Laboratory Technical Officer - FHI 360

The Laboratory Technical Officer (LTO) will support the laboratory systems capacity building work for the US-CDC funded Enhancing Global Health Security: Expanding Efforts to Protect and Improve Public Health Globally project that serves the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) and other related initiatives. The project supports select governments and their relevant ministries to implement complementary strategies and activities, building on previously made investments, to achieve the desired International Health Regulations (IHR) and GHSA capacities using a One Health (OH) approach to strengthen in-country diagnostics and surveillance systems. In addition, the project will help to strengthen the capacity of countries in the West Africa region to detect priority infectious diseases and improve Joint External Evaluation (JEE) scores relating to diagnostics and surveillance.

The position will be based in Accra, Ghana and will involve in-country travel. Administrative and technical responsibilities include working with the global and regional leadership, in-country partners and US-CDC to implement agreed upon strategies to enhance laboratory networks as well as the broader surveillance systems, and capacity building of the detection of COVID-19 and other priority diseases.

Administrative Responsibilities

• Provides administrative support to technical components of country-level project activities.
• Contributes to a variety of financial, administrative and logistics support needs as requested by the project.
• Contributes to the annual work planning and budgeting processes.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Technical Responsibilities

• Provides technical assistance to project staff to implement activities/interventions to support enhancements in support of the country national action plan for health security and improve JEE scores.
• Participates in the implementation of in-country laboratory enhancement activities.
• Supports national stakeholders in developing or updating national laboratory strategic plans, SOPs and policies.
• Provides technical support based upon expertise with laboratory system strengthening, methods and strategies, current best practices, and established laboratory and operational standards while also being locally relevant and sustainable.
• Helps build capacity in local laboratory stakeholders and leaders to identify and oversee enhancements in laboratory networks.
• Provides support and training to facilities as part of overall capacity building and continuous improvement programs.
• Assists in writing and revising laboratory SOP’s and other laboratory documents.
• Makes recommendations to improve or revise processes and procedures for laboratory functions.
• Provides technical support to improve laboratory systems to support surveillance of infectious diseases.
• Will be required to work with a diverse group of national organizations including the Government and other diagnostic network leaders, development partners, other regional and global project staff and local CDC staff.

Applied Knowledge & Skills

• Sound knowledge and experience in clinical diagnostics (on-the-bench experience), laboratory networks and quality management systems.
• Knowledge of infectious disease outbreaks, and diagnostics of infectious diseases including COVID-19.
• Awareness of the mechanisms and strategies that are being deployed under the GHSA and other similar mechanisms to combat emerging infectious threats.
• Understanding of the country environment and how it affects laboratory network functioning.
• General understanding of evidence-based priority actions based on JEE and National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) to improve health security.
• Ability to analyze, interpret data and prepare reports.
• Strong problem-solving skills.

Experience

• A minimum of a BSc in biological or laboratory science or an equivalent with a specialty in microbiology, virology or immunology.
• At least five years of experience in laboratory strengthening and capacity building.
• Knowledge and experience in the diagnosis of infectious diseases including COVID-19 and specific hands-on diagnostics experience.
• Competent in current diagnostic methods for infectious diseases including point-of-care tests and molecular methods.
• Knowledge and experience with strengthening laboratories to achieve international quality standards including against ISO 15189 and/or SLMTA/SLIPTA.
• Must be able to read, write, and speak fluent English. French language skills desired.

Supervision Given/Received

• No supervisory responsibilities are anticipated

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