STRIDES Laboratory and Diagnostics Advisor, Outbreak Preparedness and Response

FHI 360; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

FHI 360 seeks a Laboratory and Diagnostics Advisor to expand and strengthen diagnostic capacity within STRIDES, guiding readiness, biosafety, and quality systems. The role collaborates with ministries of health, national labs, and partners to ensure sustainable, government-owned diagnostics aligned with outbreak response plans.

The advisor leads design and implementation of lab components, oversees platform deployment, and ensures compliance with international standards and donor requirements.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Laboratory Science, Microbiology, Clinical Diagnostics, Public Health or related field.
• 8+ years of experience implementing large-scale laboratory systems and diagnostic programs.
• Emergency outbreak response experience preferred.
• Experience working with NGOs, government agencies, or private sector.
• Mentoring of junior laboratory staff and guidance on technical activities.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, development, planning, and implementation of STRIDES laboratory components aligned with national priorities.
• Oversee deployment of diagnostic platforms, specimen referral, biosafety, and quality systems.
• Coordinate with ministries of health, reference laboratories, and partners to ensure coherent technical approaches.
• Track project outputs, ensure timely delivery within budget and donor requirements.
• Draft sponsor technical reports and contribute to workplans.

Education

Master's degree in Laboratory Science, Microbiology, Clinical Diagnostics, Public Health or related field

Tools

MS Office 365

Job description

JobSummary

The Laboratory and Diagnostics Advisor provides technical guidance and support for United States Government (USG)-funded STRIDES'outbreakresponse and preparedness laboratory and diagnostic systems portfolio, leading efforts to expand,validate,and strengthendiagnostic capacity while reinforcing national laboratory systems for longterm preparedness. As a core member of the STRIDES technical team, the Advisor supportsoutbreakresponse countries, including for the currentEbolaoutbreak,and regional preparedness contexts by guiding diagnostic network strengthening, laboratory readiness, biosafety and biosecurity, quality systems, and workforce development.

The role ensures that diagnostic assays, platforms, algorithms, and procurement align with national policies, outbreak response plans, and international standards; oversees laboratory and diagnostics activities and subcontractor implemented activities; and works closely with ministries of health, national public health institutes, reference laboratories, and other technical team members to ensure a coordinated, technically coherent approach across the STRIDESoutbreakresponse and preparedness portfolio. Reporting to the STRIDES Senior Laboratory and Diagnostics Advisor, the Advisor ensures that emergency laboratory investments translate into sustainable, governmentowned diagnostic systems capable of supporting routine public health functions and future outbreak response.

Accountabilities

TechnicalRequirements

• Provides technical leadership for STRIDES'outbreaklaboratory and diagnostic systems portfolio, guiding the design and implementation of diagnostic capacity, laboratory network strengthening, biosafety and biosecurity, quality systems, and workforce development.

• Works on moderate to complex laboratory systems challenges requiring evaluation of multiple technical, operational, and contextual factors-including diagnostic algorithm optimization, specimen referral systems, decentralized testing models, and national laboratory governance.

• Demonstrates strong judgment in selecting diagnostic methods, technologies, and evaluation criteria; advises on assay validation, platformselection, and alignment of procurement with nationally approved workflows.

• Networks and collaborates with key internal and external personnel, including ministries of health, national public health institutes, reference laboratories, STRIDES technical team members, implementing partners, and regional preparedness stakeholders.

• Interprets laboratory readiness findings, quality system gaps, biosafety risks, and diagnostic performance data; recommendsevidencebasedimprovements across specimen handling, testing workflows, reporting systems, and laboratory surge operations.

• Provides input to senior technical leadership on national laboratory policies, essential diagnostics lists, specimen referral strategies, laboratory governance mechanisms, and outbreak diagnostic guidelines.

• Performs otherduties asassigned to advance STRIDES'outbreakresponse and Global Health Securityobjectives.

