Animal Caretaker

The Animal Caretaker position is located in the VA New Jersey Medical Center, East Orange Research Service Veterinary Medical Unit. The incumbent provides manual labor in the Animal Research Facility to provide and maintain animal care of rodents and their living environments, which includes monitoring animal health and conducting basic interventions, monitoring and providing daily nutrition and enrichment, ensuring animal housing cleanliness etc.

Receive, label, and prepare housing for new animals. Provide care and feed and water to animals used in clinical research studies. Visually inspect the cages during daily check-ins, observing animals' health and gage status, recording inventory of feed and bedding and any overt changes in appearance, activities, and need. Record bedding status in each animal cage. Request orders for replacement shipments of bedding to replenish stores. Replace caging and bedding and move cages when applicable. Handle animals as appropriate. Administer oral inhalant and injectable fluids and medications as directed. Collect urine and blood specimens from the animals per standard operating procedures. Conduct rodent euthanasia procedures per VMU standard operating procedures as directed. Read and record animal room temperatures daily. Clean animal rooms and floors, including sweeping, mopping, and washing. Periodically move, arrange, clean and polish furniture. Perform other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 7:30 to 4pm Position Description Title/PD#: Animal Caretaker/PD561-130700

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Subject to background/security investigation Pre-employment physical required Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.