Animal Research Technician at Reef Systems Corp

Research Technician (Animal) (Bioeffects Division Vivarium – South)

NTRODUCTION:

Reef Systems supports the 711th Human Performance Wing (711 HPW), headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, is the first human-centric warfare wing to consolidate human performance research, education, and consultation under a single organization. Established under the Air Force Research Laboratory, the 711 HPW is comprised of the Airman Systems Directorate (RH) and the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine (USAFSAM). The Wing delivers unparalleled capability to the Air Force through a combination of world class infrastructure and expertise of its diverse workforce of military, civilian and contractor personnel encompassing 75 occupational specialties including science and engineering, occupational health and safety, medical professions, technicians, educators, and business operations and support.

DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES:

The contractor shall provide professionally and technically qualified individual(s) to perform all tasks in the following paragraphs to fulfill the requirements of this contract. The contractor shall be knowledgeable of and comply with all Federal, State and local regulations and policies pertaining to laboratory animal health and welfare.

MANDATORY QUALIFICATIONS

• Contractor employee shall have a minimum of an associate degree in a biological science, along with a minimum experience of at least three (3) years in laboratory animal research in the last six years or five (5) years of hands-on emergency/specialty animal medicine experience.
• Contractor employee shall possess the ability to effectively perform preparations for surgery as well as necropsy on multiple small and large research animal species. Contractor shall also be able to perform minor procedures, maintain gas and continuous rate infusion anesthesia for multiple species independently.
• Contractor should be able to show husbandry experience for both small and large research animal species to include health checks.
• Contractor employee shall demonstrate excellent communication skills both oral and written.
• Contractor employee shall be proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Excel, Access, PowerPoint) and SharePoint.
• Contractor employee shall be physically able to stand for long periods of time and be able to carry 30lbs of equipment.
• Contractor employee shall be able to work a flexible schedule based on the needs of the
• Government has the ability to accept/decline candidates’ qualification for this position based upon evaluation of requirements prescribed within this PWS.
• The contractor employee shall have a signed Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) in place with their company based on the potential access to confidential, proprietary, and/or sensitive information. The NDA shall be provided to the Government Program Manager by start of performance.
• Contractor employee should have a current Secret Clearance or be able to obtain a secret clearance.

HIGHLY DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Degree: Preferred in an academic field related to animal sciences, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position.
• Certification: Preferred certification by American Association Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) Laboratory Animal Technician (LAT) or Laboratory Animal Technologist (LATg).
• Experience: Prefer three years’ experience working with non-human primates in a research setting.
• Experience: Prefer at least one year of experience in animal behavior.
  
  

TASKS

• Assist with necropsy; set up, collect and properly label biological samples, clean up and properly document the procedures.
• Maintain sanitation of cages and racks in vivarium areas in accordance with all DoD, Federal, and local regulations.
• Perform basic animal husbandry duties as well as prepare an animal environmental enrichment schedule and provide the environmental enrichment in accordance with all DOD, Federal and local regulations.
• Perform minor surgery and/or microsurgery on laboratory animals.
• Maintain records to comply with regulatory requirements. Knowledgeable of the requirements for AAALAC International accreditation.
• Collect experimental data from animals to include blood pressure, weight, blood analyses or other tests required as part of the protocol support.
• Assist with developing standard operating procedures, maintain and document facility sanitation, ensure safety procedures are followed, documented and maintained.
• Inform the Facility/Vivarium Manager of issues that arise or need repair to maintain the required standards.
• Order and maintain supplies for the vivarium.
• Create and revise research forms, provide forms and regulatory guidance to research staff with guidance from the Attending Veterinarian (AV) and Branch Chief.
• Schedule and organize internal and external inspections, maintain the tracker for correction of deficiencies and provide a report to the AV as well as the Branch Chief.
• Review animal subjects research protocols as well as related documents to ensure they are followed as approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and Air Force policies.
• Maintain records as well as electronic databases of animal research protocols, their progress and perform animal inventory management functions.
• Follow established research guidelines and policies for all animal care activities.
• Be knowledgeable of all regulations, compliance standards, and guidelines with regard to the Animal Care and Use Program.
• Provide quality control of the administrative areas of the Animal Care and Use Program.
• Provide administrative support to the branch as well as other duties as assigned appropriate to the required functions of the research mission.
• Perform animal health checks when required and alert veterinarians of any pertinent animal health related issues.

BASE SUPPORT:

The contractor shall be provided office/laboratory space, furniture and equipment, routine office/laboratory supplies, computer hardware and software necessary to perform tasks described in this performance work statement. The government will also provide telephone service and access to a fax machine and a copier as required. All software and hardware, passwords/access to military Internet/E-mail and applicable database will be available within the scope of the contract. The contractor shall comply with local, AF and DoD policies.

Place of Performance:

Work will be accomplished at Building 3260 on Joint Base San Antonio - Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234. Temporary alternate work locations may be assigned as circumstances dictate by the Government.

Work Schedule:

Work schedule is normally Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM; however, there may be times when it is necessary for the contractor to work after duty hours in support of specific tasks. Although schedule may have to be flexible, it will not exceed 40 hours per week.

U.S. Citizenship:

Employee must be a U.S. citizen. For the purpose of base and network access, possession of a permanent resident card (“Green Card”) does not equate to U.S. citizenship.

Travel:

No travel is anticipated for this effort. 

SECURITY:

Individual SECRET Clearances IAW DD254. The Contractor shall obtain a U.S. security clearance at the minimum level of "Secret" for all contractor personnel required to have access to classified information or require IT-II level access. Onsite contractor personnel should have an active clearance prior to reporting for duty in support of any task order. Interim clearances for newly hired personnel shall be processed as expeditiously as possible since some contractor personnel will be required to utilize the SIPRNET and process classified materials; however, this will be on a case-by-case basis. Such clearance must be obtained through the Defense Investigative Services

Point of Contact for Immediate Consideration:

Art Mata

amata@reef-sys.com