Senior Laboratory Technical Advisor 45 views1 application

Internal/ External Vacancy Announcement 

Brief introduction

The Tuberculosis Local Organizations Network (LON) Activity is the USAID funded project designed to fight and end TB effectively and efficiently by partnering directly with local entities within TB priority countries of which Ethiopia is one, to provide accessible services, resulting a decline in TB incidence and mortality, helping urban settings to contribute to reach national strategic goals and End TB global goals for eliminating TB by 2050. The Activity, awarded to REACH Ethiopia, is an extension of a Fixed Amount Award agreement implemented by REACH Ethiopia. The Activity will focus on active case finding, treatment, contact screening, TB preventive treatment, key population screening, finding and referring the missing TB cases in 3 urban administrative settings (Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa and Harari). The Activity will also aim to engage Private facilities in PPM programs, strengthen the organizational capacity of local organizations and TB survivors’ associations and create enabling environment for urban TB programming. The Activity will be implemented in collaboration with the Regional Health Bureaus (Harari), City Administrations (Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa), Sub-city health offices (Addis Ababa), family health team, the urban health extension professionals, public & private health facilities including Hospitals, Women Development Armies (WDAs), community associations, (Idir), Civil Society Organizations such as former TB patients associations and Drop in centers (DICs) in Addis Ababa.

 Purpose of the position (general)

Under the leadership of the Urban TB/DR-TB Technical Lead, the Senior Laboratory Technical Advisor   is responsible for overall laboratory related activities in the project/Activity supported urban settings in planning, execution, overseeing the successful execution to speed up and support delivery of results on  DS and DR-TB care activities to achieve its intended activity targets. He/she coordinates the planning, implementation, monitoring and delivery of defined and agreed upon laboratory activities, support selected Regional/Health Facility Laboratories/ towards Strengthen Laboratory Management Towards Accreditation (SLMTA), fulfilling standards and provides oversight to all diagnostic sites and regional laboratories; with effective collaboration and partnership with other USAID mechanisms (ETBE). He/She will be responsible for developing/matching the project’s/activity’s laboratory support with approved work plan and regularly review laboratory performance; identify, challenges, discuss and lead for remedial actions with the project management team and develop improvement plans when and if necessary.  S/He will closely collaborate with M&E and CLA manager, Regional Project Coordinators and Senior PPM and Hospital Advisor (internally) and ETBE project externally when required.

 Answerability and Position in the organization

 The Senior Laboratory Technical Advisor reports to the Urban TB/DR-TB Lead.

Major and overall Duties and Responsibilities:

• Represents the project and participate in regional laboratory, meetings/working groups;
• Build and maintain effective relationships/partnerships with Project staff, RLBs, partners;
• Conducts laboratory (GeneXpert Site) assessments to determine laboratory needs, capture gaps, areas for improvement and organize laboratory support plan;
• Identifies issues and support GeneXpert sites to improve utilization rate; in fulfilling the project’s DS/DR-TB case finding targets;
• Closely collaborates with RLBs to ensure effective specimen referral system is in place; reviewing referral map, specimen referral and schedule in consultation with technical units/lead;
• Works closely with RLBs to have smooth specimen referral using EPS and/or alternative courier system
• Collaborates with Regional Program Coordinators and Sub-city Coordinators of the project in scheduling Mobile VAN, implementation of sample referral and quality assessment.
• Ensures availability and utilization of all laboratory/GeneXpert consumables, registers, SOPs, Algorithms,  liaising effectively with collaborating partners;
• Closely support regional laboratories in planning, organizing and conducting essential laboratory related capacity building activities;
• Closely supports/mentors selected laboratories for accreditation;
• Supports conducting joint supportive supervisions; conduct on the job training; identifying key improvement areas;
• Compiles and analyzes issues, supports, improvements/progresses;
• Keeps senior project managers up-to-date with relevant laboratory information; new developments, national laboratory policies/directions, guidance, etc
• Prepares and communicate reports per the schedule;
• Other duties as assigned by Project Manager/Urban TB/DR-TB lead

 Knowledge management and Learning

• Identifies areas for collaboration/partnership with USAID/ETBE project and update relevant units;
• Actively shares knowledge, new developments, policies related with diagnostics with project staff, regional labs, GeneXpert sites; including selected private laboratories;
• Maintains personal in-depth knowledge on TB diagnostics, its lead role for TB control in urban settings, in the face of frequently changing developments related to TB diagnostics.

Contract term: Full time Position, Fixed term contract

Number of positions: One    

Qualifications and Requirements

• Master’s Degree in clinical laboratory, minimum of 8-year relevant work experience in TB control of which 4 years as a senior laboratory advisor;
• Bachelor’s Degree in clinical laboratory, minimum of 10-year relevant experience in TB control of which 5 years is advisory role;
• Providing technical leadership and support to regional and peripheral laboratories;
• Interacting with regional laboratories, implementing partners and Past experience working with USAID/projects is an added advantage;
• Urban Regional experience is an added advantage;
• Understanding and working knowledge of the role of the laboratory in TB control, TB/HIV, and Programmatic Management of Drug-resistant TB (PMDT);
• Experience working with the Ethiopian laboratory system is essential;
• Experience in implementing regional/local laboratory quality assessment, quality assurance and accreditation systems, standards and processes;
• Experience/hands on training on preventive maintenance of Xpert machines is essential;
• Experience in capacity building and utilizing participatory learning methodologies;
• Excellent communication, and interpersonal skills, demonstrated leadership, and ability to work collaboratively with different partners;
• Computer literacy; competency with Microsoft Office, internet and email systems;
• Fluent in written and spoken English and Amharic;
• Ability to work independently as well as in collaboration with colleagues and partners;
• Willingness to travel frequently within project sites (Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa and Harari) is required.