Senior Animal Care Technician

What You Will Contribute To Altos

The Senior Animal Care Technician is a key member of the vivarium operations team. This position will perform advanced husbandry and technical tasks and serve as a lead resource for the vivarium team. In addition to mastering all duties associated with ACT I and II, this role combines hands-on daily animal care with specialized expertise in room-level colony management, complex health monitoring, and the intake of new animal arrivals.

Key Responsibilities

Animal Care, Welfare & Vivarium Operations

• Perform and oversee daily husbandry for research animals (rodents), including:

• Cage changing, bedding and enrichment, feed and water provision

• Room cleaning and rack/equipment sanitation according to SOPs.

• Perform routine animal observations and basic measurements as needed, including:

• Weighing animals according to study or health-monitoring schedules.

• Changing or providing special/experimental diets, medicated feed, and water treatments as directed by veterinary staff or study protocols.

• Conduct and review daily health and welfare checks; promptly escalate concerns (e.g., illness, injury, abnormal behavior, weight loss) to veterinary and supervisory staff.

• Maintain species-appropriate environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, lighting, enrichment) in accordance with institutional and regulatory standards.

• Assist with and, where appropriate, coordinate animal receipt, identification, housing assignments, and transfers, ensuring proper acclimation and accurate records.

• Operate and perform routine care on cage-wash machines, autoclaves, and related equipment; report issues promptly and support facility readiness for inspections and audits.

• Adhere to biosafety and biosecurity procedures (PPE, traffic flow, barrier practices) to maintain a safe and compliant environment.

Colony Management (Breeding, Weaning & Genotyping)

• Plan, set up, and monitor rodent breeding schemes (pairs/trios) in alignment with requests and colony objectives.
• Perform timely weaning, sexing, and identification of pups; ensure appropriate group housing and minimize stress.
• Collect tissue samples for genotyping (e.g., ear punches, tail tips, or other IACUC-approved methods) following welfare-focused best practices.
• Coordinate submission of genotyping samples to external vendors; ensure accurate sample labeling, documentation, and chain-of-custody.
• Record breeding events, litters, weaning, animal assignments, diet changes (if tracked), and genotyping results in colony management software (e.g., SoftMouse or similar platforms).
• Maintain accurate genotype and lineage records; reconcile discrepancies between expected and observed genotypes and communicate impacts on study timelines and colony plans.
• Support investigators in ensuring timely availability of correctly genotyped animals for experiments and in optimizing colony size to meet demand while minimizing surplus animals.

Documentation, Compliance & Health Monitoring

• Accurately document all relevant activities, including husbandry tasks, health observations, body weights, mortality, breeding events, diet changes, and environmental monitoring in designated paper or electronic systems.
• Support institutional health surveillance programs through appropriate sample handling and reporting.
• Follow IACUC-approved protocols, SOPs, and institutional guidelines for animal care, breeding, genotyping, diet changes, and handling; identify and report potential deviations.

Communication

• Communicate clearly and promptly with veterinary staff, Vivarium manager, and research personnel regarding animal health, body weight trends, colony status, diet changes, room conditions, and any operational issues or deviations.
• Collaborate with colleagues to coordinate daily and weekly work assignments, ensure adequate coverage, and maintain consistent standards across rooms and functional areas.

Who You Are

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Animal Science, Biology, Laboratory Animal Science, or a related field (or an equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience).
• Minimum 6+ years of hands-on rodent vivarium experience in an industry setting (biotech, pharma, CRO, or other fast-paced, highly regulated research environment).
• Demonstrated proficiency with:
• Daily husbandry, health monitoring, environmental checks, and weighing of animals.
• Rodent breeding, weaning, and sexing.
• Collection of samples for genotyping and management of resulting data.
• Implementing and documenting special diets or medicated feed/water as directed.
• Strong attention to detail, organization, and documentation skills, including electronic recordkeeping.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team-based, SOP-driven environment, including participation in weekend/holiday rotations as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• AALAS certification (ALAT, LAT, or higher) or equivalent.
• Experience using colony management software such as SoftMouse, Mosaic, or similar tools for tracking breeding, genotyping, and animal use.
• Familiarity with AAALAC accreditation standards and IACUC processes

The salary range for San Diego, CA

• Senior Animal Care Technician: $76,800 - $98,400

Exact compensation may vary based on skills, experience, and location.

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• This Privacy Notice is not a contract, express or implied and it does not set terms or conditions of employment.