Senior Technical Advisor

CDC Foundation

6h•$100,000 - $145,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Technical Advisor (STA) will play a key technical leadership role in a global initiative focused on strengthening blood lead laboratory capacity to support early detection of lead exposure and improved protection of children and communities in Brazil, India, Nepal, and select countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative focuses on establishing systems and standards for early detection and effective monitoring of lead exposure, especially in geographies with the highest burden of lead poisoning. The STA will guide and support partner countries in strengthening laboratory infrastructure and practices related to blood lead testing and will serve as a trusted technical advisor and partner to country stakeholders and implementing partners, supporting alignment with international standards and national strategies. The ideal candidate will bring strong applied experience and expertise in laboratory systems, blood lead testing, and capacity-building, with the ability to adapt technical approaches to diverse country contexts, including low- and middle-income settings. This role is well suited for laboratory scientists, public health laboratorians, and technical advisors who enjoy translating analytical science into sustainable laboratory systems and mentoring teams across diverse cultural and resource settings.

Requirements

Master's degree in public health, laboratory science, analytical chemistry, or related field.
10 years of relevant experience in laboratory systems strengthening, or an equivalent combination of advanced training and applied laboratory or public health experience; global experience preferred.
Demonstrated experience supporting laboratory capacity development, with experience in low- and middle- income countries preferred.
Strong applied experience in blood lead testing, clinical chemistry, or toxicology laboratory methods, including the ability to evaluate and apply appropriate methods based on program needs and resource settings.
Experience applying CLIA, ISO, and other internationally recognized laboratory standards, methods, and guidelines for blood lead testing in real-world settings.
Proven ability to develop and deliver training, technical documents, and tools for laboratory personnel and health officials.
Excellent cross-cultural communication and interpersonal skills; ability to collaborate with diverse partners including government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and donors.
Ability to communicate in a clear, positive manner with external partners, as well as clearly communicate technical concepts to non-technical audiences
Outstanding creative and strategic problem-solving skills and demonstrated ability to effectively collaborate with others (both internally and externally)

Nice To Haves

Fluency in French or Portuguese (written and/or verbal) is a plus but not required.

Responsibilities

Serve as a key technical partner point of contact for assigned countries as they plan for and implement lead laboratory capacity building activities.
Lead or support assessments of blood lead testing capacity, systems, standards, and gaps in assigned countries, in partnership with national laboratories and stakeholders.
Collaborate with ministries of health and environment, laboratories, and global and local experts and partners to develop national laboratory strengthening workplans and roadmaps.
Provide ongoing technical assistance and mentorship to laboratories and public health institutions, including support for selection and implementation of appropriate blood lead testing methodologies (e.g., ICP-MS, GFAAS, or other validated approaches), pre- and post-analytical considerations, equipment use, and quality assurance practices.
Support development and roll-out of training resources, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and data management tools for blood lead testing and reporting.
Facilitate linkages between national and local laboratories and regional or international reference laboratories to support mentoring, troubleshooting, and validation as capacity is built and sustained.
Monitor and evaluate progress toward laboratory capacity benchmarks and generate technical reports and recommendations.
Work closely with internal teams and external partners and consultants to ensure integration of laboratory capacity building efforts with broader lead exposure prevention strategies in assigned countries.
Contribute to the development of program-related technical materials, reports, and manuscripts for peer-reviewed publications, and support dissemination of findings at scientific conferences and meetings.
Represent the program and organization in technical meetings, stakeholder forums, and partner meetings related to lead poisoning and laboratory strengthening.
Travel domestically or internationally as needed (up to 20% annually).
Participate in and/or lead special projects and other duties as assigned.