Group

Laboratory

Location

This post is based in Ha Noi, with some travel required.

Hours of work

37.5 hours per week, extra hours may be required.

Tenure

Initially for 15 months, including a 02 month probation period, with possibility of extension.

Reporting to

Hanoi Office Director, Lab Manager

Vacancy reference

JDHAN_0624_008

Background

The Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) is a large-scale clinical and public health research unit, with sites offices in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in Vietnam, Jakarta in Indonesia and Kathmandu in Nepal. In Vietnam, we are hosted by the Hospital of Tropical Diseases (HTD) in Ho Chi Minh City, and the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases (NHTD) in Hanoi. OUCRU Nepal has partnerships with the Patan Academy of Health Sciences and Patan Hospital, and OUCRU Indonesia exists in partnership with the University of Indonesia. As a Wellcome Trust Africa Asia Programme, we have received considerable support from the Wellcome Trust since our establishment in 1991.

OUCRU’s vision is to have local, regional and global impact on health by leading a locally driven research programme on infectious diseases in Southeast Asia. Priority is given to health issues important to the hospitals where we work, and to the countries as a whole where we operate: Vietnam, Indonesia and Nepal. All work is intended not only to benefit the patients seen daily at our host hospitals, but also to help improve patient care.

OUCRU employs approximately 320 people across Viet Nam and has an average annual budget of USD 12mil.

Please see more information on OUCRU website: www.oucru.org

Job summary

OUCRU and the NHTD have received 3 consecutive grants from the Fleming Fund (FF) to support the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Vietnam. The first was a pilot grant, and aimed to develop a national reference laboratory (NRL) for AMR, hosted by the NHTD, and a surveillance programme in Vietnam. This pilot grant covered the 2015-2018 period. The second, in 2018-2021, mainly strengthened the AMR and antibiotics use surveillance system in the human health sector, by improving the capacity not only of the NRL, but also supporting technical training in a network of peripheral hospitals plus 10 STD clinics, and by implementing of an external quality assurance program in 19 laboratories. It also included development of collaborations between human and animal health sectors in a One Health perspective. This latter FF grant, or phase I, was managed through Mott-McDonald consultancy group, and through FHI360, an American nonprofit organization, who acted as principal recipient in Vietnam. The third grant was an extension of the phase I and funded activities in 2023. During this phase, OUCRU focused on starting effective referral of bacterial isolates from peripheral surveillance laboratories to the NRL, as well as advanced bacteriology and molecular biology activities at the NRL.

The phase II of FF country grant in Vietnam will span from mid-2024 to Sep of 2025 and will focus on continuing and improving the quality of laboratory analysis performed at the NRL, developing whole-genome sequencing activities at the NRL in NHTD in collaboration with other reference laboratories, and supporting antimicrobial stewardship programs in provincial and referral hospitals. The project coordinator (PC) will be responsible to ensure that these activities take place, in line with the agenda, and according to the funder’s regulations. The PC will also develop the proposal for the following funding scheme.

Key responsibilities and tasks

·         Be responsible for managing the OUCRU subcontract within the extension of the -Fleming Fund country grant Vietnam.

·         Work and coordinate with national and international partners within the Fleming Fund country grant Vietnam to deliver the project, including to anticipate and identify emerging obstacles and propose a range of solutions

·         Liaise with national partners, including hospitals within the national AMR surveillance network, the three national AMR reference laboratories, FHI 360,…

·         Liaise with the scientists/researchers, clinical microbiologists and laboratory technicians at OUCRU and NHTD, to implement and report on activities

·         Be responsible for collecting inputs from OUCRU and NHTD senior staffs for the following proposal, as well as partners’ ideas, synthetizing and merging them, and develop a proposal. This includes writing a narrative, develop the logical framework, and prepare a budget, as per indications from the funder.

·         Manage and administer project-specific budgets, as per funder’s regulations.

·         Work with OUCRU admin and finance teams to support meeting all operational and financial reporting requirements of the contractor

·         Work with suppliers, purchase officers, laboratory and clinical staff

·         Manage the logistics of organizing meetings and training sessions as per project proposal

·         Present project activities and represent OUCRU at meetings and workshops

.        Other tasks requested by the principal investigator

Selection criteria

Essential:

·         MSc with a minimum of 2 years or BSc with a minimum of 5 years working experience in public health, medical research, health-related non-governmental organization, microbiology laboratory, or other health-related project.

·         Experience in project/program management in science or public health, including budget preparation and financial follow-up

·         Ability to lead a small team of laboratory/project staff

·         Excellent level of spoken and written English

Desired:

·         Be able to make and work with Gantt charts and budget files

·         Diplomacy skills and evidence of working with government and multiple partners

.         Proficient to work with MS Office

Benefits

-          Contracted salary:

o   Grade: RS3/IC3

o   Salary ranges: 992$-1202$ gross per month

-          Optional insurance : In-patient and out-patient medical coverage; Personal accident insurance coverage

-          Two months salary for annual bonus and clothes 

-          Annual leave 18 days/year for the first year, a maximum of 30 days

-          Other responsibilities and benefits are based on Viet Nam Labor Law.

How to apply

Interested candidates are invited to send curriculum vitae, cover letter and copies of relevant certificates by email to Ms. Pham Thi Thanh Hoa – Operations Manager.

* The cover letter should detail:

- What part of your education, training or employment history has best equipped you for this position and why you would be a good candidate?

- Contacts of two referees who are your latest HR/ line manager and can provide details of relevant work experience and attitude

*** We thank all candidates for their interest but only short-listed applicants will be notified for interview.

Contact person

Pham Thi Thanh Hoa

Deadline for submission

22 June 2024

• Age: Unlimited
• Job type : Permanent
• Salary: Competitive