Animal Technician (ID4444)

Do you want to be part of a team protecting Great Britain from exotic notifiable diseases?

Do you want a role safeguarding standards of animal and plant health and welfare?

If so, why not join us and make a difference.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and works on behalf of the Scottish Government and Welsh Government. Our diverse teams of over 3,000 skilled and committed professionals come together to provide research, advice and support to UK Government for safeguarding animal, public and plant health for benefit of the environment and economy.

APHA is a brilliant place to work where our people feel valued, have a voice and can be their authentic selves. We value difference and diversity, because it helps us be more innovative and make better decisions.

We are dedicated to being an inclusive employer, offering equitable opportunities for all individuals. Our goal is to build a diverse workforce, and we hope to attract applications from all backgrounds and underrepresented groups.

The Science Directorate (SD) delivers high quality, high impact and highly relevant multidisciplinary science. Our People are diverse, talented, engaged and inspired to deliver innovative outcomes.

In this Animal Technician role, your daily responsibilities primarily consist of the daily husbandry, care and welfare of a wide range of species ensuring the highest welfare standards and conducting regulated procedures under license for which full training & accreditation is provided. The routine use of both laboratory and agricultural machinery as part of the role and the jobholder may be involved in the collection and delivery of livestock.

You will be expected to cover the following duties. Training and supervision will be provided.

• Daily animal care, health checks and husbandry (including rearing from birth), of both stock and experimental livestock, poultry species and small laboratory animals. Liaising with the Named Animal Care and Welfare Officer and Named Veterinary Surgeons regarding the welfare of animals under your care.
• Observations and monitoring of experimental animals, recording of clinical signs and other data and ensuring information is passed to the relevant people.
• Video surveillance monitoring of animals and recording data associated with observation and ensuring information is passed onto the relevant people.
• Unloading, collection, transport and storage of animal bedding, feed, consumables and equipment.
• Assist with veterinary and technical procedures associated with animal identification, weighing, restraint, sample collection, feed preparations and experimental work.
• Operation of heavy duty and agricultural machinery, including but not limited to tractors, forklifts, telehandlers, Quadbikes, and Skidsteer loaders.
• The use of specialist equipment as required, including but not limited to autoclaves, animal weigh scales, hot air ovens, bottle washers and water pressure washers.
• Undertake experimental Home Office procedures (under licence), including Schedule 1 Techniques, and the management of associated records. Full training will be provided.
• Contribute to refinement of animal procedures or studies.
• Maintaining disease security in animal facilities, cleaning and decontamination of animal accommodation, equipment, storage and support accommodation.
• To comply with APHA Health and Safety policy.
• You are required to achieve appropriate competence, write and review Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and take part in quality audits.

Communication

• You will demonstrate very good interpersonal and communication skills and be well organised.
• Requirement to communicate effectively with a wide range of staff including study leaders, vets, welfare officers, and their own team.
• You will be expected to use electronic communication tools (email, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, SharePoint etc) and respond to queries or discussions in a timely manner.
• To organise, delegate, and prioritise duties to your team.

Quality

• You will be required to work according to the Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standards, write and review SOPs and ensure quality compliance. APHA is certified to BS ISO 9001 by Bureau Veritas UK Ltd for the provision of a range of specialist veterinary scientific services and products to the Government and other interested parties worldwide.

You will need to demonstrate the following:

• Experience of contact with livestock or companion animals.
• Due to the nature of the role and the duties required (e.g. working in high containment facilities), applicants must be aged 18 or over
• A valid full driving licence is necessary as you will be required to drive around site to remote facilities.

You must have demonstrable skills in written and spoken English to enable effective communication about veterinary topics with customers and colleagues and meet one of the following:

• have undertaken undergraduate veterinary training in English;

or

• having a sufficient command of spoken and written English to effectively perform the role being undertaken by a public sector worker in a customer-facing role

or

• have achieved the following scores in the academic international English Language Testing System (IELTS) or equivalent in a single sitting within 24 months at time of application Overall 7, Speaking 7, Listening 7, Reading 7, Writing 7.

Security clearance

The Weybridge site is a strategically important national asset due to its role as a reference laboratory supporting the Governments response to national emergencies including disease outbreaks. For this reason all postholders based on the APHA Weybridge site must hold a valid Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) security clearance or above. It is up to each person applying for a post at APHA Weybridge to ensure they meet the residency criteria. Applicants must be currently resident in the UK & have at least three years continuous UK residency as this is a requirement to work at the Weybridge site where the team and work is situated.

Workplace arrangements

The post holder must work from the location listed in the Location section of the advert.

This post requires you to be working onsite at APHA Weybridge five days per week or less if part-time on a job share.

Ways of working

The successful candidate will need to comply with a number of health protocols and wear protective clothing and Respiratory Personal Protective Equipment (RPPE) as required. The work involved in this post can be physically demanding, therefore a level of physical fitness is required. This is due to access requirements to biosecure areas as part of this role.

Restrictions on outside/domestic contact with small animals, mainly rodents and rabbits, may apply.

Health Surveillance

The post will also require Health clearance. You will be expected to complete a questionnaire on your general and have any necessary vaccinations or health surveillance, including Audiology, Drivers Medical, Influenza A Viruses, Rabies, Respiratory & Skin Sensitisers, TB, Tetanus and Zoonotic Viruses. This will be arranged by the Health Team, Weybridge. It may also be necessary to undergo a pre-employment medical assessment.