Animal Care Technician

This is a provisional classification. Formal classification procedures will be initiated by the Compensation & Job Evaluation Unit in approximately six months.

About Dalhousie University

Dalhousie University is Atlantic Canada’s leading research-intensive university and a driver of the region’s intellectual, social and economic development. Located in the heart of Halifax, Nova Scotia, with an Agricultural Campus in Truro/Bible Hill, Dalhousie is a truly national and international university, with more than half of our 19,000 students coming from outside of the province. Our 6,000 faculty and staff foster a vibrant, purpose-driven community, that celebrated 200 years of academic excellence in 2018.

Job Summary

Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick (DMNB) admits 30 New Brunswick students each year, providing them the opportunity to study medicine in their home province at a variety of different teaching sites. The Animal Care Technician will work in a team environment and perform animal husbandry and technical duties for a variety of species, including rats, mice and zebrafish. This position reports to the Director, Division of Animal Care (through the Manager, LSRI and DMNB Animal Care Facilities through Senior Animal Care Technician DMNB) and to the Chief Operating Officer, DMNB.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide food, water, bedding, environmental enrichment, and specialized diets according to established procedures. Clean, disinfect and maintain animal rooms, fish tanks and equipment according to standard operating procedures. Load and empty cage wash and bottle wash machines, restock clean equipment area, assist in unloading supplies, and perform other technical duties as required.
• Perform daily health assessments on animals and zebrafish and submit health reports to veterinary staff, reporting possible concerns for direction and working closely with staff.
• Maintain rodent breeding colonies including record keeping, pairing, weaning, sexing, etc.
• Administer analgesics, antibiotics and fluids as prescribed by veterinary staff.
• Assist in the preparation of surgery stations including sterile supplies, instrument packs, etc.
• Document and maintain all necessary animal care related records, including inventory, treatments, breeding records, cage cards, sick reports, death reports, weekly census report, drug logs, etc.

Note

Hours of work:16.25 hours/week

Saturday: 3.25 hours

Sunday: 3 hours

Monday: 5 hours

Tuesday: 5 hours

There is flexibility around scheduling weekday hours by mutual consent and in accordance with the collective agreement.

Qualifications

Animal Health Technician Diploma or BSc. Biology required. CALAS Registry Board Examination RLAT certification preferred. One to three years’ previous related experience required. Work experience in lab animal care is preferred. Good communication and organizational skills required. Computer skills considered an asset.

Job Competencies Additional Information

Dalhousie University supports a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Our total compensation package includes a defined benefit pension plan, health and dental plans, a health spending account, an employee and family assistance program and a tuition assistance program.

Application Consideration

Bargaining unit employees for NSGEU local 77 are given first consideration and will be notified regarding the status of their application. All other applicants will be considered when there is no qualified internal candidate.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

Diversity Statement

Dalhousie University is committed to fostering a collegial culture grounded in diversity and inclusiveness. The university encourages applications from Indigenous persons, persons with a disability, racially visible persons, women, persons of a minority sexual orientation and/or gender identity, and all candidates who would contribute to the diversity of our community. For more information, please visit www.dal.ca/hiringfordiversity.