Animal Technician - Husbandry and Animal Care

Full Time (36 hours per week) or part time (25-30 hours a week)

Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire

About Us

The Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell (MLC) https://www.har.mrc.ac.uk/   is located in an expanding science and innovation park in Oxfordshire and is an internationally renowned centre at the forefront of genetics research.  The MLC is an excellent place to further develop your IT career with a range of training and development opportunities.

Are you passionate about animal welfare and scientific discovery? We are seeking dedicated Animal Technicians to join the Mary Lyon Centre (MLC) team. As an integral part of our dynamic team, you will provide essential husbandry, welfare monitoring and conduct experimental procedures for genetically altered mice, contributing to groundbreaking genetics research.

Your responsibilities go beyond routine care. You will be an essential in carrying out procedures, working under Home Office licensing to uphold the highest standards in animal welfare, including generating important data that will contribute to research into human diseases. Your attention to detail in all aspects of the role will directly impact the success of experiments.

Full training will be given, including attending courses and applying for a Home Office licence, as well as husbandry and all relevant procedures.

About You

You will need to hold/have:

• Educated with 5 GCSEs at grade C or above
• Experience working in a busy environment
• Genuine interest in the welfare of animals
• Basic computer skills, including the ability to use digital record keeping systems and common software packages (for example, Excel)

Key Responsibilities

Your main duties and key responsibilities include:

• Carrying out husbandry duties for genetically altered mice, including cage changing, weaning, breeding, randomisation of mice into studies and taking ear biopsies
• Checking the health and welfare of mouse stocks and addressing their welfare needs
• Attending meetings with researchers to update them on genetically altered stocks, and to discuss future projects and breeding strategies
• Providing procedural services, this will include a variety of procedures such as dosing, taking blood samples, and phenotyping tests

Benefits:

Choosing to come to work at the MRC (part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)) means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits, from a defined-benefit pension scheme and excellent holiday entitlement (we offer a generous allowance of 30 days pro rata per year), to access to employee shopping/travel discounts and a salary sacrifice cycle-to-work scheme. In addition, you will have the opportunity to contribute to the work of a world-class medical research organisation.

The MRC values the diverse skills and experience of its employees and is committed to achieving equality of treatment for all. Our objectives are that all individuals shall have equal opportunities for employment and advancement on the basis of their skills, aptitudes and abilities.

How to Apply

If you are ready to take on this exciting role and be part of a team dedicated to ground-breaking research, we would love to hear from you. For full details and to apply please click on the ‘Apply’ button above.

The closing date for applications is Sunday 2 June 2024