Laboratory and Diagnostics Specialist

About the role

The Laboratory and Diagnostics Specialist will provide technical leadership for the STRIDES project in Uganda, guiding the strengthening of laboratory systems and diagnostic capacities within a One‑Health framework.

Key responsibilities

• Lead strategic and technical guidance for laboratory and diagnostic services, ensuring alignment with global health security programs.
• Monitor and maintain project protocols, instruments, data sets, manuals, training materials, and reports.
• Collaborate with national, regional, and local partners to deliver technical assistance and achieve project targets.
• Develop and author technical briefs, guidelines, policies, and reports on best practices.
• Provide subject‑matter expertise for specimen referral, quality assurance, LIMS, training, antimicrobial resistance, zoonotic disease diagnostics, biosafety/biosecurity, and surveillance.
• Support scale‑up and optimization of new diagnostic tools and lead laboratory capacity assessments.
• Mentor project team members and subcontractors to build local capacity.

Required profile

• Proven experience in strengthening laboratory systems and diagnostic networks, preferably in low‑resource settings.
• Strong knowledge of One‑Health approaches and global health security priorities.
• Ability to work closely with government and stakeholder teams to provide technical assistance.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for policy and technical documentation.

Required skills

• Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) implementation and management
• Quality assurance and quality control procedures
• Specimen referral logistics
• Diagnostic tool deployment and scale‑up
• Biosafety and biosecurity protocols
• Surveillance system integration
• Antimicrobial resistance testing methods

What we offer

• Opportunity to shape national laboratory capacity in Uganda
• Collaboration with international experts and local authorities
• Professional development in a high‑impact public health project