Senior Animal Care Technician

Caribou Biosciences is a leading clinical-stage CRISPR genome-editing biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing transformative therapies for patients with devastating diseases. Our next-generation genome-editing technology enables superior precision to develop cell therapies that are armored to potentially improve antitumor activity. We believe the future of cell therapy is off-the-shelf, and we are advancing our pipeline of off-the-shelf, or allogeneic, cell therapies from our CAR-T and CAR-NK platforms as readily available treatments for patients with hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.

Members of the Caribou herd open their minds to new ideas and welcome diverse perspectives. We proudly assert that teams do their best work when their members are personally engaged, their ideas are taken seriously, and contributions are recognized. Members of the herd work from our headquarters in Berkeley, California, or remotely.

We are seeking a Senior Animal Care Technician to join our Pharmacology team. In this hands-on role, you will provide quality care to laboratory rodents. As a member of a highly collaborative team, you will interact and work closely with researchers in Pharmacology to support a variety of research projects from early discovery through clinical development. The successful candidate should be experienced in routine care and use of laboratory rodents and be able to work independently with minimal supervision. In this role, the candidate will report to the Pharmacology Operations Manager.

Responsibilities will include:

• Provide and document daily husbandry care to laboratory rodent species. Care includes the provision of feed, water, clean cages, and enrichment.
• Sanitize and maintain rodent rooms according to the schedule, such as sweeping, mopping and disinfecting animal housing and procedure rooms, rotating animal cages, cleaning large equipment, receiving and stocking supplies
• Receive and unpack research animals
• Observe animals daily for clinical or behavioral signs of illness, and provide treatments as directed by veterinary staff
• Report findings to the facility manager in a timely fashion
• Correctly handle and dispose of hazardous wastes according to standard operating procedures
• Provide technical support to the research team, such as dosing, bleeding, and tissue harvest
• Weekend and holiday rotations for Animal Care are required
• Perform additional duties as required by the supervisor

Qualifications:

• Must be a high school graduate at minimum
• AALAS certification of ALAT or above is highly preferred
• At least 5 years of experience in the care and use of laboratory rodents, including mice and rats
• At least two years of experience in handling immunodeficient rodents, particularly immunodeficient mice
• Experience with multiple routes of administration, including subcutaneous, intraperitoneal and intravenous injections
• Basic understanding of rodent anatomy to assist research staff in tissue harvest.
• Proficient in various blood collection techniques
• Good verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work in a team environment with a positive/can-do attitude
• Ability to comprehend and follow SOPs and written instructions from veterinary, supervisory and research staff.
• Ability to comprehend written and spoken terms used in a biomedical research environment
• Must be able to work flexible hours, this includes a rotating weekend schedule to provide Animal Care support that will be approximately 2 hours on both Saturday and Sunday
• Must be detail-oriented
• Must be able to lift 50 lbs.
• Must not have allergies to laboratory rodents

Nice-to-haves:

• Experience with basic tissue harvesting and IV techniques

Caribou compensation and benefits include:

• Comprehensive compensation package, which includes competitive salary, bonus, and equity for all employees
• Hourly Range: $31.00 to $40.00 - This represents the present low and high end of the Company's pay range for this position. Actual pay will vary based on various factors, including but not limited to location, skill, experience, and performance.
• Generous paid vacation time, in addition to company-observed holidays and floating holidays
• Excellent medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement savings plan, which includes matching employer contributions
• Employee stock purchase program (ESPP)
• Tuition reimbursement program

The benefits and stock purchase described above are subject to the terms and conditions of any governing plans, policies, practices, agreements, or other materials or documents as in effect from time to time, including but not limited to terms and conditions regarding eligibility.

Caribou is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical conditions, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity and gender expression), sex (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding), genetic information, taking or requesting statutorily protected leave, or any other basis protected by law. In addition, Caribou prohibits the harassment of any individual on any of the bases listed above or any other characteristics protected under federal, state, or local laws.

Legal authorization to work in the United States is required. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

Caribou requires employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they have an approved medical or religious accommodation. Proof of such vaccination will be required as part of the hiring process.

For more information about Caribou, visit www.cariboubio.com and follow the company @CaribouBio.