2027 Summer Intern - Animal Care Operations

This internship provides an opportunity to learn directly from experienced team members while supporting a variety of operational and documentation projects. The intern will spend time in animal care areas learning and observing processes, providing operational support as appropriate, and working with subject-matter experts to develop and improve SOPs, work instructions, training materials, and other resources.

The role includes a combination of hands-on operational exposure, collaborative projects, and independent assignments. The intern will regularly interact with different employees across the site, including individuals they may not have previously worked with, and should be comfortable asking questions, gathering information, and building effective working relationships.

This role is well suited for a self-motivated learner who is curious, organized, comfortable working with others, and able to translate information into clear and useful documentation.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Spend time in animal care areas to learn site processes and provide floater support based on operational needs and training.
• Observe and learn animal care and technical service workflows and identify opportunities for documentation, standardization, or process improvement.
• Draft, update, organize, and maintain SOPs, work instructions, job aids, training materials, and other operational documentation under appropriate direction and review.
• Work with subject-matter experts and employees across the site to gather information, clarify processes, and help document specialized knowledge.
• Assist with the development and organization of onboarding materials, checklists, training resources, and other tools that support consistent employee training.
• Help organize and maintain digital documentation and resources to make information accessible and useful to employees and leaders.
• Support projects designed to improve consistency, efficiency, documentation, and knowledge sharing within animal care operations and technical services.
• Assist with organizing and maintaining operational documentation and resources that support applicable regulatory, accreditation, safety, and site requirements, including OLAW and AAALAC-related documentation, as directed.
• Work with employees and leaders across different functions and levels to gather information, complete projects, and support site priorities.
• Manage assigned projects and deliverables with appropriate direction, organization, follow-through, and attention to detail.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Required:

• Must be 18 years of age or older.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate professionally and effectively, both verbally and in writing.
• Basic proficiency with computers and Microsoft Office applications, including Word and Excel, with the ability to learn new systems and digital tools.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Ability to interact comfortably with a variety of people, including individuals the intern may not have previously worked with.
• Demonstrated organization, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple assignments or priorities.
• Willingness and ability to learn and follow established procedures, safety requirements, and site-specific protocols.
• Ability to work in a laboratory animal care environment, including exposure to animal sampling, euthanasia procedures, PPE, animal allergens, biological materials, and other routine aspects of animal care operations.
• Ability to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.

Preferred:

• Currently pursuing or recently completed coursework in Animal Science, Biology, Veterinary/Pre-Veterinary Science, Life Sciences, Laboratory Science, Biotechnology, Operations, or another related field.
• Experience creating, editing, organizing, or maintaining written procedures, SOPs, technical documentation, or training materials.
• Experience with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, or similar digital documentation/knowledge-management tools.
• Previous exposure to laboratory, animal care, veterinary, research, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, manufacturing, or another regulated environment.
• Experience with process improvement, research, data organization, or information management.
• Strong curiosity and willingness to ask questions, learn from subject-matter experts, and understand processes before documenting them.
• Demonstrated ability to take information from multiple sources and organize it into clear, easy-to-follow documentation.