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 To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/03/2026. EXPERIENCE: A specific length of training and experience is not required, but you must show evidence of training or experience of sufficient scope and quality of your ability to do the work of this position. Evidence which demonstrates you possess the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform the duties of this position must be supported by detailed descriptions of such on your resume. Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualification Standards. SCREEN-OUT ELEMENT: Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element, which usually appears as question 1 in the on-line questionnaire. Those applicants who appear to possess at least the minimal acceptable qualification requirement are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated. The potential eligibles are then rated against the remainder of the Job Elements: Ability to Do the Work of the Position without More Than Normal Supervision Ability to Interpret Instructions, Specifications, etc. (Other Than Blueprint Reading) Ability to Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment Dexterity and Safety Knowledge of Materials Technical Practices (Theoretical, Precise, Artistic) Use of Measuring Instruments Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements/Working Conditions: Moderately heavy physical effort is required for lifting 50 pounds or more feed bags, bedding, moving furniture, equipment such as ladders, buffers, mopping equipment, wall washing and powered equipment. Required to lift animals and cages, and wash animal cages and bottles. Requires continual walking, bending, stooping, and stretching. Require considerable dexterity, hand, foot and eye coordination and concentration. 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.