About

The Biomedical Research and Training Institute (BRTI) is implementing a 5-year US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (CDC-PEPFAR) funded Laboratory Systems Strengthening (LSS) program in Zimbabwe from 2021 to 2026. This is in support of the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MOHCC) Directorate of Laboratory Services, and AIDS and TB program’s national strategic objectives. The LSS program will expand laboratory capacity and enhance access to high quality testing towards achievement of the UNAIDS 95-95-95 goals.

Roles and responsibilities

Laboratory Mentors will function as Provincial Program Managers; They support the implementation, coordination, management, and delivery of all program activities including CQI, IST, VL / EID testing, EQA, CLI, RTCQI at assigned sites and laboratories in assigned provinces; The Mentors will ensure all targets for their assigned catchments and laboratories are being met including VL targets, CQI / accreditation targets; The Mentors will report directly to Technical Lead Lab Systems Strengthening and the Lab Advisor Quality Assurance; They will oversee and supervise the work of Lab Scientists seconded to the MOHCC or work in close collaboration with MOHCC Scientists supported by the program.

Qualifications and experience

An undergraduate degree in medical laboratory sciences; A postgraduate degree in medical laboratory science, Master’s in Public Health, Epidemiology, or any Medical Laboratory discipline an added advantage; Certified training in medical laboratory quality assurance e.g., SLMTA, ISO-15189, Auditing etc; 8 years plus experience in clinical diagnostic testing including 3 years supervisory experience in a clinical diagnostic laboratory; Experience in Laboratory systems strengthening, Viral load scale-up, and strong Lab QMS implementation experience a must; Experience in mentoring labs and assessing labs using the WHO SLIPTA Checklist and ISO 15189-based checklists strongly preferred.