Research Associate II - Laboratory Technician - Internal

•  Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
•  Full-time
•  Livestock Genetics

The Position: The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) seeks to recruit a Research Associate II – Laboratory Technician position who will assist, participate and undertake routine laboratory activities of the CTLGH Dairy, Poultry and Small Ruminant Genomics Programs at the ILRI LiveGene Program in Addis Ababa Ethiopia.

General: The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) works to improve food and nutritional security and reduce poverty in developing countries through research for efficient, safe and sustainable use of livestock. It is the only one of 15 CGIAR research centers dedicated entirely to animal agriculture research for the developing world. Co-hosted by Kenya and Ethiopia, it has regional or country offices and projects in East, South and Southeast Asia as well as Central, East, Southern and West Africa. www.ilri.org.

Main duties and responsibilities:

• Provides general laboratory services support (e.g., running and maintaining equipment, storage of samples, monitoring use of equipment, storage of consumables, maintains consumable inventories etc) to staff, visiting scientists and students in the animal genetic resources laboratory;
• Conducts routine laboratory activities including ELISA, DNA and RNA extraction using commercially available kits and traditional methods, DNA/RNA quantification, gel electrophoresis and PCR amplification and associated techniques;
• Prepares media, buffers, and other reagents used for genetic and genomic analysis;
• Maintains accurate records of laboratory and field samples collection items, including consumables;
• Oversights the ordering of consumables, liaising with supervisors as required;
• Ensures safe handling and storage of laboratory supplies;
• Works with the supply chain unit (e.g., store) to assist delivering supplies and new equipment to the laboratory; 
• Maintains accurate records of laboratory activities and prepared reports as per supervisor requests;
• Provides technical support to the ILRI poultry farm unit, time to time, as required.
• Other related duties as required and assigned by the supervisors.

Academic and professional qualifications:

Education:         

• BSc degree in Biotechnology or related fields or Diploma in Biotechnology from a recognized university/college or related fields

Experience:

• BSc degree with two years’ of relevant work experience in related field
• Diploma with four years’ of relevant work experience in related field
• Prior experience working in a busy biotechnology laboratory will be an advantage
• Experience in using MS Excel or MySQL data platforms

Skills:

• Excellent communication skills in English, both written and oral
• Good understanding of molecular laboratory techniques and safety procedures
• Ability to learn new techniques and apply them to solve problems
• Ability to troubleshoot protocols/experiments
• Efficient data recording and management skills
• Ability to work as a team member as well as independently

Duty Station:     Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Grade: HG 11

Minimum Monthly Base Salary:  Birr 22,207 (negotiable depending on salary history of the candidate)

Terms of appointment:  This is a National Staff (NS) position, initial appointment is for three years with the possibility of renewal, contingent upon individual performance and the availability of funding. The ILRI remuneration package for nationally recruited staff in Ethiopia includes a very competitive salary and benefits such as life and medical insurance, offshore pension plan, etc.

All applications to be submitted online on our recruitment portal: CLICK HERE on or before 7 March 2022.

To find out more about ILRI visit the website

Note: Applicants should provide a cover letter and curriculum vitae; names and addresses (including telephone and email) of three referees who are knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience to be included in the curriculum vitae. The position and reference number: REF: RA/LG/03/22 should be clearly indicated in the subject line of the cover letter.