Quality Officer, Laboratory

Chartered in 1983, Aga Khan University (AKU) is committed to excellence in education, research and service. The University strives for quality, international standards and relevance in all of its programmes and selects its faculty, staff and students on the basis of merit, irrespective of gender, race, religion or domicile. AKU is a major component of Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which consists of institutions that collaborate for development in response to social, economic and cultural challenges in specific regions of the developing world. 

The University's Faculty of Health Sciences was planned with the support of Harvard University, McGill University and McMaster University. It presently includes a Medical College and a School of Nursing, which are located together with their principal teaching site, Aga Khan University Hospital, in Karachi, Pakistan. In addition, in Karachi, the University has an Institute for Educational Development and a substantial Faculty of Arts and Sciences which is being developed on a new 1,100-acre campus.

As an international institution, the University has established academic programmes beyond Pakistan, through an Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations in UK and programmes in Advanced Nursing Studies and Postgraduate Medical Education in countries in East Africa. AKU is currently planning a major expansion of its existing work in East Africa, in the fields of medical, nursing and teacher education.

In July 2005, AKU integrated into its academic and service activities, a teaching hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. Established in 1958 and currently a 254-bed facility, the Aga Khan Hospital, Nairobi had been operating under the aegis of Aga Khan Health Service, Kenya. Renamed Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi (AKUH,N), the new institution is AKU's principal Health Science teaching facility in East Africa. AKUH,N is focusing on high quality of care, research and postgraduate medical education in all major clinical specialties including medicine, surgery, radiology, pathology, anaesthesia, obstetrics-gynaecology and paediatrics.

AKUH,N is also continuing to play a vital role as a major teaching site for the Advanced Nursing Studies programme of AKU, which has provided continuing professional education for practicing nurses in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda since 2001. With this new development, AKU aims to strengthen existing partnerships with the ministries of health and other universities in the region offering health sciences education, with a view to share experiences, strengthen public sector delivery systems and collaborate on teaching and research.

AKUH,N, a premier teaching and tertiary care referral hospital, invites applications from Kenyan nationals for the position of Quality Officer, Laboratory.

This position reports to the Laboratory Manager.

Responsibilities
The incumbent will be responsible for the delivery of effective and efficient laboratory services.

Key Responsibilities:

• Supervise pre-analytical, analytical and post analytical activities of the Quality Assurance functions of the Laboratory;
• In consultation with the Laboratory Director, Laboratory Manager and Section Heads, develop, implement and review Quality Management Systems (QMS) based on ISO15189 to ensure regulatory requirements are met and test practice is achieved;
• Participate in training of staff to promote high quality working relationship and efficiency in the Department;
• Document, revise, review and control Quality Manual, Safety Manual, Standard Operating Procedures and Working Instructions;
• Ensure continuous review of processes in the Department to maximise efficiency;
• Manage validation programmes for new analytical methods and critical equipment;
• In conjunction with the Biomedical Engineering Department, establish a programme that regularly monitors and demonstrates proper calibration and function of equipment, reagents and analytical systems;
• Manage and review non-conforming events including product recall, customer complaints and internal non-conforming events;
• In consultation with Section Heads, manage archiving of quality documents and specimens;
• Chair quality assurance meetings and provide reports as may be required;
• Document and perform induction training of new staff on Quality Management;
• Implement a system for the documentation review and reporting of adverse events;
• Document, investigate, determine root cause and recommend appropriate corrective action of customer complaints in accordance with established procedures;
• In consultation with the pathology stock controller, ensure cost-effective use of reagents and utilities in the Department;
• Plan and execute Quality Management Audits in the Department and report finding to the Departments Administrative Committee (DAC) and Pathology Quality Management Review Committee;
• Coordinate Continuous Medical Education programmes for pathology staff;
• Schedule and take minutes of the Pathology Quality Management Review Committee Meetings and incorporate output into goals, objectives and action plans.

Requirements
Applicants must possess a Bachelor of Science/Master of Science in Medical Laboratory Technology with a minimum of five years experience as a Senior Technologist or in a Laboratory Management position. Candidates must be computer literate and conversant with ISO requirements for quality and competency for Medical Laboratories. Applicants must be registered or eligible for registration by the Kenya Medical Technologists and Technicians Board.

To Apply
Applications together with detailed CVs, names of two referees with telephone numbers and email addresses, and copies of certificates and testimonials should be sent by August 22, 2008 to:

Manager, Recruitment
Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi
P.O. Box 30270 (00100), Nairobi, Kenya
Email: hr.recruitment@aku.edu

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.