International Health Strengthening programme ? Technical Laboratory Advisor at British Embassy

Main Purpose of Job

This post is located within Public Health England’s (PHE) Global Public Health division, led by the Director of Global Public Health. The Global Public Health division supports the delivery of PHE’s Global Health Strategy. It provides a corporate service to PHE supporting the oversight, coordination, and delivery of PHE’s international activity and working with UK government departments and other UK partners to build and strengthen international public health links. The division also maintains its own extensive portfolio of global health programs and projects, focusing on capacity building and health system strengthening in partner countries.

The post-holder will provide in-country public health expert level input to PHE’s Global Public Health division work focused on the delivery of the DHSC-funded International Health Regulation (IHR) strengthening program. The IHR strengthening program work is in 5 countries, one of which is Ethiopia

The work plan in Ethiopia will embed and build on the success to date but also provide an opportunity to strengthen capacity upstream and more broadly. The post-holder will provide expert technical laboratory advice to the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) in Addis Ababa Ethiopia, to ensure a holistic approach to improving IHR compliance that addresses priority needs.

The post holder is accountable to the PHE’s Country Lead and local team based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, supported by PHE’s NIS Laboratory Delivery Team.

The post holder will be embedded at EPHI and will work with colleagues across several labs This position's primary responsibility is ensuring organizational effectiveness and efficiency by providing operational support to the management and providing human resource capacity and capability skills.

KEY AREAS:

• Familiarisation with International clinical standards

• Experience in developing online training workshops

• Experience (3 yrs min) in clinical diagnostic assays

• Evidenced experience in writing laboratory quality documents: Standard operating procedures, risk assessments, codes of practice

• Experience in mentoring (ideally in a laboratory setting)

• Experience in External Quality Assessments

• Experience in chairing and facilitating meetings/workshops with numerous stakeholders

Main Duties and Responsibilities

FROM COUNTRY LEAD

The successful candidate will be required to work closely with the EPHI to deliver on Public Health England (PHE) shared objectives for our collaboration for building laboratory capacity and capability as part of PHE’s International Health Regulations (IHR) Strengthening Project in Ethiopia. This is an ODA-funded project being undertaken by PHE to support international efforts to improve global health security, through increasing compliance with the 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR), through health systems strengthening.

The project aims to contribute to action at national and regional levels, leading to measurable strengthening of public health systems in the selected countries. Through strong partnerships with national public health institutes (NPHIs), the approach is to work alongside partner countries, to build public health capacity and capability, whilst fostering ownership and long-term sustainability.

A key aim of the IHR Project is to support NPHIs in the development of a trained local workforce, that will continue beyond the duration of the project. To achieve this in Ethiopia, PHE is recruiting a Technical Laboratory Advisor to EPHI who can contribute to the delivery of the following objectives:

• Support the further development and management of the laboratories ensuring excellence in practice, service delivery, and appropriate scientific and technical performance at all times.

• Support documentation of laboratory activities, especially the completion of the laboratory strategy and implementation plan

• Support the development of management processes such as supply chain monitoring plan for the laboratories

• Taking the responsibility for supporting the daily management of the scientific/technical staff to ensure the successful and effective operation of the laboratories.

• Providing theoretical and practical program management input to ensure the overall output of the laboratory is of high quality, appropriate, relevant, consistent, and reliable

• Resolving complex and urgent problems within the laboratory and assisting/leading in resolving complicated problems involving other NCDC departments and wider service users.

• Support the budgetary control of laboratory services to ensure the best use and management of financial resources.

• Support the development of policies and strategies that ensure effective and efficient day-to-day operational work

• Helping to ensure the laboratories have available to them the relevant equipment and space required to implement and deliver the strategies and policies supporting day-to-day operational work.

• Engaging widely with EPHI laboratory service users to seek input into setting strategic objectives and identifying new ideas and improved ways of working

• Working with others to define the strategy to ensure the laboratories maintain and develop as a center of excellence in Public Health laboratory services in liaison with the senior management team

• Participating in the activities of relevant EPHI/Laboratory committees, working groups, and other expert groups as required.

• Developing, implementing, and promoting high standards of quality customer care to both internal and external customers

• Supporting the development and delivery of innovative services and alternative ways of working to ensure continuous improvements in service delivery.

• Contribute to any cross-program workforce development initiatives as and when required

• Contribute to the development of IHR In-country team, supporting colleagues as work requires and as directed by Country Lead.

• Support the PHE Team on X-HMG activities relevant to Global Health Security and the X-HMG Country Plan.

You will be a highly organized, creative team player who is a self-starter and has excellent written and verbal communication skills.   You will have a thorough understanding of a broad range of communications and engagement skills and issues gained through experience in the field, and you will have excellent negotiation skills, enabling you to deal sensitively with stakeholders with complex and sometimes conflicting interests. You will be expected to show a strong drive to complete and evidence progress, recognizing the importance of compliance and reporting.

• Postgraduate qualification in a relevant subject.

• Member of a relevant professional body

• Demonstrate commitment to own Continued Professional Development (CPD)

• Extensive experience of working in a diagnostic/testing laboratory

• In-depth understanding of relevant laboratory policies, standards, and guidelines, including those relevant to quality control/assurance and accreditation processes

• Leadership and management experience including target setting, selection,

• training and development

• Knowledge of the EPHI and the wider Ethiopian public health sector and laboratory network

• Understanding of budget management

• Experience of partnership working - linking with staff across varied organizational functions to address inter-dependencies and ensure alignment

• Experience of working with Laboratory Information Management System

• Experience in working with information technology using Microsoft Office packages (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)

• A demonstrated commitment to high professional ethical standards and a diverse workplace

• A positive, resilient, flexible, and adaptable “can-do” attitude that can see a way through challenges.

• An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships, both in terms of day-to-day working practices, but also about management systems

• A demonstrated commitment to high professional ethical standards and a diverse workplace.