Laboratory Animal Trainer (temp)

Requirements: Must have a B.S. degree or equivalent, be certified by the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science as a Laboratory Animal Technologist (LATG). Minimum of 3 years of experience in an animal care program of similar size and scope. Experience with multiple animal species (such as non-human primates, rodents, and farm animal), both husbandry and technical expertise is required. Must have experience in laboratory animal care, facilities operations/management, biohazard containment and data management. Experience with animal biosafety level 3 preferred. Must complete the required training and receive clearance/task validation on the duties of Trainer.

Overview: Responsible for all activities required to ensure that staff in all positions are trained and proficient in such a way to complete their essential job functions. This includes husbandry, technical, and support personnel employed by SoBran. They are to serve as the subject matter expert in all areas of the facilities. This person is expected to be familiar with the day-to-day activities, personnel, and issues within the facilities. We expect the Trainer to be forward thinking and create and assist in developing plans to enhance the learning abilities and performance of the staff working on this contract. The Trainer must possess strong verbal communication and teaching skills. This position is for up to 6 months in duration.

Description of Duties:

(Job descriptions are subject to change to reflect duties and responsibilities.)

• Work in each area of the animal facility and become knowledgeable about all aspects of facility operations, animal care support positions and keep abreast of any changes to procedural requirements.
• Develop a thorough understanding and provide insight to all Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and keep abreast of changes to SOPs.
• Assist in the development and implementation of a training plan for each position in the animal facilities and support areas.
• Work with project, facility management, and supervisors to identify, prioritize, and complete topics for technical training.
• Prepare lesson plans (hands-on demonstrations, instructional classroom, or a combination of these) and develop new training topics for each unit of the animal care and support staff and make them available to every employee.
• Conduct weekly training sessions for each unit of the animal care and support staff and make them available to every employee.
• Provide lunchtime AALAS classes at the ALAT and LAT levels. Promote AALAS certification and career development.
• Identify and coordinate for Investigator and other technical experts to provide training in specific fields.
• Ensure that each employee is trained and proficient in the current SOPs required of their position.
• Provide retraining and cross-training for individual employees when needed.
• Complete and maintain the proper training documents for each employee in accordance with the training database(s) and employee training files.
• Perform and provide reports for quality assurance animal facility walk throughs on a monthly basis.
• Assist in the editing of orientations, flow charts, etc.
• Conduct training for employees who are newly hired, have changed job positions, have transferred from other facilities, and provide special training to correct deficiencies.
• Conduct employee assessments to determine appropriate knowledge base to meet the performance criteria of their position.
• Assist employees with completing government mandated training courses.
• Report any abnormal conditions of the animal facility or immediate vicinity to supervisory staff.
• Must be able to lift 50lbs.
• Provide and perform other training or duties as requested.