This position is located within the East Orange Research Service Animal Research Facility (ARF) at the VA New Jersey Health Care System, in East Orange, NJ. The Animal Caretaker provides manual labor in the ARF to provide and maintain animal care of rodents and their living environments, and other requirements. The Animal Caretaker will function as an animal caretaker performing basic laboratory animal husbandry and laboratory maintenance.

Duties

Major duties and responsibilities include: Receives, labels, and prepares housing for new animals; Provides care, feeds, and gives water to animals used in clinical research studies; Visually inspects the cages during daily check-ins, observes animals' health and gage status, records inventory of feed and bedding and any overt changes in appearance, activities, and need; Cleans cages, changes pan liners, cleans, and fills water bottles when required; Replaces caging and bedding and moves cages when applicable; Changes animals from cage to cage and transfers corresponding record cards; Reports animal changes or issues to the VMU Manager and the Primary Investigator of the research study; Bathes and administers topical anesthetics as needed; Conducts census of animals and collect urine and blood specimens and replaces caging and bedding; Performs laboratory cleaning and sanitation duties; and Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: 7:30am to 4:00pm, may work irregular tours of duty including holidays and weekends. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Requirements

Qualifications

PHYSICAL EFFORT AND WORK CONDITIONS: Moderately heavy physical effort is required for lifting 50 pounds or more feed bags, bedding, moving furniture, equipment such as ladders, buffers, mopping equipment, wall washing and powered equipment. Required to lift animals and cages, and wash animal cages and bottles. Requires continual walking, bending, stooping, and stretching. Require considerable dexterity, hand, foot and eye coordination and concentration. Required to be mentally alert at all times particularly when operating power machines to prevent injury to self, visitors and employees, or damage to government property. Work is performed indoors and outdoors with the majority being performed indoors. Indoor work is usually in areas of varied temperatures, light and ventilation. Outdoor work exposes the employee to temperature extremes. The employee is exposed to dirt; disagreeable odors, vibration from heavy equipment and skin irritations from cleaning solutions used in stripping floors, etc. There is a possibility of strains and sprains from lifting, pulling and pushing heavy objects. Constant vigilance and careful and appropriate handling is essential when working with animals if the employee is to avoid bites and scratches. Danger of acid burns and of steam and hot water burns while cleaning cages or operating the cage or rack washer. There is a possibility of infection in handling materials or equipment containing or contaminated with blood, urine, or feces. Protective clothing will be provided and worn when necessary. Exposed to odors, especially when cleaning cages and when animals are euthanized. Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualifications. For this position, the job element method is used to match what you, the applicant, can do against what the work calls for. Your knowledge, skills and abilities will be compared to the knowledge, skills and abilities (called job elements) needed for success. Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element (WG-2 and higher only; screen-outs are not applicable to WG-1). Applicants who appear to meet the screen out element are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated from consideration. The potential eligibles are rated against the remainder of the job elements. While a specific length of training and experience is not required, your responses to the questionnaire must be supported by detailed descriptions of your experience on your resume. You will be rated on the following Job Elements as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Dexterity and SafetyInterpret Instructions, Specifications (other than blueprint reading)MaterialsMeasuring InstrumentsTechnical PracticesUse and Maintain Tools and Equipment IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Contacts

• Address VA New Jersey Health Care System 385 Tremont Avenue East Orange, NJ 07018 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]