ProjectDesignImplementation

• With technical oversight, provides leadership in the design, development, planning, and implementation of laboratory and diagnostic components of STRIDES projects, ensuring alignment with national priorities, outbreak response needs, and international standards.

• Leads the creation of the laboratory and diagnostics technicalportionof project plans, incorporating diagnostic network strengthening, biosafety and biosecurity, quality management systems, workforce development, and reference laboratory capacity building.

• Oversees daytoday laboratory and diagnostic activities in assigned response and preparedness countries, including readiness assessments, deployment of diagnostic platforms, optimization of testing algorithms, and strengthening of specimen referral and transport systems.

• Tracks delivery of laboratoryrelated project outputs, ensuring activities are implemented on time, within budget, and consistent with STRIDES' technical approach and donor requirements.

• Monitors staff members' LOE to ensure adequate technical coverage across laboratory readiness, diagnostic operations, biosafety mentorship, quality systems strengthening, and reference laboratory support.

• Coordinates requests from country offices for laboratory technicalassistance, ensuring coherent andtimelysupport across response and preparedness contexts.

• Leads the design and implementation of globallevel innovative technical strategies for outbreak diagnostics, decentralized testing, laboratory governance, biosafety and biosecurity, and diagnostic network optimization.

• Maintains constructive dialogue and technical exchange with field counterparts, national laboratory authorities, reference laboratories, and implementing partners to ensure coordinated, highquality laboratory system strengthening.

• Develops tools, guidance, and job aids that support the design and implementation of laboratory and diagnostic components, including readiness assessment tools, diagnostic algorithm job aids, and quality systems strengthening instruments.

• Ensures laboratory and diagnostic implementation is consistent with international best practices, national policies, and STRIDES' technical standards; verifies that diagnostic workflows, biosafety measures, and quality systems meet client and funder contractual obligations across one or more major functional areas.

• May supervise junior technical staff, Laboratory/Diagnostics Officers, subcontractors, and consultants implementing laboratory activities; provides oversight to ensure coherent, highquality execution of diagnostic network strengthening, biosafety mentorship, and quality systems support.

• Functions in an advisor capacity with oversight of technical project administration, finance compliance, technical deliverables, and team management across laboratory and diagnostic components, includingsubcontractor implementedwork.

• Leads daily laboratory and diagnostic activities for assigned projects, including diagnostic platform deployment, specimen referral system strengthening, biosafety and biosecurity support, and quality management system improvements.

• Tracks delivery of laboratoryrelated project outputs, ensuringtimely, highquality completion of diagnostic readiness assessments, algorithm optimization, biosafety improvements, and quality system strengthening activities.

Partner/Sub-AwardManagement

• Mayserve as adailyPOC (Point of Contact) with clients for some projects on technicalmatters.

Capacity Building, Training andSupervision

• Developsandimplementstechnicaltrainingandcapacitybuildinginterventions.

• Identifiesstrategies to address training gaps.

• May supervise orprovidetechnical guidance to staffmembers.

Operations Management (Finance, HR,etc.)

• Managestheprocesses,services,planning,organizing,coordinating,andcontrollingofall technical resources for a project.

Project/ProgramReporting

• Drafts sponsor financial and technicalreports.

• Collatesanduploadsoutputanddeliverablesdatatosponsordatasystems. Prepares and delivers presentations to sponsors on progress.

• Helps in the development and review of workplans.

• Creates technical content, owning the content, true experts at an advanced level (may be the most senior technical person).

• Serves as the primary author for technical deliverables (e.g., reports, presentations, manuscripts).

• Gathers and aggregates data to provide a summary / high level overview.

QualityAssurance

• Ensurestechnicaldeliverablesareconsistentwithbestpracticesintheindustry / subject and meet client/funder contractual obligations.

• Identifiesareasforimprovedefficiencyoreffectivenesswithinprescribedparameters, and institutesenhancements to procedures.

Applied Knowledge &Skills

• Ensures appropriate and timely technical support for field projects.

• Ensures the quality of implemented technical activities and systems at all levels. Conductsroutinecoordinationwithemployeesandconsultants,on-siteandinthefield.

