Animal Care Technician

Role Summary

Animal Care Technician at Amgen’s Thousand Oaks, CA location. Maintain a world-class animal facility central to the discovery of new medicines for critical treatments, including oncology, heart disease, and inflammation.

Responsibilities

• Care for laboratory animals
• Follow guidance documents to perform assigned tasks
• Perform husbandry activities such as cage change, cage wash, and facility sanitation
• Perform and report daily health observations
• Handling and restraint of laboratory animals, notably rodents
• Assist in receiving process, housing, and shipping
• Monitor inventory of animal feed, bedding, and enrichment amongst other supplies
• Operate husbandry-related equipment such as cage wash, autoclave, laminar air flow cabinets, and other equipment
• Routinely wash, autoclave, and prepare caging and equipment
• May provide support for scientific techniques as directed
• Maintain and organize (5S, lean management) laboratory spaces for success of research
• Provide supplies and support for investigators conducting scientific experiments
• Establish effective work relationships within group and participate in teams
• Normally this is a full-time position, 40 hours per week, will require weekend husbandry coverage on a rotational basis and overtime as needed

Qualifications

• Required: Associate‚Äôs degree and 2 years of relevant experience OR 2 years in a technical school setting with hands-on experience OR High school diploma / GED and 4 years of relevant experience
• Preferred: RVT, BS/BA, and/or Associates in animal science, biology, or related field
• Preferred: AALAS certification
• Preferred: Animal care or production experience in laboratory, veterinary, boarding, agriculture, factory, or related settings
• Preferred: In vivo rodent skills including handling and sample collections
• Preferred: PPE use ability (gloves, protective clothing, eye safety glasses)
• Preferred: Physical ability to stand, use hands, walk, bend, kneel, sit, and move materials up to 50 pounds
• Preferred: Strong organizational, interpersonal and communication skills
• Preferred: Team-oriented, cross-functional collaboration
• Preferred: Basic Outlook, Excel, Word skills and ability to fill online forms
• Preferred: English reading/writing/speaking
• Preferred: Warehouse or housekeeping work experience

Skills

• Laboratory animal care
• Husbandry and cage management
• Health observation and reporting
• Animal handling and restraint
• Equipment operation (cage wash, autoclave, laminar flow cabinets)
• Inventory management
• 5S/lean organization
• Team collaboration
• Technical documentation and forms

Education

• Associate‚Äôs degree or equivalent in related field (or technical school/program)
• Preferred certifications: RVT, AALAS