed. An understanding of mouse breeding colony maintenance required for establishing breeding colony pairs, sexing animals, weaning pups, and entering colony data on Electronic Cage Cards (ECC) and in computer database.
  • Organized and meticulous in record keeping.
  • Ability to communicate and collaborate with members of a multidisciplinary team.
  • Previous experience working with infectious agents (ABSL-2/3 level) would be helpful but not required. In-house training will be provided prior to working in ABSL-2/3 areas.
  • Requires a working knowledge of basic computer skills, including word processing, spreadsheets, and other related software.

Pay Transparency Statement

The hiring range is based on market pay structures, with individual salaries determined by factors such as business needs, market conditions, internal equity, and based on the candidate’s relevant experience, skills and qualifications.

For union positions, the pay range is determined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)

$31.06/hr - $39.81/hr

At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong. As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are committed to having faculty and staff who offer multifaceted experiences. Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and compassionate professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) has strict guidelines regarding the presence of rodents in employees' homes due to the potential impact on research integrity and patient safety. Employees who work in certain roles, particularly those involving laboratory settings or animal research, must ensure their living environment does not pose a risk of contamination or interference with DFCI’s work. As a result, employees in designated positions are required to confirm that they do not have pet rodents at home or, if they do, agree to rehome them before starting employment. Failure to comply with this requirement may affect eligibility for employment in specific roles at DFCI.

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