• Strongknowledgeandskillsinaspecifictechnicalarea/functionandgeneralunderstanding of concepts and principles of related technical areas/functions.

• Solidknowledgeofstandardsforthetechnicalarea/field,operationalprocessesand procedures, work, and task flow.

• Hastheabilitytomanageprojects,setrealisticpriorities,andplanforthesuccessfulimplementation of activities.

• Proficient writing and verbal communicationskills.

• Relevantcomputersoftwareskills(including,ataminimum,thestandard applicationsinMSOffice).

• Ability to manage their own work to job and performancestandards.

• Must be able to read,writeand speak fluent English fluent in host countrylanguage.

Problem Solving &Impact

• Demonstratestheabilitytoassessneedswithinagreedupondutiesandconsiders course of action best to meet those needs.

• Effectively applies knowledge of technicalareato solve a range of problems. Demonstratestheabilitytodevelopsolutionstoproblemsthatcannotbesolvedusing existing methods or approaches.

• Faultydecisions/recommendations/failurestocompleteassignmentswillnormallyresultiseriousdelaystoassignedprojectsresultinginconsiderableexpenditureofadditionaltime, resources, and funds.

• Decisions and actions impact primarily workflow, project processes and timeframes. Problems encountered are valid, requiring review of practices and precedents to resolve. Problem solving involves evaluating and resolving discrepancies with data, analyses, processes within prescribed guidelines.

• Policiesorguidelinesexistformostproblems;othersmustbereferredtobyasupervisor ormore senior professional.

SupervisionGiven/Received

• May supervise junior staffmembers.

• Coordinates own workflow and sets individualpriorities.

• Works under general guidelines for completion and accuracy as determined by the supervisor.

• May manage a centralized functional area of activity. Serves as mentor to technical staff.

Education

• Master's Degree oranInternationalEquivalent inLaboratory Science, Microbiology, Clinical Diagnostics, PublicHealthor a related clinical/medical field.

• Project Management (PM) Certificationpreferred.

Experience

• Typicallyrequires8+yearsofrelevantexperienceinimplementinglarge-scale laboratory systems, networks, and diagnostics programs.

• Emergency outbreak response experience/knowledge preferred.

• Mentoringjunior laboratory staff and guides technical activities.

• Documented successprovidingsystems-level laboratory guidance.

• Proventrack recordtraining laboratory personnel,validatingassays, and establishing quality management systems (QMS).

• Experience designing laboratorystrengthening portfolios, securing research or development grants, or driving public health program growth.

• Prior work experience in a non-governmental organization (NGO), government agency, or private organization.

• International or Domestic (US) Program Development or Program management preferred.

Typical PhysicalDemands

• Typical officeenvironment.

• Abilitytospendlonghourslookingatacomputerscreenanddoingrepetitiveworkon a keyboard.

• Abilitytositandstandforextendedperiodsoftime.Ability to lift5lb.

Technology to beUsed

• PersonalComputer,MicrosoftOffice365(i.e.,Word,Excel,PowerPoint,Skype/TEAMS,e-mail), office telephone, cellphoneand printer/copier.

TravelRequirements

• 10% -25%

The expected US Based hiring salary range for this role is listed below.Candidates FHI 360 pay ranges represent national averages that vary by geographic location. Whendeterminingan offer amount, FHI 360 factors in multiple considerations, including but not limited to: relevant years of experience and educationpossessedby the applicant, internal equity, business sector, and budget. For internal candidates, salary placement will also follow FHI 360's current promotional increase guidelines. Final compensation will bedeterminedin accordance withapplicable law and FHI 360 policy.

Base salary is only onecomponentof our offer.FHI 360 contributes7% of monthly base pay toa money purchasepension plan account.Additionally, allUS basedstaff working full-time, which is calculated at40 hours/week, receive18 daysof paid vacation per year, 12 sick days per year, and 11 holidays per year. Paid time off is reduced proratafor employees working less than a full-time schedule.