Laboratory Technician

In the 19th century, that meant connecting people and trade by building roads and railways. In the 20th century, it meant building the capacity of national governments to meet their citizens’ needs, managing funds to support service delivery in difficult contexts and delivering world-class humanitarian aid. In the 21st century, we’re continuing that work and investigating the potential of frontier technologies to accelerate the pace of change for our partners.

BACKGROUND

The Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) network aims to determine and track the causes of under-five mortality and stillbirths through epidemiologic surveillance, including reporting within 24 hours, clinical sampling, and use of advanced laboratory testing and diagnostics across a network of international sites. The areas selected for CHAMPS in Sierra Leone is Bombali Sebora and Bombali Siari chiefdoms in Bombali district (population 606,544), and Tikonko and Kakua chiefdoms in Bo district. The site area in Bombali has a population of 161,383 and is mostly urban, including the city of Makeni (population 125,970). 

CHAMPS employs the Minimal Invasive Tissue Sampling (MITS) procedure for post-mortem diagnosis. MITS was developed to reduce the uncertainty regarding causes of death. The data collected from the CHAMPS Sierra Leone site will be added to that collected from other sites and will help reduce child deaths in lower- and middle-income countries (LMIC) by providing detailed evidence on the cause of death to influence policy of funders and stakeholders. 

For the last three years, the CHAMPS project has collected MITS and Verbal Autopsy data and analysed these to inform policies and interventions by key stakeholders. To fulfil one of the key objectives of the CHAMPS network, the CHAMPS Sierra Leone site is now embarking on additional surveillance activities in order to ensure that data from the catchment area can be extrapolated to produce national estimates for the purpose of policy making. 

To accommodate the expansion of these new projects and workstreams, CHAMPS is building up a strong Operations, Procurement and Logistics team. This team provides support to program and other functional areas within the CHAMPS project, including procurement of goods and services, operational logistics, office management, fleet management and administrative office functions to ensure smooth operations of project activities across implementing partners.

Laboratory Technician (Based in Makeni – One Position)

This is a 9 months’ position and will be based in Makeni and will report to the Laboratory Manager. The job holder will be responsible for the process, analyse, and store MITS specimens in accordance with CHAMPS standard procedures e.g., malaria microscopy, microbiology cultures, molecular techniques etc. You will ensure adaptation of network laboratory protocols and Standard Operating Procedures to site-specific procedures. Perform specimen accessioning, processing, and shipment of specimen. Perform testing of MITS samples at Regional Hospital Makeni working with basic/advance laboratory instrumentation. You will observe biosafety regulations and perform routine operative maintenance on laboratory instrumentation. You will be responsible to maintain laboratory supplies inventory by checking stock to determine inventory level; anticipating needed supplies; placing and expediting orders for supplies; verifying receipt of supplies. You will support installation, operation, and preventative maintenance of laboratory equipment. Performance of lab data entry of testing results using relevant LMIS. Adhere strictly to infection-control and hazardous waste policies and protocols. Support development of Standard Operating Procedures, Job aids, Bench aids, Protocols and Guidelines.

Requirements.

A minimum of National Diploma in Medical Laboratory Science is required. Degree in medical laboratory Science or related field. Technical knowledge of basic / advance laboratory instrumentation and laboratory information systems. Excellent interpersonal, writing, presentation, and communication skill. Able to meet deadlines and multi-task as well as work under pressure. In-depth knowledge of laboratory operations, workflow, and testing. Must possess excellent organizational skills and attention to detail. Must have experience with data entry and computers. Willingness to work extended hours, as required and the ability to work in a diverse team. 

Interested candidates can apply by sending their updated curriculum vitae to the Email Address Below: 

sierraleonerecruitment@crownagents.co.uk 

The closing date for receiving applications will be 30th March 2023. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. Please note that ONLY shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews.