Postmortem Room Technician

Role Responsibilities

The Postmortem Room Technician is a seasonal, up to 6 months, wage opportunity providing support to collect biological samples as part of Alberta’s Chronic Wasting Disease surveillance program. These positions collect specific tissues from hunter-harvested deer, elk, and moose heads and submit them to the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Lab for testing.

The major responsibilities for the successful candidate will include:  

• Receiving, processing and storing deer heads submitted for testing; 
• Collection of biological tissue samples from dead animals; 
• Operating and maintaining laboratory equipment as required (e.g., electric hoist, incinerator);  
• Maintaining detailed/organized data records; and  
• Reporting/logging laboratory activities.  
• Understanding and following biosecurity operating procedures.  

Staff will also be utilized, at times, to assist in additional duties of the wildlife disease unit when needed.

The successful candidates will be required to work independently and as a team member and should not have allergies to blood or animals. Successful candidates should also be comfortable with working with dead animals.

APS Competencies

Competencies are behaviors that are essential to reach our goals in serving Albertans. We encourage you to have an in depth understanding of the competencies that are required for this opportunity and to be prepared to demonstrate them during the recruitment process.

About Your Competencies

Building Collaborative Environments – Leads and contributes to the conditions and environments that allow people to work collaboratively and productively to achieve outcomes.

Agility – Ability to anticipate, assess, and readily adapt to changing priorities, maintain resilience in times of uncertainty, and effectively work in a changing environment.

Drive For Results – Knowing what outcomes are important and maximizing resources to achieve results that are aligned with the goals of the organization, while maintaining accountability with each other and external stakeholders.

Creative Problem Solving – Ability to assess options and implications in new ways to achieve outcomes and solutions.

Systems Thinking – The work done within the APS is part of a larger integrated and inter-related environment.It is important to know that work done in one part of the APS impacts a variety of other groups/projects inside and outside the APS. Systems Thinking allows us to keep broader impacts and connections in mind. 

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements:

• Completed high school diploma
• One year of hands-on experience in a biological laboratory.
  
  

Preference will be given to candidates with directly related work experience or one year of biological laboratory experience via technical college or university.

Assets:  

• Ability to lift to 50lbs continuously. 
• Previous experience in handling and processing animals (i.e. hunting, agricultural). 

Minimum recruitment standards outline the minimum education and experience required for appointment to a job classification. 

Notes

This competition is recruiting for six Postmortem Room Technicians, two positions available at each of the following locations: Edmonton, Airdrie, and Lethbridge.

This position reports up to 36.25 hours per week, Monday to Friday, with the estimated employment term from October 19, 2026, to March 31, 2027.

About Your Application
Resume: Your resume should indicate date ranges (month and year) for all education and work experience, specifying if the experience was casual, part-time (PT), or full-time (FT), while highlighting applicable duties or achievements.

For example: CWD Field Coordinator: Apr 2019 – Aug 2019 (PT, 20 hours per week).

Any costs associated with obtaining the required documents/checks as noted or interview travel expenses, will be the responsibility of the candidate. Out-of-province applicants can obtain the required documents/checks from the province they currently reside in.

What We Offer 

As a Wage employee, you receive 11.6% in addition to regular wage earnings in lieu of paid holidays and vacation leave: 

• 5.6 percent of regular wage earnings instead of paid holidays. 
• 6 percent of regular wage earnings instead of annual vacation pay. 
• Professional learning and development. 
• Research Alberta Public Service Careers tool. 
• Positive workplace culture and work-life balance.