PROGRAMME OFFICER (LABORATORY) - INTERNATIONAL TRAINING AND EDUCATION CENTER FOR HEALTH

I-TECH staff/consultants bring an attitude of hope to our projects and are linked by our passion, our professional standards, our personal connection to our work, and our commitment to integrity, flexibility, and quality. I-TECH believes in creating a rewarding work environment through mutual respect and opportunities for personal and professional growth and renewal.

A six month consulting opportunity for a Programme Officer (Laboratory) has arisen within I-TECH Botswana. The consultant will be based in Gaborone. The Programme Officer (Laboratory) will provide technical assistance at laboratories and health facilities by implementing Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) activities to strengthen external quality assurance of laboratory tests as well as to improve participation and performance in proficiency testing. CQI will also be provided to strengthen EQA at health facilities for non-laboratorians conducting rapid HIV antibody tests.

The consultant will be supervised by the I-TECH Botswana Director of Programs and will entail working in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health. While the consultant will be based at the I-TECH office, it may be advantageous to periodically work from the National Quality Assurance Laboratory.

Requirements

General Roles and Responsibilities Include:-

Project development and implementation

• Provide CQI support to strengthen the coordination of the national external quality assurance/proficiency testing program (EQA/PT) to ensure:
• distribution of EQA/PT samples in various laboratory disciplines to participating laboratories at regular intervals.
• provision of timely objective reports and analysis.
• targets related to EQA/PT are met.
• Provide CQI support to strengthen EQA/PT related to rapid HIV tests conducted by non-laboratorians and participate in CQI site visits to participating medical laboratories.
• Ensure IQC procedures are conducted routinely at laboratories and non laboratory testing sites
• Liaise closely with partners and stakeholders relevant to the project implementation; represent I-TECH at meetings with MOH and CDC.
• Provide expert consultation on the interpretation of unusual or unexpected EQA results.
• Write reports and prepare presentations describing progress and achievements.
• Develop and monitor work plans and implementation tracking tools.
• Provide support and supervision to personnel working on the project.
• Perform other reasonable duties as assigned by immediate supervisor.

Qualifications, Skills and Knowledge Required:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Medical Laboratory Sciences or equivalent, Master’s degree is a preferred.
• Eligible for registration as a medical laboratory scientist in Botswana.
• A minimum of 5 years experience at in a medical diagnostic laboratory at a senior level and should have a sound knowledge of clinical laboratory testing procedures.
• Demonstrated experience in quality management systems in a diagnostic laboratory.
• Understand the function and importance of Quality Assurance in clinical laboratory testing.
• Must be familiar with concepts of Good Clinical Laboratory Practice.
• Possession of sound IT, critical thinking and writing skills

Company profile

The International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH), www.go2itech.org, based at the University of Washington was established in 2002 by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). I-TECH has been working in Botswana since 2004 in partnership with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Global AIDS Program (CDC-Botswana), the Botswana Ministry of Health (MOH), the Ministry of Local Government (MLG), and the University of Botswana (UB), to build capacity for addressing Botswana’s HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Closing date and application instructions

If you have the required training, expertise, and experience, and would like to consult with I-TECH in this vital work, we encourage you to apply!

Consultancy Application Procedure

To apply, please send cover letter, scanned academic certificate copy and CV; including a list of names of four (4) referees (with up-to-date e-mail and telephone contact details) to hr@itech.org.bw

We wish to inform all applicants that correspondence will be entered into with shortlisted consultants only.

Closing Date: 08 April 2016