Laboratory Specialists
Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) - Field
| Company | Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) - Field |
| Category | Science & Research |
| Location | Medical |
| Remote | On-site (inferred) |
| Employment | Not stated |
| Level | Not stated |
| Salary | Not stated by the employer |
| Posted | 27 Feb 2025 |
| Last verified | 3 Aug 2026 |
| Source | Employer ATS (greenhouse) |
Description
About MSF USA | Doctors Without Borders
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an independent international organization that provides medical care to the people who need it most. The organization cares for people affected by conflict, disease outbreaks, disasters, and social exclusion in more than 70 countries. MSF offers medical humanitarian assistance solely based on need, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or politics. Our international project teams include medical, logistical, and administrative staff, most of them hired locally and working with their own communities. Our actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of independence, impartiality, and neutrality. We also bear witness and speak out about the experiences of our colleagues and patients.
MSF USA is one of 24 sections supporting the global movement, primarily through staff recruitment, fundraising, advocacy, and communications. We welcome candidates who bring a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences to join us in working toward MSF’s social mission.
Laboratory Specialists
Whether managing a hospital laboratory to screen for tuberculosis or training local staff to test people for sleeping sickness in temporary outdoor clinics, the team often cannot function without the expertise of the biomedical scientist.
Responsibilities
As a laboratory specialist working with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), you will support existing government health structures (hospitals and clinics) or work within MSF health centers. You are responsible for: laboratory and staff management; implementation of locally hired staff laboratory training programs; ordering and distribution of laboratory supplies; data collection and quality control of laboratory testing.
Requirements
Commitment to work for a minimum of 9 to 12 month international assignments
Degree or diploma in laboratory technology or microbiology with applied medical parasitology, bacteriology, and immunology
Previous experience in a low resource setting (priority given to those with experience working in a humanitarian context)
Professional experience supervising, managing, or training staff
Minimum of two years professional relevant experience
Experience with sample-taking (blood, stool, sputum)
Knowledge of laboratory testing quality-control methods
Ability to work within a diverse team
Assets
French or Arabic language (B2 or above)
Knowledge of epidemiology
Familiarity with tropical and/or infectious diseases (especially HIV/AIDS, TB)
Experience using laboratory software packages and carrying out surveys
Experience working in a hospital setting
Medical degree
Before you apply
As you consider applying to undertake an MSF assignment, it is essential that you have a well-informed and realistic personal reflection. Assignments often mean long hours with a heavy workload, basic living conditions, and working and living in often chaotic and volatile environments.
Security and Safety
Because Doctors Without Borders’ purpose is to bring medical assistance to people in distress, the work may occur in settings of active conflict, or in post-conflict environments, in which there are inherent risks, potential danger and ongoing threats to safety and security. MSF acknowledges that it is impossible to exclude all risks, but it does its utmost as an organization to mitigate and manage these risks through strict and comprehensive security protocols.
International staff will be fully informed of the risk associated with a potential assignment before accepting a particular posting. Working for MSF is a deeply personal choice; individuals must determine for themselves the level of risk and the circumstances in which they feel comfortable, based on a full and transparent understanding of the possibilities they may face. Once in the assignment, all MSF staff must strictly observe security r