Marie Stopes Laboratory Technician (Job for South Sudanese Only)

Laboratory Technician 
(Position for South Sudanese Only) 

Job Framework

Marie Stopes International Sudan/ Southern Sudan (MSI SS) is a results-oriented Social Business, which uses modern management and marketing techniques to provide family planning and reproductive healthcare.

MSI S/SS’s goal is to meet the needs of underserved people and dramatically improve access to and use of family planning and other reproductive health services. MSI SS is part of Marie Stopes International’s Global Partnership, which operates in over 40 countries worldwide.

The primary responsibility of this role is to further MSI Sudan’s partnership mission of: enabling individuals to have children by choice not chance.

It is a role requirement that the job holder must fully comply with, promote and live MSI Core Values:
  • Mission driven
  • Customer focused
  • Results orientated
  • Pioneering
  • Sustainable
  • People Centred
  • Team work
Job Title: Laboratory Technician 
Location: Mayom

Reporting to: Health Coordinator

Duration of contract: 1 year

Probationary period: 3 months

The purpose of this role is to provide high quality laboratory services in an MSI S/SS centre and to cross sell MSI core services including family planning and post abortion care.

Responsibilities

1. Service Provision

Objective 1: Provide the highest standard of SRH services to clients both in the clinic and through mobile outreach, upholding MSI’s global goal of One World, One Standard.
  • Utilise the skill, knowledge and judgement accorded by your professional status to provide each client with the range of laboratory services offered by MSI S/SS within the organisation’s philosophy of minimal intervention. This involves an obligation to serve all clients, irrespective of who provided previous care.
  • Maintain professional registration, and own personal and professional knowledge and skills.
  • Provide evidence on renewal and as requested of: registration and continuous professional development.
  • Launch pregnancy test campaigns and cross MSI core services to clients including family planning and post abortion care.
  • Train local laboratory technicians/ assistants on the job
  • Work with MSI S/SS Operations Team to order laboratory equipment, and reagents for laboratory
  • Obtain specimens, cultivating, isolating and identifying microorganisms for analysis.
  • Prepare vaccines and serums by standard laboratory methods, testing for virus inactivity and sterility.
  • Collect blood or tissue samples from patients, observing principles of asepsis to obtain blood sample.
  • Set up, adjust, maintain and clean medical laboratory equipment.
  • Coordinate with MOH on HIV sentinel surveillance and testing activities
  • Analyze and record test data to issue reports that use charts, graphs and narratives.
  • Analyze the results of tests and experiments to ensure conformity to specifications.
  • Conduct blood tests for transfusion purposes and perform blood counts where the service is provided in the centre.
  • Set up blood transfusion lab
2. Quality Standards

Objective 2: Take necessary steps to ensure that the highest standards of SRH services are achieved, as laid down by Marie Stopes Clinical standards.
  • Clinic quality standards: Practice high standards of infection prevention at all times; ensure clinic protocols are maintained to MSI standards.
  • Client care: In line with MSI standards, provide care to all clients which is: Consistent, Reliable, Courteous, Value for money, Prompt and Excellent, as perceived and judged by the customers; provide ‘vocal local’, a MSI conversation technique used to relax clients during procedures.
  • Service Excellence: Ensure excellence in service delivery and clinical care is maintained and work to enhance your standard to provide the best possible service to clients.
3. Marketing and business development

Objective 3: Help develop the business in order to improve productivity and make the centre self sustaining.
  • Together with the other members of the Centre team, contribute to ensuring that the centre is self-sustaining; help generate additional clients, retain existing clients and ‘cross-sell’ MSI Sudan services; liaise with Community Outreach programme and the Reproductive Health Promoters; support and take part in promotional events.
4. Operational Management

Objective 4: Routinely maintain accurate records of all activities.
  • Record keeping and reporting: Completion of all documentation relating to the client clearly and legibly, including but not exclusively: all relevant sections of client electronic and paper notes, as directed by the centre manager or supervisor; any samples and request forms / lists; relevant referral documentation where the client is being referred for additional investigation / treatment; and, completion of statements that relate to serious incidents or near misses. Produce monthly reports.
  • Equipment and Supplies: Monitor levels of medical and pharmaceutical supplies. Ensure that supplies are securely stored, controlled and accurately recorded. Maintain MSI assets and clinic building in a sound and secure way.
  • General: any concerns about medical practice or clinic safety should be communicated, in writing, to the relevant centre manager promptly cced to the CSM (incorporating detailed background for suggestions and relevant research references as appropriate). Any suggestions for improvements in clinical services to clients should be communication in the same manner.
5. Other Duties
  • Provide cover for other team members in their absence; any other duties as assigned by the Centre Manager or the CSM.
Person Profile

Qualifications
  • At least a diploma in medical laboratories
  • 3 – 5 years working experience in a busy referral hospital laboratory
  • Family Planning, HIV and TB experience preferred
  • Experience working in a reference laboratory
  • Experience working in Blood transfusion side laboratory
  • Thorough knowledge of investigation of outbreak of communicable diseases (e.g. Cholera, Shigellosis, and Meningococcal Meningitis).
  • Work experience in humanitarian setting is an advantage
Knowledge
  • Extensive knowledge of maternal health, modern family planning practices and procedures and other sexual and reproductive health services.
Skills
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
  • Computer literate
  • Good English and/or Arabic, written and spoken is highly desirable
  • Ability to work autonomously. A self starter who can lead this service clinically. Who can also can be highly influential in it’s business development and marketing
  • Able to work with men, women and young people
  • Ability to work as part of a team and liaise with people of all levels
  • Able to share information through one-to-one training, team meetings and presentations
  • Pro-active approach
  • Always delivers to a high standard and within timeframes
Attitude/ Motivation:
  • Drive and enthusiasm, friendly, helpful and professional
  • Flexible approach, responsive to change and ideas, adapt/create new systems, reliable, responsible
  • A sense of humour and the ability to remain calm in a pressured environment
  • Sensitivity to individual client needs, empathic, non judgemental
  • Good communicator; able to convey information in a clear, simple and warm manner over the telephone and face to face
  • Confidentiality
  • Good attention to detail and organised
  • Willingness to take up training and development opportunities
  • Must be pro-choice on reproductive health
How to apply

Interested candidates are encouraged to send a copy of their CV and concise cover letter detailing how they meet the qualifications and citing using practical examples of how they have performed the tasks and responsibilities stated.

All applications should be sent to recruitment@mariestopes.sd not later than 29st of April 2011.

Since this position is required urgently, the interviews can be called even before the closing date as long as we have received CVs from potential candidates.

Indicate the position you are applying for in the subject line.

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

You can also visit www.kenyanvacancies.com for more jobs