Job Description

For 75 years, Charles River employees have worked together to assist in the discovery, development and safe manufacture of new drug therapies. When you join our family, you will have a significant impact on the health and well-being of people across the globe. Whether your background is in life sciences, finance, IT, sales or another area, your skills will play an important role in the work we perform. In return, we’ll help you build a career that you can feel passionate about.

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Veterinary Technician II  to join our Insourcing Solutions team, located in San Diego, CA.

As the Veterinary Technician II under the direction of the client’s Veterinarians and veterinary staff, you will maintain and monitor the health and physical environment of client’s animals involving complex instructions and requiring technical expertise. Assist veterinary staff in the documentation and triage of all laboratory animal health cases. May also perform basic and advanced technical in-life procedures.

Additional responsibilities:

• Assist client’s Veterinarians in the documentation and triage of all animal health cases noted by technical staff and/or Attending Veterinarian.
• Conduct regular clinical rounds and routine health monitoring and examinations in support of studies and in accordance with the requirements of the research program, and assure the implementation of preventive measures such as environmental enrichment, hydration support, etc.
• Assist in investigations, as needed, on reports of animal health issues and/or conditions suggesting problems with animal well-being, as directed by the Attending Veterinarian. As appropriate, recommend, administer, and record (following coordination with study directors) routine treatment of animals. Generate summary reports as necessary.
• Perform and document appropriate clinical observations. Ensure corrective actions for health or welfare issues are developed and implemented in accordance with the research programs.
• Notify veterinary staff, study directors, and other appropriate personnel of conditions that are indicative of pain and distress or other abnormal findings that could lead to such conditions or compromise studies.

Responsibilities continued:

• Perform routine veterinary technical and husbandry skills including the following:

• • Administration of various therapeutic measures by IV, IM, SQ, topical, oral routes, etc.
  • Venipuncture techniques and other sample collection
  • Mouse reproductive care, such as plug checks or litter checks
  • Proficient animal restraint techniques
  • Nail trimming
  • Monitor and assess critical animals
• Perform animal follow-up observations or new findings as required.
• Monitor animal health, visually, and by following detailed schedules.
• Generate animal treatment records and perform, track and schedule follow-ups.

Responsibilities continued:

• Maintain appropriate medical records for each animal in accordance with study and regulatory requirements.
• Assist in maintaining accurate record keeping procedures for the veterinary department.
• Maintain and follow complex procedures to ensure appropriate animal health and treatment.
• Provide input into the creation/revision of SOPs and assist in implementation and training of new SOPs.
• Assist in providing and supporting a culture of care, including animal health training, and guidance to less experienced technical staff and other laboratory personnel.
• Assist in keeping inventory and stocking the vet rooms (i.e., drugs and supplies). Assist in organizing and maintaining the vet procedures rooms.
• May be responsible for tissue sampling, routine animal manipulations and administration of fluids or other treatments as required.
• May perform routine technical and husbandry functions (general housekeeping) on studies and must adhere to safety procedures.
• Assist in surgery and peri-surgery care, e.g. provide and monitor anesthesia, prepare surgical packs, administer supportive therapy.
• Perform all other related duties as assigned.

Job Qualifications:

• Education: Associate degree (A.A./A.S.) or Bachelor’s degree (B.A./B.S.) or equivalent in animal or laboratory science, business, or related discipline.
• Experience: Minimum of two – three (2 - 3) years of veterinary experience or six - twelve (6 - 12) months directly related laboratory animal experience in a laboratory animal facility.
• Certification/Licensure: Laboratory Animal Technician (LAT) certification from AALAS required. Laboratory Animal Technologist (LATG), CVT, LVT, or RVT certification preferred.
• Other: Demonstrate understanding of Standard Operating Procedures. Excellent organizational, time management and recordkeeping skills. Basic word processing skills required. Excellent communication skills both written and verbal. Must be proficient in routine veterinary technical and husbandry techniques.
• Shift : Monday - Friday, 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Weekends and holidays may be required as needed. 

The pay range for this position is $32 - 34 USD per hour . Please note that salaries vary within the range based on factors including experience, skills, education, certifications, and location.

Physical Demands:

• Employees must be able to lift, move, manipulate, and/or hold heavy objects up to and including 25 pounds; over 50 pounds with assistance; this includes work materials, equipment, and/or animals.
• Must be able to perform procedures, which require, talking, hearing, standing or sitting for long periods of time, entering data into a computer, using appropriate instruments, reaching with hands and arms, working in narrow spaces, and wearing safety equipment (PPE) according to OSHA regulations and company standards.
• Must be able to frequently firmly hold species while utilizing fine motor skills. 
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment:

• Works in a research environment, which requires use of sharp objects, working around mechanical parts, working with or near known or unknown toxic or caustic chemicals and/or biological hazards, exposure to fumes and airborne particles, working at noise levels ranging from moderate to loud.
• The employee regularly works with live animals with risk of exposure to allergens, zoonotic disease, and biohazards.
• Regularly works with or near test articles with unknown levels of toxicity.
• The noise level in the work environment ranges from low to high depending upon the species housed.

About Insourcing Solutions
Charles River Insourcing Solutions℠ can streamline research by delivering operational and cost efficiencies through the strategic insourcing of GMP, GLP and non-GLP research services from discovery through safety assessment. Insourcing Solutions℠ provides you with the ability to maintain control of your facility and expertise while leveraging available space.

About Charles River
Charles River is an early-stage contract research organization (CRO). We have built upon our foundation of laboratory animal medicine and science to develop a diverse portfolio of discovery and safety assessment services, both Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and non-GLP, to support clients from target identification through preclinical development. Charles River also provides a suite of products and services to support our clients’ clinical laboratory testing needs and manufacturing activities. Utilizing this broad portfolio of products and services enables our clients to create a more flexible drug development model, which reduces their costs, enhances their productivity and effectiveness to increase speed to market.

With over 20,000 employees within 110 facilities in over 20 countries around the globe, we are strategically positioned to coordinate worldwide resources and apply multidisciplinary perspectives in resolving our client’s unique challenges. Our client base includes global pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, government agencies and hospitals and academic institutions around the world.

At Charles River, we are passionate about our role in improving the quality of people’s lives. Our mission, our excellent science and our strong sense of purpose guide us in all that we do, and we approach each day with the knowledge that our work helps to improve the health and well-being of many across the globe. We have proudly worked on 80% of the drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the past five years.

We’re committed to providing benefits that elevate your quality of life. Based on your position these may include: bonus/incentives based on performance, 401K, paid time off, stock purchase program, Health and wellness coverage, employee and family wellbeing support programs, and work life balance flexibility.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Charles River is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, family status, pregnancy, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

It is unlawful in some states (including Massachusetts) to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

If you are interested in applying to Charles River Laboratories and need special assistance or an accommodation due to a disability to complete any forms or to otherwise participate in the resume submission process, please contact a member of our Human Resources team by sending an e-mail message to crrecruitment_US@crl.com. This contact is for accommodation requests for individuals with disabilities only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

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