Organization: Elizabeth
Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF)
Project Name: USAID Regional
Health Integration to Enhance Health Services in the South West Uganda Project
(RHITES)
Duty Station: Mbarara,
Uganda
The Elizabeth
Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) seeks to end pediatric HIV/AIDS
through research, advocacy, and prevention and treatment programs. We are a
global leader in the fight against pediatric HIV and AIDS, working in 15
countries and at 7,000 sites around the world to prevent the transmission of
HIV to children, and to help those already infected. Today, because of the
highly successful work of the Foundation and its partners over the last 25
years, pediatric AIDS has been virtually eliminated in the United States and new
infections in children have declined by 58% worldwide. EGPAF Uganda Country
program is currently implementing a number of projects in partnership with
various donors.
About USAID RHITES Project:
The Elizabeth
Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) implements the USAID Regional Health
Integration to Enhance Health Services in the South West Uganda Project
(RHITES) whose aim is to increase the availability, accessibility and quality
of integrated health services including HIV and TB prevention, care and treatment;
maternal, neonatal and child health services; family planning; nutrition
assessment, counseling support; malaria prevention and treatment and other
primary carer services.
Job Summary: The Senior Laboratory Advisor will provide
leadership and oversight for laboratory systems and management strengthening in
the country program. The incumbent provides technical guidance and leads
laboratory related activities essential for implementation of the integrated
health program in the South Western region. The incumbent will steer the
development of high quality health laboratory systems in supported districts
that support delivery of comprehensive MNCH, Malaria, HIV/AIDS and TB
prevention, care and treatment services at all laboratories at various levels
of the district health system. The job holder will also strengthen the existing laboratory hub system
in the South Western region to increase access to laboratory and foster
utilization of laboratory services. She/he will ensure proper implementation and
functioning of Laboratory Quality Management System, overall quality control
and quality assurance of laboratory activities and analyses; ensuring that
output (final results), quality and safety targets are achieved.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
·
Work closely with CPHL and DLFPs, provide technical
expertise in assessing existing laboratory systems, capacity and services, and
supports design and implementation of a sustainable laboratory services
strengthening strategy.
·
Works in liaison with CPHL to ensure mechanisms and
systems are in place to strengthen access, quality, operations and management
of laboratory testing at all levels.
·
Assists in the adaptation and/or development of the
project laboratory strategic and operational plans, guidelines and standard
operational protocols.
·
Design and implement laboratory capacity building
programs including strategies based on supportive supervision and performance
assessment and monitoring systems.
·
Mentor and provide technical leadership and support
to the project laboratory staff, District Laboratory Focal Persons (DLFPs) as
part of strengthening the technical assistance capacity to oversee all
laboratories in the supported districts.
·
Supports the expansion and strengthening of
laboratory Quality Management System (QMS), Quality Assurance program (QA),
External Quality Assurance (EQA) and accreditation programs.
·
The incumbent develops work plans, work instructions
and procedures; coordination and implementation of action plans related to
laboratory Quality Management System activities.
·
Ensures that processes needed for the Quality
Management System, in liaison with Laboratory Supervisors, are adequately
defined, implemented and maintained;
·
Ensures that all the Lab personnel are aware of QMS
requirements and participates in developing technical competencies and/ (or)
training for achieving the Quality Management objectives;
·
Strengthen the Quality Testing Monitoring ensuring
that each site laboratory performs and monitors routine Quality Control (QC)
testing on core HIV-related tests performed in laboratory; and all supported
laboratories participate in proficiency testing (PT) or external quality
assessment (EQA) programs for all core tests that they perform.
·
Offers technical expertise to the laboratory staff
at all supported laboratories to improve all the quality assurance programs
related to laboratory testing services including: HIV rapid tests, CD4, VL,
EID, Malaria, TB, Hematology, and Chemistry.
·
Ensure that each laboratory has a biosafety program
that is fully implemented and contains the following core elements: Training on
biosafety for lab personnel, identified Lab Biosafety Officer, Availability and
proper use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and Lab Biosafety SOP and/or
Biosafety Manual.
·
Work in liaison with CPHL, provides technical
support to improve access for quality laboratory testing through strengthening
the existing specimen referral networks.
·
In collaboration with CPHL, support the SLMTA
roll-out targeting all laboratories at regional, district and health sub
district level to achieve accreditation status.
·
In charge of the development of strategies to
effectively manage laboratory equipment at the supported facilities; ensuring
updated service contracts for the various equipment; and continued engagement
and collaboration with MOH regional workshop and equipment maintenance team.
·
Work closely with the Supply Chain and Logistics
Advisor to strengthen laboratory supplies’ quantification, ordering and
reporting, stock/storage/information management at all levels of laboratory
operations.
·
Significantly contribute to the development of
annual and quarterly work plans ensuring that the laboratory strengthening
component is adequate and in line with project strategy.
·
Support CPHL in strengthening laboratory information
systems and utilization of data for decision making at all levels.
·
Develop monthly, quarterly and annual reports and
ensure timely submission
·
Strengthen the Results and Information Management
ensuring that each laboratory has a standardized system or procedures in order
to manage information and data for specimen registration, results recording,
and results reporting.
·
Work with the M&E Manager to develop a data base
as part of strengthening the functioning of the laboratory M&E system; for
tracking laboratory activities, outputs and enhancing data use.
·
Participate and contribute actively to relevant
national technical working groups and work proactively to inform development of
laboratory related policies, guidelines and procedures in the country
·
Ensure timely relevant technical support to all
implementing health facilities.
·
Document and publish best practices in strengthening
laboratory service delivery
Qualifications, Skills and
Experience:
·
The applicant should preferably hold a Bachelor’s
degree (Master’s preferred) in laboratory or health sciences
·
A minimum of five years’ experience with laboratory
tests and techniques required for the diagnosis and monitoring of the following
(but not limited to): HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria, STIs, and other infectious
diseases.
·
Proven exposure and experience in developing QA/QC
systems for large organizations, or health facilities at various levels and in
conducting quality audit on Quality Systems
·
Broad working knowledge in Quality Management
Systems
·
Prior experience in developing and implementing
laboratory program initiatives strategic planning, laboratory accreditation
programs, quality management system, referral system, supply chain management
system, and use of electronic laboratory information systems.
·
Demonstrated ability to effectively train and build
capacity of local partners, district staff and laboratory staff.
·
Previous experience in laboratory logistics and
supply chain management
·
Past exposure and experience in implementing
laboratory information systems.
·
Working knowledge and comprehensive understanding of
Uganda’s public health sector and working experience in Uganda.
·
Excellent interpersonal skills, sound judgment,
communication skills, and report writing skills.
·
High level of proficiency in relevant computer
applications, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
All suitably
qualified and interested candidates are encouraged to send their applications
to this address;
The Country
Director, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF), Plot 18A Kyadondo
Road, Nakasero, P.O. Box 21127, Kampala, Uganda
E-mail to:
UgandaRecruitment@pedaids.org
Deadline: 14th December 2015
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