Primate Keeper

The Johns Hopkins University Research Animal Resources department is seeking to hire a Primate Keeper. The purpose of this position is to provide animal care to a breeding colony of group-housed monkeys in an indoor/outdoor setting. Care includes feeding, cleaning, enclosure maintenance, provision of environmental enrichment, health monitoring, behavioral observation, and treatment.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities: 

• Provide daily care, including but not limited to, feeding, enrichment, and training for primates.
• Clean indoor and outdoor animal enclosures and other areas, ensuring safe use of cleaning solutions and sufficient disinfection of surfaces according to facility SOPs.
• Perform routine enclosure maintenance, including raking, minor repairs, and other routine maintenance activities.
• Observe and document physical condition and health of animals.
• Monitor and record animal behavior and social interactions.
• Inspect facilities to ensure safety and security.
• Shift, capture, restrain animals as needed.
• Provide daily occupational environmental enrichments and inspect, clean, and replace physical enrichments.
• Coordinate animal health and other medical procedures with veterinary staff
• Provide medical treatments as prescribed by the veterinarians.
• Assist with veterinary procedures as needed, including injections, sedation, blood collection.
• Perform routine maintenance and make minor repairs to equipment and facilities.
• Ensure compliance with relevant regulations and SOPs.
• Maintain records, inventories and other information and provide written and verbal reports as required.
• Train new staff as required.
• Prepare areas for new animal arrivals or transfers.
• Assist with receiving and shipping non-human primates.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

• Must be able to work independently and as part of a team.
• Certification by the American Association of Laboratory Animal Science at the Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician (ALAT) level is required after 15 months of employment.
• Must be able to work a rotating weekend and holiday schedule.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to perform principal duties is required.
• Job entails the ability to lift 40 pounds.
• Work is performed indoors and outdoors with exposure to all seasonal weather conditions, with frequent exposure to and contact with dangerous animals, with risk of zoonotic disease transmission.

Minimum Qualifications

• High School Diploma or graduation equivalent.
• One year of related experience.
• Additional education may substitute for required experience, to the extent permitted by the JHU equivalency formula.

Preferred Qualifications

• Associate’s Degree in Veterinary Technology, Animal Science or Biology.
• Experience working with non-human primates or large animal species.

Classified Title: Veterinary Technician
Job Posting Title (Working Title): Primate Keeper
Role/Level/Range: ACRO40/E/02/CC
Starting Salary Range: Min $15.50 – Max $26.00 HRLY ($40,000 targeted; Commensurate with experience)
Employee group: Full Time
Schedule: M-F/8 hours per day
Exempt Status: Non-Exempt
Location: School of Medicine Campus
Department name: ​​​​​​​SOM Admin Research Animal Resources
Personnel area: School of Medicine 

Total Rewards
The referenced salary range is based on Johns Hopkins University’s good faith belief at the time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as geographic location, work experience, market conditions, education/training and skill level. Johns Hopkins offers a total rewards package that supports our employees’ health, life, career and retirement. More information can be found here: https://hr.jhu.edu/benefits-worklife/

Please refer to the job description above to see which forms of equivalency are permitted for this position. If permitted, equivalencies will follow these guidelines:
JHU Equivalency Formula: 30 undergraduate degree credits (semester hours) or 18 graduate degree credits may substitute for one year of experience. Additional related experience may substitute for required education on the same basis. For jobs where equivalency is permitted, up to two years of non-related college course work may be applied towards the total minimum education/experience required for the respective job.

**Applicants who do not meet the posted requirements but are completing their final academic semester/quarter will be considered eligible for employment and may be asked to provide additional information confirming their academic completion date.

The successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background check. Johns Hopkins is committed to hiring individuals with a justice-involved background, consistent with applicable policies and current practice. A prior criminal history does not automatically preclude candidates from employment at Johns Hopkins University. In accordance with applicable law, the university will review, on an individual basis, the date of a candidate’s conviction, the nature of the conviction and how the conviction relates to an essential job-related qualification or function.

The Johns Hopkins University values diversity, equity and inclusion and advances these through our key strategic framework, the JHU Roadmap on Diversity and Inclusion .

Accommodation Information

If you are interested in applying for employment with The Johns Hopkins University and require special assistance or accommodation during any part of the pre-employment process, please contact the Talent Acquisition Office at [email protected] . For TTY users, call via Maryland Relay or dial 711. For more information about workplace accommodations or accessibility at Johns Hopkins University, please visit accessibility.jhu.edu .

Johns Hopkins has mandated COVID-19 and influenza vaccines, as applicable. The COVID-19 vaccine does not apply to positions located in the State of Florida. Exceptions to the COVID and flu vaccine requirements may be provided to individuals for religious beliefs or medical reasons. Requests for an exception must be submitted to the JHU vaccination registry. For additional information, applicants for SOM positions should visit https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine/ and all other JHU applicants should visit https://covidinfo.jhu.edu/health-safety/covid-vaccination-information/ .

The following additional provisions may apply, depending on campus. Your recruiter will advise accordingly.

The pre-employment physical for positions in clinical areas, laboratories, working with research subjects, or involving community contact requires documentation of immune status against Rubella (German measles), Rubeola (Measles), Mumps, Varicella (chickenpox), Hepatitis B and documentation of having received the Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccination. This may include documentation of having two (2) MMR vaccines; two (2) Varicella vaccines; or antibody status to these diseases from laboratory testing. Blood tests for immunities to these diseases are ordinarily included in the pre-employment physical exam except for those employees who provide results of blood tests or immunization documentation from their own health care providers. Any vaccinations required for these diseases will be given at no cost in our Occupational Health office.

Note: Job Postings are updated daily and remain online until filled.