Animal Care Technician

Job Title: Animal Care Technician Job Description
The Animal Care Technician supports preclinical research by providing high-quality animal care, executing study procedures, and maintaining compliance with Good Laboratory Practices (GLP), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and safety and health regulations in an ABSL-2/ABSL-3 laboratory environment. This role involves hands-on work with multiple animal species, collection of experimental data, and close collaboration with the scientific and veterinary teams to ensure studies run safely, accurately, and efficiently.
Responsibilities
- Observe and execute activities in accordance with study protocols, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Good Laboratory Practices (GLP), and established safety and health practices.
- Demonstrate understanding of basic study design and contribute to proper study execution.
- Perform key study activities by following appropriate procedures and timelines.
- Administer test and control materials to animals via various routes, including oral gavage, intravenous, intramuscular, intraperitoneal, and subcutaneous injection.
- Collect samples and specimens as required for study endpoints and analyses.
- Provide daily animal care and husbandry, including changing racks, supplying feed and water, and monitoring general animal well-being.
- Clean cages, equipment, and work areas, and decontaminate animal rooms by operating sanitizing and sterilizing equipment.
- Gather experimental data such as temperatures, body weights, clinical observations, and husbandry-related information in accordance with study requirements.
- Handle and restrain animals of various species, including rodents, ferrets, dogs, non-human primates, and rabbits, under animal biosafety level 1, 2, and/or 3 containment procedures.
- Collect in-life and husbandry data for a variety of study types, such as general toxicity, infectious disease, reproductive toxicity, and in vivo cancer therapeutics, including body weights, clinical observations, and food consumption.
- Record data accurately in the designated data collection systems, ensuring completeness and integrity of study records.
- Observe, document, and promptly report abnormal findings or health concerns to the veterinarian.
- Review in-life and husbandry data as required to support study monitoring and quality control.
- Communicate effectively with supervisors, group leads, and co-workers to provide updates and coordinate daily activities.
- Collaborate with team members to ensure smooth study operations and a supportive work environment.
- Perform additional duties as assigned to support laboratory operations and animal care.
Essential Skills
- 0–3 years of animal handling experience in a laboratory setting.
- Demonstrated animal handling skills with multiple species, including rodents and other research animals.
- Ability to read, understand, and follow Standard Operating Procedures, GLP requirements, and detailed study protocols.
- Strong attention to detail in executing procedures and documenting data.
- Ability to communicate clearly and professionally with stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
- Demonstrated ability to use MS Office Suite products relevant to data entry, documentation, and communication.
- Capability to wear personal protective equipment (PPE), including an N95 respirator or powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR), for extended periods.
- Ability to work effectively in a team-oriented environment.
- Willingness and ability to work overtime as needed, including rotating weekends and holidays.
- Demonstrated knowledge and application of standard scientific principles, theories, and concepts in a laboratory setting.
- Proven ability to learn new tasks and adapt to evolving study needs and procedures.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
- Associate’s degree or equivalent education.
- Experience working in ABSL-2 and/or ABSL-3 laboratory environments.
- Familiarity with collecting and reviewing in-life and husbandry data such as body weights, clinical observations, and food consumption.
- Comfort working with a variety of study types, including general toxicity, infectious disease, reproductive toxicity, and in vivo cancer therapeutics.
- Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced research environment.
- Commitment to high standards of animal welfare and ethical research practices.
Work Environment
This role is based in an ABSL-2/ABSL-3 research facility within a laboratory setting that focuses on a range of preclinical studies, including general toxicity, infectious disease, reproductive toxicity, and in vivo cancer therapeutics. The position involves regular hands-on work with multiple animal species, including rodents, ferrets, dogs, non-human primates, and rabbits, under biosafety level 1, 2, and 3 containment procedures. Team members routinely use sanitizing and sterilizing equipment for cage, room, and equipment decontamination, and wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), such as N95 respirators or PAPRs, for extended periods to ensure safety. Work hours may include overtime, rotating weekends, and holidays to support continuous animal care and study operations. The environment is collaborative, detail-oriented, and strongly focused on safety, regulatory compliance, and high-quality scientific data generation.
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract position based out of Birmingham, AL.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $20.00 - $20.00/hr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job
classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be
subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits
available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in Birmingham,AL.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Sep 30, 2026. About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

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sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected
by law.

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Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the
city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants
with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector:
It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a
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