Position Title: National Consultant – External Quality Assessment (EQA)
Contract Type: Personal Services Agreement
Duty Station: Nairobi, Kenya
Organizational unit: FAO Representation Office in Kenya
Duration: 10 days when actually employed
Eligible candidates: Kenyan Nationals
Anticipated Start Date: July 2017
Background
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in collaboration with the Directorate of Veterinary Services are implementing a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded program entitled “Supporting the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) to Address Zoonotic Disease and Animal Health in Africa”. The specific objective of the programme is to “Build capacity to prevent, detect and respond rapidly to priority zoonotic diseases using a multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral One Health Approach”. The program covers the following GHSA Action Packages (APs) or technical areas: Zoonotic Diseases, Biosafety and Biosecurity, National Laboratory Systems and Workforce Development.
External Quality Assessment (EQA) aims to objectively check laboratory performance using an external agency or facility. Participation in the assessment is a requirement for accreditation and it provides valuable data and information which:
- Allows comparison of performance and results among different test sites;
- Provides early warning for systematic problems associated with kits or laboratory operations;
- Provides objective evidence of testing quality;
- Indicates areas that need improvement;
- Identifies training needs.
- Identify problems in laboratory practices and allowing for appropriate corrective action(s).
- Evaluate reliability of methods, materials, and equipment, and to evaluate and monitor training impact.
Reporting Line and Scope of the assignment
Within the framework of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Disease Operations (ECTAD), under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Kenya and direct supervision of the ECTAD Kenya Country Team Leader, the consultant will undertake the following tasks:
- Conduct External Quality Assessment (EQA) of the Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL) and Veterinary Institute Laboratory at Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO)
Specifically the consultant will undertake the following:
- Assess laboratory quality management system in line with ISO 17025 laboratory compliance and World Health Organization (WHO) standards which comprises of the following; organization, personnel, equipment , purchasing and inventory, process control, information management, documents and records, occurrence management, process improvement, customer service, facilities and safety
- Assess quality managers/heads of laboratories of quality assurance systems regimes/ approaches to assure consistency traceability and reproducibility of laboratory results
- Identification and hierarchy of different procedures within the laboratory
- General management of a laboratory and quality documents
- Identify gaps in the laboratory quality management system
- Create awareness on the importance of External Quality Assessment
- Make recommendations on mitigation measures (corrective measures) in the laboratory quality management system at the CVL and KALRO
- Write and deliver a completion report to FAO, DVS and KALRO
Minimum Requirements
- Advanced University Degree in Veterinary Medicine/Laboratory Technology or relevant field
- Certification in External Quality Assessment
- Minimum of 5 years experience of working in a veterinary laboratory
- Good skills in design of cross-sectional surveys, data collection methodologies and analytical skills such as use of statistical software
- Knowledgeable in laboratory network systems in Kenya
- Working knowledge of English
Competencies
- Results Focus
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Building effective relationships
- Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement
How to apply:
Candidates are requested to submit their application by email to [email protected] quoting the position title and vacancy announcement number.
A duly completed Personal Profile Form (PPF) generated from FAO’s iRecruitment portal as a PDF-file is to be submitted by email together with a cover letter. Please note that attached resumes or CV’s in place of the PPF will not be accepted.
In order to prepare a Personal Profile Form, you must first register on the FAO iRecruitment site by clicking on the following link to register: http://www.fao.org/employment/irecruitment-access/en/ In order for your application to be properly evaluated, please ensure that all sections of the on-line profile are completed.
Applications received after the closing date will not be given consideration. Only short listed candidates will be contacted.
This vacancy is open to both male and female candidates. Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply. Persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.
More Information
- Job City Nairobi
