Animal Caretaker II

Our Commitment 

Texas A&M University is committed to enriching the learning and working environment by promoting a culture that respects all perspectives, talents & lived experiences. Embracing varying opinions and perspectives strengthens our core values which are: Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity, and Selfless Service.    

Who we are

The Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) is an institution that represents 100 years of growth from a small school of veterinary medicine in 1916 to its present role as a major veterinary educational, medical, and research center. Today, we are one of the largest schools of veterinary medicine in the United States, training nearly 600 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students each year. We support collaboration and teamwork that turns today's discoveries into proactive solutions for animals, humans, and the environment. Together, we strive to support the goals of the faculty, staff and students in teaching, research and outreach programs.   

What we want

The Animal Caretaker II provides animals and facilities care including handling and restraint of research animals, operating mechanical equipment, and performing minor maintenance repair.

They will also help assist the vet staff with large animal research and teaching procedures and treatments. This position offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact every day while working hands‑on with animals in a supportive team environment.

What you need to know

Salary: Starting at $18.23/hour

Schedule/Location: Full-Time / College Station, TX / May require working alternate shifts, holidays, weekends, or on-call duty on a rotating schedule.

Please note: This is an essential position and, as such, may involve scheduled or unscheduled work on weekends and holidays to ensure continuity of operations.

Cover Letter/Resume: A cover letter and resume are strongly recommended and will help in our review. You may upload them on the application under the CV/Resume section.    

Qualifications

Required Education and Experience

• High school diploma, GED, or equivalent combination of education and experience

• Two years of experience in animal care

Preferred Qualifications

• More than two years of large animal experience in husbandry, handling, and restraint

• At least 1 year of giving topical, injectable, and oral medications

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to multi-task and work cooperatively with others

• Ability to read and understand written instructions

• Ability to handle SHARPS, drive an ATV, and truck and trailer

• General knowledge of large animal behavior

What you need to do

Apply! Submitting a cover letter, resume/CV to assist us with the review process. You may upload these documents to the application under CV/Resume.

Responsibilities

• Animal Care: Assists the vet staff with treatments and procedures. Assists the vet staff with setting up spaces for procedures and helping to disinfect procedural spaces after the completed procedures. Assists with daily animal care laundry.  Feeds and waters animals. Cleans and disinfects animal housing facilities and feeding equipment at various locations including non-biohazardous facilities, ABS1 and ABSL2 Facilities. Monitors feed and hay intake of animal. Observes and reports any potential health problems. Prepares pens for incoming animals. Disposes of animal carcasses in prescribed manner.

• Animal Handling: Assists the vet staff with daily treatments.  Helps the vet staff with filing large animal records, along with daily husbandry records. Assists with animal movements. Assists with restraint of animals for routine vaccinations, deworming, and fecal exams. Assists Investigators with restraining and handling of research animals as needed.

• Equipment use and maintenance: Operates mechanical equipment (gators, tractor, lawn mower, weed eater, etc.) in order to maintain facilities and move animals. Drives to various locations to perform these functions. Repairs minor maintenance issues (fix leaking facets, leaking troughs, etc.).

Why Texas A&M University?

We are a prestigious university with strong traditions, Core Values, and a community of caring and collaboration.  Amenities associated with a major university, such as sporting and cultural events, state-of-the-art recreation facilities, the Bush Library and Museum, and much more await you.  Experience all that a big city has to offer but with a reasonable cost-of-living and no long commutes.   

• Medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, life and AD&D, flexible spending accounts, and long-term disability insurance with Texas A&M contributing to employee health and basic life premiums 

• 12-15 days of annual paid holidays  

• Up to eight hours of paid sick leave and at least eight hours of paid vacation each month 

• Automatic enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas 

• Health and Wellness: Free exercise programs and release time 

• Professional Development: All employees have access to free LinkedIn Learning training, webinars, and limited financial support to attend conferences, workshops, and more  

• Educational release time and tuition assistance for completing a degree while a Texas A&M employee 

• Living Well, a program at Texas A&M that has been built by employees, for employees 

Instructions to Applicants: Applications received by Texas A&M University must either have all job application data entered, or a resume attached. Failure to provide all job application data or a complete resume could result in an invalid submission and a rejected application. We encourage all applicants to upload a resume or use a LinkedIn profile to prepopulate the online application.