Haiti: Lab Scientific Director

Position Title: HUM Lab Scientific Director - Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais - Haiti

Location: Mirebalais, Haiti

Organizational Profile

Partners In Health (PIH) is an international health organization relentlessly committed to improving the health of the poor and marginalized. PIH partners with local governments to build local capacity and works closely with impoverished communities to deliver high-quality health care, address the root causes of illness, train providers, advance research, and advocate for global policy change.

PIH currently has implementation programs in Haiti, Rwanda, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Peru, Mexico, Russia, Sierra Leone and Navajo Nation. Through our partnership with Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, we support a wide range of programs in dozens of other countries around the world. PIH is known locally in Haiti as Zanmi Lasante.

Position Summary

The position's main objective is to provide scientific, technical and managerial support to the laboratory team at the Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais, during routine operations and expansion of laboratory services. The Scientific director overlooks lab systems and processes and department operations, technical expertise on scientific matters, and is responsible for working with the lab coordination team (LCT) to provide oversight of the lab's performance.

The Scientific Director should have knowledge of clinical laboratory regulations and works alongside the local and international lab and clinical teams to build up laboratory capacity to achieve programmatic and clinical goals.

Furthermore, the Scientific Director is responsible for the implementation of an overall quality assurance and proficiency scheme following standard operations procedures (SOPs) and international guidelines, in coordination with the lab quality management officer and sections’ coordinators; as well as coordinating the setup of a system for link peripheral sites to the reference center including specimen referral, training and reporting within the country’s supported laboratories and with reference centers abroad as required.

The position closely interacts with the Director of Laboratory Services – PIH Boston, Lab Coordination team, and Zanmi Lasante (ZL) Lab Network Coordinator

Responsibilities

• Demonstrates leadership of the Laboratory function, clinical services, and programs, with twenty-four hour responsibility and accountability for lab operations
• Ultimate responsible for ensuring the provision of quality services by maintaining appropriate staffing levels, competency of staff, maintenance/ performance of instrumentation, equipment, physical space, proficiency/efficiency testing, and integrity of specimens.
• Ensures the selection, retention, training, and assignment of competent workforce to ensure effective delivery of departmental services.
• Demonstrates accountability and responsibility for orienting new staff to specific job duties with particular focus on safety and infection control.
• Manages staff performance through regular review, real time feedback, and performance planning.
• Ensures departmental compliance with all legal, regulatory and accrediting agency requirements
• Actively monitors budget and evaluate expenditures on a regular basis. Initiates recommendations to ensure department is operating within budget. Assesses capital equipment needs.
• Assess current needs and operations of the existing laboratory as a basis for developing the required implementation plan for the new laboratory facility
• Responsible for setting up laboratory workflow to ensure safety practices across all laboratory areas
• Lead the Laboratory Coordination Team (LCT) delegating functions and tasks as required
• Work in coordination with PIH’s director of laboratory services to set up implementation plans with timelines and milestones
• Lead the development of a procurement list to cover all the areas of the laboratory and according to agreed plans and clinical needs
• Coordinate with the quality management officer (QMS) the development or update of necessary technical specifications for the laboratory operations, including revision of protocols and SOPs, HR needs, quality assurance, testing volumes, data recording & reporting, data analysis, monitoring and evaluation
• Support during the evaluation of laboratory performance and advice on necessary technical improvements needed
• Plan and implement required onsite trainings for all laboratory operations and coordinate support from partners and technical advisors
• Lead the implementation of a comprehensive quality assurance systems and accreditation processes
• Support the procurement team during preparation of orders for commodities and equipment as required
• Lead local discussions for preparation and/or revision of laboratory testing algorithms, and provide input as necessary to align with the testing strategies
• Support the team to ensure that the laboratory operations and targets are accomplished according to the timeframes and timely reported to local partners, including the Ministry of health (LNSP)
• Assess and evaluate opportunities for operational/scientific research utilizing the laboratory facilities as a center of excellence to disseminate knowledge while attracting potential funding for the lab
• Meet with donors and present laboratory results to different audiences as required
• To meet and report on regular basis the local team, the PIH director of laboratory services and LCT to revise progress against annual plans

Knowledge and Skill Requirements

• Must hold an earned doctoral degree in a chemical, physical, biological or clinical laboratory science from an accredited institution and be certified and continue to be certified by a local/international board
• Either a Microbiologist, Pathologist or a PhD with appropriate board certification to meet laboratory requirements to be a high-complexity laboratory scientific director
• 2+ years of experience working in a clinical laboratory environment
• 2+ years of experience in directing and supervising a high complexity testing laboratory
• Experience with clinical regulatory requirements is a must
• Solid Science technical background (experience on pathology and TB/Microbiology laboratory management would be an asset)
• Experience in project management and leading technical teams towards common goal setting
• Experience in public health programs and diverse diagnostics technologies
• Experienced in working with cross-functional teams
• Availability to travel as required by leading team
• Diplomatic, constructive and with sound judgment and excellent interpersonal skills to interact with local partners
• Experience in coordination of plans with local counterparts, partners and health officials within a framework of multi-country projects
• Fluency in English and French is required. Other languages an asset

Partners In Health is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Apply on our Career Site here!