Animal Research Technician

For 75 years, Charles River employees have worked together to assist in the discovery, development and safe manufacture of new drug therapies. When you join our family, you will have a significant impact on the health and well-being of people across the globe. Whether your background is in life sciences, finance, IT, sales or another area, your skills will play an important role in the work we perform. In return, we’ll help you build a career that you can feel passionate about.

Job Summary

We are seeking a Technician I at our Safety Assessment site located in Mattawan, MI. The pay for this position is $20/hour plus benefits.

A Technician 1 – In Vivo Technical Operations is in training to perform and become proficient in on-boarding skills, procedures, and cooperating in a team environment. The technician is learning basic skills required to conduct a study, which may include animal handling/restraint, housing maintenance, and feeding procedures; collecting data, observing the animals for health status, and body weight measurements; administering doses by various methods, conducting euthanasia, and/or biological specimen collections for analysis. The technician is working under close supervision to gain proficiency.

Successful Candidates will possess the 6 Cs of Success:

Character – Unquestionable integrity. Respect for all.
Coachable – Eager to receive feedback. Open to making improvements.
Commitment – Dedicated to our animals, our clients/studies, our team.
Collaborative – Team player. Eager to help.
Communicative – Proactively asks questions. Provide complete answers.
Competent – Continuously and proactively hones and expands skill sets.

Job Qualifications

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Ensure good welfare and humane care for all animals worked with through gentle, positive human animal interactions.
• Train in on-boarding skills which may include animal handling, husbandry, observations, basic physiological indices, and data collection/recording to support each skill. Specific tasks will be based on each area's training plan and business needs.
• Collect, document, review, and verify data on forms, or in electronic data capture systems.
• Maintain appropriate communication with other personnel.
• Use and maintain instrumentation and equipment according to SOPs.
• Capable of repetitive gripping, pinching, lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling. Job requires ability to independently routinely lift or carry up to 50lbs, or team lift weights exceeding 50lbs.
• Ability to perform repeated twisting, bending, and reaching; exposure to hot and/or humid environments.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Education: High school diploma or General Education Degree (G.E.D.), required. Bachelor’s degree (BA/BS) or equivalent in a biological science, preferred.
• Experience: No previous experience required.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Computer skills (e.g., Microsoft Office Suite), commensurate with essential functions, including the ability to learn a validated system.
• Ability to work extended hours beyond normal work schedule includes evenings, weekends, extended shifts, and/or extra shifts, sometimes on short notice.
• Ability to ensure that a safe working environment is maintained observing all safety procedures and working methods by making proper use of protective clothing and equipment, and by reading, understanding, and following all safety documents issued or notified of.

About Safety Assessment
Charles River is committed to helping our partners expedite their preclinical drug development with exceptional safety assessment services, state-of-the-art facilities and expert regulatory guidance. From individual specialty toxicology and IND enabling studies to tailored packages and total laboratory support, our deeply experienced team can design and execute programs that anticipate challenges and avoid roadblocks for a smooth, efficient journey to market. Each year approximately 300 investigational new drug (IND) programs are conducted in our Safety Assessment facilities.

About Charles River
Charles River is an early-stage contract research organization (CRO). We have built upon our foundation of laboratory animal medicine and science to develop a diverse portfolio of discovery and safety assessment services, both Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and non-GLP, to support clients from target identification through preclinical development. Charles River also provides a suite of products and services to support our clients’ clinical laboratory testing needs and manufacturing activities. Utilizing this broad portfolio of products and services enables our clients to create a more flexible drug development model, which reduces their costs, enhances their productivity and effectiveness to increase speed to market.

With over 20,000 employees within 110 facilities in over 20 countries around the globe, we are strategically positioned to coordinate worldwide resources and apply multidisciplinary perspectives in resolving our client’s unique challenges. Our client base includes global pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, government agencies and hospitals and academic institutions around the world.

At Charles River, we are passionate about our role in improving the quality of people’s lives. Our mission, our excellent science and our strong sense of purpose guide us in all that we do, and we approach each day with the knowledge that our work helps to improve the health and well-being of many across the globe. We have proudly worked on 80% of the drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the past five years.

We’re committed to providing benefits that elevate your quality of life. Based on your position these may include: bonus/incentives based on performance, 401K, paid time off, stock purchase program, Health and wellness coverage, employee and family wellbeing support programs, and work life balance flexibility.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Charles River Laboratories 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, veteran or disability status.

It is unlawful in some states (including Massachusetts) to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

If you are interested in applying to Charles River Laboratories and need special assistance or an accommodation due to a disability to complete any forms or to otherwise participate in the resume submission process, please contact a member of our Human Resources team by sending an e-mail message to [email protected]. This contact is for accommodation requests for individuals with disabilities only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

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