How to hire a research animal attendant

How to hire a research animal attendant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step research animal attendant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a research animal attendant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new research animal attendant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your research animal attendant job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a research animal attendant for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A research animal attendant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, research animal attendants from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of research animal attendant salaries for various roles:

   Type of Research Animal Attendant	Description	Hourly rate
   Research Animal Attendant	Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers look after animals in laboratories, animal hospitals, and clinics. They care for the animals by performing routine tasks under the supervision of scientists, veterinarians, and veterinary technologists and technicians.	$10-19
   Kennel Technician	Kennel technicians are employees who work in animal boarding houses, veterinary clinics, and shelters. Primarily, they take care of and maintain animals living in a kennel... Show more	$9-16
   Laboratory Animal Caretaker	A laboratory animal caretaker is in charge of monitoring and taking care of animals in a research facility or similar setting, ensuring to handle them properly and humanely. Their responsibilities include feeding the animals, examining them for any diseases or injuries, gathering and preparing samples, and maintaining the cleanliness of work areas... Show more	$9-17

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Lab Animals
   • Behavioral Data
   • Laboratory Animals
   • Research Purposes

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage all aspects of HPLC method development and analysis through interpretation of data ensuring accuracy of results.
   • Guide the technical implementation of an automate analysis system (electrophoresis station), with the enhancement of its operational efficiency.
   • Maintain inventory of chemicals require for cleaning and testing of milking equipment.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your research animal attendant job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A research animal attendant can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, research animal attendants' average salary in hawaii is 36% less than in maryland.
   • Seniority. Entry-level research animal attendants 48% less than senior-level research animal attendants.
   • Certifications. A research animal attendant with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a research animal attendant's salary.

   Average research animal attendant salary

   $14.18hourly

   $29,497 yearly

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   Entry-level research animal attendant salary

   $21,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

4. Writing a research animal attendant job description

   A job description for a research animal attendant role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a research animal attendant job description:

   Research animal attendant job description example

   What we do here changes the world. UTHealth Houston is Texas' resource for healthcare education, innovation, scientific discovery, and excellence in patient care. That's where you come in.
   
   Once you join us you won't want to leave. It's because we reward our team for the excellent service they provide. Our total rewards package includes the benefits you'd expect from a top healthcare organization (benefits, insurance, etc.), plus:
   

   • 100% paid medical premiums for our full-time employees
   • Generous time off (holidays, preventative leave day, both vacation and sick time - all of which equates to around 37-38 days per year)
   • The longer you stay, the more vacation you'll accrue!
   • Longevity Pay (Monthly payments after two years of service)
   • Build your future with our awesome retirement/pension plan!

   
   We take care of our employees! As a world-renowned institution, our employees' wellbeing is important to us. We offer work/life services such as...
   

   • Free financial and legal counseling
   • Free mental health counseling services
   • Gym membership discounts and access to wellness programs
   • Other employee discounts including entertainment, car rentals, cell phones, etc.
   • Resources for child and elder care
   • Plus many more!

   
   Position Summary:
   
   Under close supervision, assists in providing care for laboratory animals in a humane, safe and sanitary manner using appropriate equipment and established procedures.
   
   Position Key Accountabilities:
   

   1. Learns proper techniques and skills required to provide care for laboratory animals through classes and hands-on training.
   2. Provides food and water to laboratory animals as directed.
   3. Cleans animal caging as directed, sanitizes rooms, equipment and hallways.
   4. Washes caging and processes dirty and clean caging through automated cage wash facility.
   5. Learns and assists in animal census and other required documentation.
   6. Observes animals for changes in status and notifies supervisor or veterinary group as appropriate.
   7. Performs other duties as assigned.

   
   
   Certification/Skills:
   
   Computer literacy required to perform daily duties.
   
   Minimum Education:
   
   High school diploma or equivalent.
   
   Minimum Experience:
   
   None.
   
   Physical Requirements:
   
   Exerts up to 100 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 50 pounds frequently and/or up to 20 pounds constantly to move objects.
   
   Security Sensitive:
   
   This job class may contain positions that are security sensitive and thereby subject to the provisions of Texas Education Code § 51.215

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find research animal attendants for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any research animal attendants they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level research animal attendants with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your research animal attendant job on Zippia to find and attract quality research animal attendant candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with research animal attendant candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new research animal attendant

   Once you've found the research animal attendant candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new research animal attendant. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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