Laboratory Scientist at Ifakara Health Institute

Laboratory Scientist at Ifakara Health Institute

Laboratory Scientist

Ifakara Health Institute 

Job Summary

Position: Laboratory Scientist (1 post)
Reports To: Principal Investigator/ Project leader
Work Station: Dar es Salaam
Apply By: 15 August 2025

Institute Overview

Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) is a leading research organization in Africa with a strong track record in developing, testing and validating innovations for health. Driven by a core strategic mandate for research, training and services, the Institute’s work now spans a wide spectrum, covering biomedical and ecological sciences, intervention studies, health-systems research, service delivery and policy translation. Buy vitamins and supplements

Position Summary

The Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health through the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), the President’s Office, Regional Administration, and Local Government (PO-RALG), and the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) are jointly implementing the second phase of the project on molecular surveillance of malaria in Mainland Tanzania (MSMT2). IHI is seeking a highly motivated and experienced Laboratory Scientist to perform laboratory activities for the project.Buy vitamins and supplements

Duties and Responsibilities.

Plan and supervise collection of samples from participating health facilities.
Ensure all specimens delivered to the laboratory are properly received, appropriately registered, processed and all tests done, and results are recorded according to standard operating procedures (SOPs) of the MSMT2 project.
Ensure storage and location of records of specimens are conducted in accordance with SOPs
Plan and perform routine and specialized technical procedures required by the project including troubleshooting during the course of work.
Assist in maintaining standards and cleanliness of laboratory premises and equipment in accordance with engineer’s advice, guidelines and equipment’s manual.
Perform the experimental process to get the sequencing and other analyses results within the promised time.
Participate in Quality Control programs as required by Good Clinical Laboratory Practices (GCLP) to ensure reliability of testing procedures, proper functioning of laboratory equipment and compliance with relevant regulations.
Do library preparation for sequencing, quality and quantity checks for DNA and RNA samples
Endeavour to refine and upgrade laboratory processes in order to save the experimental costs and improve performance of the laboratory.
Review the sequencing results to improve the experimental protocol and to increase the success rate.
Prepare and update SOPs and engage in other administrative work as directed by senior project leaders.
To perform molecular, genetic, genomic, and serological laboratory and data analytics to support malaria molecular surveillance (MMS) and other requirements based on the project’s work plan and milestones.
Generating genomic data in all three genomes involved in malaria (parasites, vectors and human) and any other data as may be assigned by senior project leaders.
Assist and ensure that preventive maintenance of laboratory equipment is carried out as planned.
Ensuring adherence to all relevant regulatory requirements, including those related to safety, ethics, and data management.
Maintaining records of compliance and safety documentation.
Managing waste disposal and recycling programs.
Be able to work on-call duties when required to do so.
Performing any other duties as may be assigned by the Project Principal Investigator and other senior leaders of the project and IHI.

Qualification and Experience

Bachelors’ degree in Life Sciences (Molecular Biology, Biotechnology and Laboratory Sciences, Medical Laboratory Science or other relevant fields) . Holding an MSc in the relevant field will be an added advantage.
Applicants should have experience in genomics and/or bioinformatics, and practical skills in different molecular biology techniques; with at-least three (3) years of proven working experience in a similar field.
Prior research experience in genomics, bioinformatics, or a related field, hands-on next- generation sequencing (NGS) laboratory skills such as, library preparation and sequencing on Illumina MiSeq or similar NGS platforms will be highly advantageous.
Prior experience with bioinformatics tools and databases, such as BLAST, NCBI, Ensembl, or UCSC Genome Browser, e.t.c. will be an added advantage.

Skills and Competencies

Basic analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex genomic data and draw meaningful conclusions.
Applicants should be excellent in written and verbal communication skills with adequate proficiency in English language communication.
Flexibility and adoptive to new environments.
Good Clinical Laboratory Practices.

Remuneration

An attractive and competitive remuneration package will be offered to successful candidates as per IHI salary scales.

Equal Opportunity

IHI is an equal opportunity employer. We prohibit intentional biases or discrimination and harassment of any kind at the work place and during recruitment. All employment decisions are based solely on job requirements and individual qualifications, and our recruitment process is governed by the labour laws of Tanzania.Recruitment

Mode of Application

All candidates who meet the above job requirements should send their application letters together with their detailed curriculum vitae (CVs) showing contact addresses including email, telephone/cell phone numbers and copies of academic and professional certificates to the email address below.

The deadline for this application is 17:00 hrs on Friday, August 15 2025. All e-mail application subject lines should include: [Laboratory Scientist – MSMT2]. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for interview.

Senior HR & Administration Manager

IFAKARA HEALTH INSTITUTE

Plot 463 Mikocheni

P.O. Box 78,373

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Email: [email protected]