Technical Officer Laboratory Services

We are looking for a:

Technical Officer Laboratory Services (fte 0.9 – 1.0), duty station: the Hague, the Netherlands

KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation

KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation is the principal international non-profit organization that is exclusively dedicated to fighting tuberculosis (TB) worldwide and to strengthening health systems against TB, globally and locally.

KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation is an international center of expertise for TB control that stimulates effective, efficient and sustainable tuberculosis control strategies in a national and international context. We are an organization of passionate TB professionals; this includes doctors, researchers, training experts, nurses and epidemiologists. We aim to stop the spread of the worldwide epidemic of the second ‘killer’ infectious disease and to prevent the further spread of drug-resistant TB.

Over the past century we have built up a wealth of knowledge and expertise, initially by successfully driving back TB in the Netherlands. Since the 1970s we also share our knowledge and expertise with the rest of the world.

We operate from the central office in The Hague in the Netherlands, regional offices and additional country offices worldwide. KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation raises funds from private individuals, institutional funds and companies.

Project Management Unit TBCTA

The Program Management Unit (PMU) is responsible for the daily management of TB CARE I. TB CARE I is the main 5-year program of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on TB aiming to “Decrease morbidity and mortality by increasing case detection and treatment success of pulmonary TB patients in USAID priority countries”.

TB CARE I is implemented by The Tuberculosis Coalition for Technical Assistance (TBCTA), a coalition of seven international agencies including: American Thoracic Society (ATS), Family Health International (FHI360), KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation (KNCV), Management Sciences for Health (MSH), the Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association (JATA), the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) and the World Health Organization (WHO). PMU oversees and facilitates the development and approval of the work plans and budgets (meeting international technical quality standards), transferring the necessary funds and monitoring technical and financial progress.

Amongst others, TB CARE I supports many activities aimed at strengthening laboratory networks by developing tools and in-country capacity building, especially for the diagnosis and management of drug resistant TB. To support this function, PMU is looking for a Technical Officer laboratory Services.

Purpose of the position

The Technical Officer Laboratory Services is responsible for strengthening of laboratory services and contributes to achieving TB CARE I targets at global, regional and country level.

Main duties

S/he will be responsible for optimizing collaboration with coalition partners as member of the TB CARE (I and II) Laboratory Technical Working Group and other global initiatives (e.g. Global Laboratory Initiative – GLI) and for supporting and facilitating the scale-up of specific (novel) interventions such as LED Fluorescence microscopy, TB Culture and DST, Xpert MTB/Rif, in line with the Global Plan to Stop TB. S/he will actively participate in the identification, development, supervision and quality assurance, and dissemination of key laboratory related project activities.

Who we are looking for?

The ideal candidate is a senior laboratory health professional preferably with a Master’s Degree in Life Sciences (microbiology or similar) and excellent understanding of the basics of TB microbiology.

S/he has vast experience and expertise in the field of strengthening TB laboratories and systems at country level, including working with government, NGOs and research institutions. S/he knows the novel laboratory technologies in the field of TB and understands the issues around introducing these under programmatic conditions in the field, in the most effective, efficient and sustainable manner.

The candidate communicates with and supports coalition partner organizations both at headquarters and in the countries to ensure they have up-to-date knowledge and skills, and are able to promote and implement new (WHO) endorsed technologies within each country specific context. The candidate also assists coalition partners with their laboratory related country strategy, work plan development, implementation and monitoring, especially regarding the implementation of new laboratory tools. We are looking for a pro-active person who is, flexible, tactful, an enthusiastic innovator and a strong authoritative leader in his/her field.

What does the KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation offer?

• A fixed-term contract for a year, with the possibility for extension; • An informal work atmosphere where initiative is appreciated; • The salary is depending on age, education and relevant working experience; • Pension Scheme with Pension Fund ‘Zorg en Welzijn’; • KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation has its own Employment Conditions Scheme; • Full-time employment consists of 38 hours per week.

How to apply:

Application and information

Your application with curriculum vitae and motivation letter should be sent before 9 November 2013 to: KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation, PO Box 146, 2501 CC The Hague, The Netherlands Attention: Mrs. Larissa Lutmers E-mail: recruit@kncvtbc.nl under subject ‘Technical Officer Laboratories’.

For more information please contact us: phone (070) 416 72 22. For further information on KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation, please also see www.kncvtbc.org and www.tbcare1.org. KNCV TB Foundation is an equal opportunity employer offering employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, citizenship, physical or mental handicap, or status as a disabled.