Laboratory Lead
Position: Laboratory Lead
Duty station: Kinshasa, DRC
Reports to: Country Director
POSITION SUMMARY:
ICAP at Columbia University seeks an experienced and qualified expert to serve as Laboratory Lead ICAP’s CDC-funded project Enhancing Global Health Security: Expanding Efforts and Strategies to Protect and Improve Public Health in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). S/he will provide technical and operational leadership and guidance on all aspects laboratory-related activities including: development of strategic documents at the national level, supporting the assessment and enhancement of regional laboratories, and piloting a provincial specimen referral system.
MAJOR ACCOUNTABILITIES:
- Responsible for the overall technical and operational activities of the laboratory systems component of the project.
- Provides technical assistance to the MOH in development and revision of strategic documents, including the national strategic plan and bio-safety and bio-security plans and standard operating procedures.
- Supervises the regional Laboratory Advisors.
- Supports laboratory assessment at Mbandaka and Kisangani regional labs, design and implementation of a sustainable laboratory services strengthening strategy
- Based on the laboratory assessment, develops workplans for updates/upgrades of procedures at regional laboratories.
- Develops and improves laboratory procedures, guidelines, policies, procurement and supply chains, and training materials and laboratory-related project report components.
- In collaboration with other implementing partners supporting the regional laboratories, supports the selection, procurement, distribution, and maintenance of equipment, supplies, and instruments of laboratories supported by the CDC-funded project.
- Serves as point person for all laboratory-related communication within the project as well as with CDC and other external stakeholders and partners.
- Designs and conducts monitoring, evaluation, and quality improvement assessments to ensure laboratory systems targets are on track and adhere to donor requirements.
- Manages laboratory training, mentoring, and capacity building initiatives to enhance lab knowledge and capacity of national and regional laboratory staff.
- Develops and implements a pilot project for a specimen referral system plan in one target province
- Designs and implements evaluation of specimen referral system to document lessons learned.
- Ensures laboratory staff follow requirements of national and international standards.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
EDUCATION:
- An advanced degree in laboratory medicine, biological sciences, or relevant field.
MINIMUM EXPERIENCE, SKILLS & PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- 10+ years of progressive experience in large clinical and public health lab settings in the following areas: microbiology, lab quality control, and quality assurance systems, implementation, and management; 7 years spent in senior leadership roles.
- Experience working with large-scale international health or development projects in resource-limited contexts, preferably in DRC, related to: global health security, health systems strengthening, capacity building, emergency response, lab, or surveillance.
- Experience with infectious disease laboratory procedures.
- Experience developing and implementing lab policies, operational plans, guidelines, and accreditation and strengthening lab programs, and training and advising lab professionals.
- Demonstrated experience in quality assurance, quality control, protocol development, specimen management, and e-information systems in a lab context.
- Experience working with CDC or similar agencies and liaising with senior officials.
- Willingness to travel regionally to approximately 40% of the time.
- French required. Written and spoken English proficiency, preferred.
To apply to this position before end of May 13, 2022, candidates are requested to click on the link https://icapacity.icap.columbia.edu/en-us/job/496246/laboratory-lead
