Jhpiego, an Affiliate of Johns Hopkins University is implementing a 3-year Bill and Melinda Gates funded project in Nigeria and Kenya. The Nigeria project is being implemented in Nassarawa State. The project proposes to develop a group care model for ANC appropriate to the Nigerian contexts that will support the MOH to operationalize its guidelines and test whether this alternative model of ANC is more effective, feasible, and acceptable than the current standard of care at achieving better coverage and quality of ANC services.
The project is designed for high-volume government health facilities and will explore the opportunities and challenges of different settings (urban, pert-urban, and rural) to inform scale-up. The Group ANC study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness, acceptability and feasibility of Group ANC as compared to traditional ANC. This study introduces a group care model in two phases: – Improve the quality of facility based ANC, Increase retention in care and the use of key services during pregnancy, childbirth and the year following birth among women over the standard care available.
Job Title: Technical Director, Laboratory Services
Job Description
Overview:
The Technical Director, Laboratory Services will oversee and provide technical and management leadership for the design, implementation, and monitoring of the HIV prevention, care and treatment and TB lab strengthening interventions, ensuring their adherence to national and international standards, as well as their contribution to the national and international goals, for a CDC-funded HIV prevention, care and treatment (comprehensive services) project in Nigeria. It is anticipated that the position will be based in Abuja. Also acting as an advisor, s/he will support capacity building activities focused on strengthening quality management systems of local clinical laboratories in high-volume testing and treatment locations. This position is contingent upon award. Nigerian nationals are strongly encouraged to apply.
Responsibilities:
- Maintain quality testing procedures and systems including new diagnostic technologies.
- Prepare and oversee implementation of laboratory work plan in consultation with county laboratory coordinators.
- Provide technical support to facility laboratory technologists on laboratory management.
- Provide technical assistance/guidance on laboratory testing processes, with focus on HIV testing, EID, and VL monitoring.
- Conduct development, pre-testing, implementation and review of laboratory standard operating procedures to be applied in HIV care and treatment services.
- Support laboratory sample transport networking in supported facilities.
- Support commodity forecasting, quantification and redistribution/buffering in supported facilities in partnership with county teams.
- Coordinate performance and documentation of daily internal quality control and participation in external quality assessment to MOH supported facilities for TB and HIV services.
- Promote organizational structure in the areas of physical laboratory structure and infection prevention and promotes laboratory bio-safety.
Required Qualifications:
- Higher national diploma/degree in medical laboratory sciences.
- Minimum 5 years’ experience in implementation of HIV or TB related medical laboratory activities in a CDC or USAID-funded project.
- Competent in development and implementation of work plans, M&E activities and reports.
- Demonstrated competency in laboratory activities.
- Skills in at least two or more of the following technical areas: strengthening service delivery programs, training, pre-service education, performance and quality improvement, M&E.
- Ability to liaise with senior MOH and county government officials and senior members of the donor community.
- Demonstrated in-depth understanding of the Nigerian health care system, particularly the public health system.
- Familiarity with CDC and PEPFAR administrative, management and reporting procedures and systems.
- Ability to work in a complex environment with multiple tasks, short deadlines and intense pressure to perform.
- Ability to travel unrestricted within Nigeria and internationally.
- Nigerian nationals strongly preferred.
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