Senior Laboratory Manager

Location Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Salary and Benefits Negotiable

Reports to Center Head

The Center for Innovative Drug Development and Therapeutic Trials for Africa (CDT-Africa) is a regional center of excellence for education and research at Addis Ababa University. The main aim of CDT-Africa is to build medical discovery capacity (drugs, vaccines and diagnostics) in Africa through high quality training and research programs. As part of this responsibility, CDT-Africa has established a medical discovery laboratory and currently looking for an enthusiastic Senior Laboratory Manager to join the team.

The Role of the Senior Laboratory Manager

The main responsibility of the Senior Laboratory Manager will be to assist in finalizing the setup and ensuring the full functionality of the laboratory facility. This role includes managing overall resources and staff within the research laboratories. The Manager will oversee the operations of the research lab and supervise the personnel working there. Additionally, she/he will contribute to establishing standard procedures for laboratory activities, implementing monitoring mechanisms for ongoing work, and facilitating essential training for staff members.

Main Responsibilities

• Provide effective leadership of the Research laboratory service, including planning and monitoring of all management works performed in the laboratory, in accordance with the institutional assignment of such responsibilities.
• Defining, implementing and monitoring standards of performance and quality improvement of the Research laboratory equipment and services.
• Confirm that all functions are being performed effectively as per the applicable accrediting and regulatory agencies.
• Ensure that there are appropriate numbers of staff with the required education, training and competence to provide Research laboratory services that meet the needs and requirements of the center.
• Adequately support and assigns responsibilities for Quality (Quality Officer), Safety (Safety Officer) and supply (supply officer)
• Identify any competence gaps in the laboratory staff and link with management for a specific capacity development opportunity.
• Ensuring continuous professional development programs for the laboratory staff in terms of lab use, safety and other related issues.
• Ensure the implementation of the laboratory policy and standard operating procedures.
• Serving as a contributing member of the Research staff of the center
• Determines the internal auditing policy of the laboratory and must know results of internal audit outcomes to take corrective action measures.
• Planning and monitoring of laboratory equipment and supplies
• Identify any infrastructure needs, report and supervise the overall work
• Follow up placement, installation and calibration of equipments every six months
• Designing and implementing contingency plans, which are periodically tested to ensure that essential services are available during emergency situations or other conditions when laboratory services are limited or unavailable.
• Addressing any complaint, request or suggestion from staff/student and/or users of the laboratory services.
• Establish a system to manage customer inquiries about laboratory access and results, ensuring confidentiality and adherence to customer service standards
• Monitoring of the Laboratory Inventory
• Additional tasks as directed by the Head of the Centre or the R&D Director.

Requirements

• MSc in Natural Science, Biomedical or related Fields.
• Trained on Laboratory quality management system, ISO 15189 or ISO 17025 and Laboratory Management

Work experience

• 3 years and above
• Experience in research Laboratory management and similar responsibilities are more important than specific qualifications.

Personal attributes

• Discretion and ability to handle confidential and sensitive information
• Management and/or Supervisory skills
• Strong administrative and organizational skills
• Accuracy and attention to detail
• Ability to work with others, including international collaborators
• Excellent communication skills

Terms and conditions

• Salary: Negotiable depending on qualifications and experience
• Terms of Employment: Full-time and Post subject to Annual contract renewal.
• Hours of work and holidays are governed by the laws of Ethiopia. However, the nature of the work is such that it might require working overtime and weekends, with due financial compensation