Animal Care Contractor

Company:

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious and growing global health challenge, affecting approximately 1 in 7 people worldwide. In the absence of effective treatments, patients may progress to kidney failure, requiring dialysis or transplantation—placing a significant burden on patients, families, and healthcare systems. While recent advances have benefited certain subsets of kidney disease patients, many common forms of CKD still lack effective therapeutic options.

At Borealis Biosciences, Patients are our True North. Borealis was founded on the belief that the convergence of scientific and translational breakthroughs can unlock the potential of RNA therapeutics to address some of the most rare and underserved kidney diseases—and beyond. Borealis builds on the success of Chinook Therapeutics, a kidney disease company with a research site in Vancouver that was acquired by Novartis in 2023 for $3.5 billion. The Borealis team has strong leadership and academic advisors with deep experience and expertise in both kidney disease and RNA therapeutics. Headquartered in Vancouver, BC, Borealis operates state-of-the-art wet labs equipped for molecular and cellular biology, in vivo pharmacology, chemistry, DMPK, bioinformatics, and analytical sciences.

We are a creative and innovative team that strives for excellence in all we do and has fun along the way. Our core focus is on helping patients and advancing science. For more information on Borealis, check out our sites https://borealisbio.com & https://www.linkedin.com/company/borealis-biosciences-inc.

We seek applicants from all backgrounds to ensure we get the best, most innovative talent on our team. We are building a diverse and inclusive workforce – come and be a part of our growth! We strongly encourage candidates with less traditional backgrounds or those who may meet the qualifications in a different way to apply.

Position: 

Borealis Biosciences is seeking an Animal Care Contractor to join the Translational Biology and Pharmacology team. Reporting to a Sr. Research Associate, the successful candidate will play a key role in supporting vivarium operations and animal care. The role offers the opportunity to collaborate with in vivo pharmacologists and contribute to daily vivarium operations.

This is a contract position (35-40 hours per week). We anticipate this position to be 1-year fixed term.

Responsibilities include: 

• Conduct and document daily health observations of mice, identifying and reporting any signs of illness, injury, or abnormal behaviour in accordance with CCAC guidelines

• Conduct routine husbandry tasks, including cage changing, feeding, watering, animal receiving and separation, weighing, daily animal census and administering appropriate health treatments

• Clean and disinfect metabolic cages and associated components; ensure all caging systems and equipment meet sanitation standards.

• Maintain cleanliness throughout the vivarium by sanitizing benchtops, floors, walls, and other surfaces; perform custodial tasks such as mopping, sweeping, and waste removal

• Appropriately dispose of biological samples and contaminated caging in compliance with biohazard procedures.

• Maintain accurate inventories of animals, caging supplies, feed, bedding, and general laboratory supplies; communicate supply needs in a timely manner.

• Support in vivo studies by assisting with animal randomization, organizing lab materials, printing labels, labeling tubes and sample containers, and performing accurate data entry, such as Excel and Benchling.

• Have flexibility to adjust work hours as needed, including weekend availability based on study requirements.

• Engage actively in maintaining a respectful, solution-oriented, and collaborative workplace culture aligned with Borealis Biosciences’ mission and values.

• Ability to lift and move supplies, or materials weighing 40 pounds or more as needed

• Understand and work to uphold Borealis’ values, knowing that Patients are our True North:
  • acting with urgency, resilience and creativity to serve patients;
  • being open to new ideas, honest conversations and two-way transparency;
  • staying connected to team members and to science; being kind, humble, and taking risks together

Location:  

• This is an on-site position located in Vancouver, BC

Education, Experience, and Skills: 

Required: 

• High school diploma, B.Sc. degree or Animal Health Technology (AHT) diploma preferred. RLAT certification is an asset.

• In vivo experience with research rodents is an asset, particularly with handling, restraint, routine injections and collection of blood, urine, and tissue samples.

• Strong communication and organizational abilities with a proven capacity to follow SOPs, maintain accurate records, and manage multiple tasks independently and efficiently.

• Ability to take direction, work both independently and collaboratively in a dynamic, fast-paced research environment.

• Demonstrates a positive attitude, high ethical standards, attention to detail, and a strong commitment to animal welfare and scientific integrity.
• Demonstrated willingness to learn and master new laboratory techniques, protocols, and equipment as needed.

Compensation: The hourly rate ranges from $25.00 to $30.00 per hour.

Borealis is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind.  We are committed to fostering an environment where ALL people are welcome and supported. We cultivate a culture of inclusion for all employees that respects their individual strengths, views, and experiences. We believe that our differences enable us to be a better team – one that makes better decisions, drives innovation, and delivers better business results. Creativity and innovation flourish in an environment of openness, inclusion, and mutual respect.