Senior Laboratory Animal Caretaker

 

Are you looking to take your career to new heights with a leader in healthcare? SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University is one of the nation's leading metropolitan medical centers. As the only academic medical center in Brooklyn, we serve a large population that is among the most diverse in the world. We are also highly-ranked by Castle Connolly Medical, a healthcare rating company for consumers, among the top 5 leading U.S. medical schools for training doctors.

Bargaining Unit:

CSEA

Job Summary:

The Division of Comparative Medicine at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University is seeking a full-time Senior Laboratory Animal Caretaker.

The Senior Laboratory Animal Caretaker position will supervise a staff of animal caretakers grade level 5, for raising and caring for a variety of animals used for laboratory experiments, biological test, and research and perform the full range of laboratory animal care activities, husbandry and tasks. 

A Senior Laboratory Animal Caretaker is in charge of a minimum staff of three animal caretakers or assists higher-level animal or professional positions by supervising three or more in a section of a laboratory animal program which is sufficiently diverse to support a number of major research projects utilizing a variety of types and kinds of animals. 

Illustrative Duties

• Schedule and make work assignments to staff.
• Provide on-the-job training and instructions to staff in the performance as specific animal care tasks and in the use of specially required equipment.
• Observe the work of the staff to ensure that instructions are carried out and that procedures are followed.
• Consult with and assists staff in performing non-routine or the more difficult animal care task.
• Evaluate and rate the work performance of the subordinate staff.
• Ensure records are appropriately kept in documenting cage, equipment, and room sanitation, feeding animals, transferring animals from dirty cage to clean cage, and removing waste.
• Observe and report abnormal behavior morbidity, and mortality to the supervisor and/or Veterinary Care Services.
• Assist Veterinarian, Veterinarian Technician, or Husbandry Supervisor in the performance of various treatments and/or procedures.
• Assist in the maintenance of animal census, animal health, environmental, and other compliance records.
• Feed and water animals.
• Participate in training classes and departmental trainings.

Required Qualifications:

• Open Competitive: 1-year of experience in laboratory animal care for a research hospital, institution, or laboratory;
  • OR two years of satisfactory full-time experience handling and caring for small animals other than in a residential setting;
  • OR certification as a Laboratory Animal Technician, and one year of satisfactory full-time experience handling and caring for small animals in other than a residential setting;
  • OR satisfactory completion of two years' course work in veterinary medicine, animal husbandry, animal science, or a related field.
• Promotion by non-competitive examination is in order when the following conditions are met:
  • there is a minimum of one year of permanent non-competitive service as a Laboratory Animal Caretaker;
  • there is no reemployment list for the position to be filled;
  • there is no viable department promotion eligible list; and,
  • there are no more than three qualified candidates in the departmental promotion field interested in competing in an examination for the position to be filled, and
  • if more than one position is to be filled, a non-competitive promotion is still in order if the number of interested candidates in the promotion field does not exceed the number of vacancies to be filled by more than two.

Preferred Qualifications:

 

Work Schedule:

Monday to Friday; 8:00am to 4:30pm (Full-Time)

Salary Grade/Rank:

SG-8

Salary Range:

Per civil service guidelines

• Hiring Rate: $38,073 Base Salary plus $3,087 Location Pay (Full-Time 1.0FTE) 

Executive Order:

Pursuant to Executive Order 161, no State entity, as defined by the Executive Order, is permitted to ask, or mandate, in any form, that an applicant for employment provide his or her current compensation, or any prior compensation history, until such time as the applicant is extended a conditional offer of employment with compensation.  If such information has been requested from you before such time, please contact the Governor’s Office of Employee Relatio