Technical Advisor, Laboratory

Program: ENDF HIV Program for DHAPP

Department: HIV/TB & NCDs

Reports to: Quality Assurance Manager, with dotted-line reporting to Project Director

Duty station: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with frequent travel to ENDF health facilities

Contract Duration: Indefinite, based on performance and availability of funds.

Remuneration: As per the organization’s pay scale plus other PSI/Ethiopia staff benefits.

Female Candidates are highly encouraged to apply

Who we are?

We’re Population Services International (PSI), the world’s leading non‐profit social marketing organization. We work to make it easier for people in the developing world to lead healthier lives and plan the families they desire by marketing affordable products and services that range from mosquito nets to contraceptives to HIV testing. We are a $560m enterprise based in Washington, DC, operating in the private and public sectors in more than 65 countries.

Join us!

There are over 9,000 “PSI’ers” around the world. It’s a diverse group of entrepreneurs and professionals with an unusually wide range of backgrounds – from the medical industry to the music business – all with unique skills we bring to the job.

PSI/Ethiopia wants to reimagine healthcare, put the consumer at the center, and whenever possible, bring quality care to the front door.  We achieve health impact in Ethiopia by working with both government and private partners and harvesting technology innovation to bring quality care closer to communities, schools, and homes.   We empower consumers by including them in the design of healthcare solutions, offering them more healthcare choices, and helping them to have a voice in influencing national priorities.  We work with all market actors in the health system to understand their needs, designing and delivering solutions so that market systems can sustainably serve consumers for the long term, helping to support the Government of Ethiopia in achieving Universal Health Coverage.

Position Summary

PSI seeks a Technical Advisor, Laboratory to provide technical leadership for a DHAPP-funded program supporting Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) health facilities. The position will lead efforts to improve the accuracy, reliability, quality, and compliance of HIV, TB, microbiology, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and other diagnostic services through implementation of laboratory quality management systems (LQMS), accreditation readiness initiatives, workforce development, laboratory information systems strengthening, and continuous quality improvement interventions.

The Laboratory Technical Advisor will serve as PSI’s principal laboratory systems expert, working closely with ENDF Health Main Department, the Ministry of Health, and EPHI in this DHAPP funded program, to strengthen laboratory networks and advance laboratories toward compliance with international standards, including ISO 15189:2022 accreditation requirements.

Sounds like you? Read on!

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

Key Responsibilities

Laboratory systems strengthening and accreditation

• Lead laboratory baseline assessments, gap analyses, and development of quality improvement plans across supported ENDF laboratories.
• Guide laboratories through accreditation preparedness using SLIPTA, SLMTA, and ISO 15189:2022 frameworks.
• Conduct accreditation readiness assessments and provide targeted mentorship to address identified gaps.
• Support laboratories to prepare for external audits, certification processes, and accreditation reviews.
• Monitor implementation of corrective and preventive actions and track progress toward accreditation milestones.

Laboratory quality management systems

• Lead implementation of laboratory quality management systems (LQMS) and institutionalization of quality assurance and quality improvement practices.
• Strengthen internal quality control, statistical quality control (SQC), method validation, and quality indicator monitoring systems.
• Conduct supportive supervision and mentorship visits to improve laboratory performance, documentation, and compliance.
• Facilitate annual SLMTA enrolment assessments and quarterly mentorship visits to supported Level III hospitals.

Laboratory Information Systems and data integration

• Lead strengthening and integration of Laboratory Management Information Systems (LMIS) with ENDF health information systems, including OpenEMR, eLMIS, DHIS2, and other digital health platforms.
• Improve laboratory data quality, reporting, interoperability, and use of data for decision-making.
• Collaborate with health informatics teams to enhance electronic laboratory reporting and performance monitoring systems.

Capacity building /training

Design, coordinate, and deliver competency-based training programs for laboratory personnel, including:

• Laboratory Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement (QA/QI).
• Basic LQMS for non-accredited laboratories.
• HIV and TB diagnostics.
• Advanced HIV Disease laboratory testing.
• Basic microbiology and AMR surveillance.
• Method validation and Statistical Quality Control (SQC).
• External Quality Assessment (EQA).
• Biosafety and biosecurity.
• SLMTA implementation.
• ISO 15189:2022 requirements and accreditation processes

Program monitoring, reporting, and coordination

• Develop and monitor laboratory performance indicators and contribute to project monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities.
• Prepare technical reports, work plans, performance summaries, and donor updates.
• Document best practices, lessons learned, and success stories.
• Represent PSI in laboratory technical working groups, stakeholder meetings, and coordination forums.
• Foster strong collaboration with ENDF leadership, national laboratory institutions, and EPHI to ensure sustainable laboratory strengthening outcomes

Others

• Perform other related duties assigned by PSI Ethiopia.

Qualification and Experience:

• Master’s or Equivalent degree in Medical Laboratory Science, Clinical Laboratory Management, Microbiology, Public Health, Biomedical Sciences, or a related discipline with at least six years of experience or a bachelor’s degree with at least six years of relevant experience
• Progressively responsible experience in strengthening laboratory systems, quality management, or accreditation programs is highly required
• Demonstrated experience supporting HIV and TB laboratory services within resource-limited settings.
• Strong working knowledge of ISO 15189, SLMTA, SLIPTA, laboratory accreditation processes, and LQMS implementation.
• Experience in laboratory mentorship, supportive supervision, and workforce capacity development.
• Experience with laboratory information systems, data integration, and digital health platforms.
• Previous experience implementing PEPFAR, DHAPP, CDC, USAID, or other donor-funded laboratory programs is highly desirable.

Required Competency

• Technical expertise in HIV, TB, microbiology, and AMR laboratory services.
• Strong knowledge of laboratory quality assurance, biosafety, biosecurity, method validation, and quality management systems.
• Demonstrated ability to lead training, mentorship, and organizational change initiatives.
• Excellent analytical, project management, communication, and report writing skills.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and partnership development abilities.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and travel extensively to field sites.