Animal Care Specialist

Team Description:

The Animal Care Team is responsible for providing care for Neuralink animals in the areas of husbandry, enrichment, cooperative veterinary medicine, and behavioral health/ training. Animal Care Specialists create and implement refinements that ensure animals have access to basic needs, species-typical behaviors, agency, and joy (defined by engaging in preferred activities). They also develop and maintain behavioral intervention plans to maximize wellbeing using methodology based in positive reinforcement training and the science of Applied Behavior Analysis. Additionally, our team members coordinate with engineers and researchers to conduct voluntary research task sessions and collect data for study usage in order to maintain high welfare standards while furthering Neuralink’s mission. 

Job Description and Responsibilities:

As an Animal Care Specialist, you  will work closely with a multidisciplinary team to support Neuralink’s research and development and non-clinical trials program. Staff in this role will monitor and maintain the health of animals under their care and may perform duties such as receiving new animals, cleaning and changing animal enclosures, providing food and water, animal husbandry, and animal enrichment. Additionally, you will be expected to:

• Perform daily health observations and recognize and report abnormalities and common signs of illness
• Provide general husbandry, including enclosure cleaning, as needed
• Assist in the receipt, weighing, and operational conditioning of animals
• Record data in the animals’ medical, behavior, and husbandry records
• Support animals with operational conditioning for voluntary husbandry, cooperative veterinary care, and research tasks such as gameplay and charging
• Provide animals with cognitive, physical, and social enrichment
• Perform required facilities and equipment maintenance, including but not limited to cleaning animal enclosures, research supplies, and procedure rooms
• Develop and implement novel refinements that promote animal agency and joy to optimize welfare 
• Assist across departments as needed
• Adhere to federal, state, and local laws

Required Qualifications:

• Demonstrated animal advocacy with experience in animal husbandry and basic training
• Comfortable working closely with animals

Preferred Qualifications:

• Registered Behavior Technician (RBT), Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician (ALAT) certification or above
• Experience working in a lab animal research environment or other related animal training/ABA experience
• Experience working closely with non-human primates, swine, or sheep
  

Additional Requirements and Competencies:

• Strong team player
• Ability to follow procedures and perform core functions independently
• Flexibility to adapt to changing priorities and schedules
• Willingness to travel to/from other Neuralink sites in Austin, Texas 1-2 times per year for work coverage as needed
• Comfort with exposure to animal bodily fluids, including blood
• Ability to lift a minimum of 50 lbs
• Basic computer skills and proficiency  in Google Docs, Google Drive, and Gmail

Expected Compensation:

At Neuralink, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package. The anticipated hourly rate for this position is expected to be within the below range. Your actual base pay will be determined by your job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

California Hourly Range:
$23 — $38/Hr USD