As a laboratory specialist on assignment with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) you might manage the laboratory associated with a tuberculosis treatment program, training the technicians you supervise in sputum microscopy. Alternatively, you might find yourself tasked with establishing a laboratory facility, introducing quality control to an HIV laboratory, or testing people for sleeping sickness in an outdoor mobile clinic.
MSF laboratory specialists are primarily responsible for the management of the laboratory, supervision of laboratory personnel, and implementation of laboratory training programs for locally hired staff. Responsibilities could also include the ordering and distribution of laboratory supplies, data collection, and quality control of laboratory testing.
Click here to see a generic job description and potential career path with MSF.
Requirements
- Compliance with Essential Requirements for all potential candidates
- Commitment to work in the field for a minimum of 9 to 12 month assignments
- Degree or diploma in laboratory technology or microbiology with applied medical parasitology, bacteriology, and immunology
- Previous experience in a low resource setting (priority given to those with experience working in a humanitarian context)
- Professional experience supervising, managing, or training staff
- Minimum of two years professional relevant experience
- Experience with sample-taking (blood, stool, sputum)
- Knowledge of laboratory testing quality-control methods
- Ability to work within a diverse team
Assets
- French or Arabic language (B2 or above)
- Knowledge of epidemiology
- Familiarity with tropical and/or infectious diseases (especially HIV/AIDS, TB)
- Experience using laboratory software packages and carrying out surveys
- Experience working in a hospital setting
- Medical degree
