Lab Director

About the Role

• The Group Director, Laboratory Services and Systems will lead and build a standardized, scalable laboratory operating model across Zuri Health's markets. The role will oversee the Nairobi reference laboratory, satellite and partner laboratories, laboratory operations, commercial performance, systems and technology, and supplier management.
• The Director will also be responsible for expanding and strengthening the laboratory network across Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia, Uganda, Cameroon and future markets, while supporting the Nairobi facility toward international accreditation and transforming the laboratory into a significant, profitable business line.

Core Accountabilities

• Accreditation: Lead the Nairobi reference laboratory to ISO 15189 accreditation against an agreed timeline, and establish the pathway for satellite laboratories in other markets.
• Network design: Define which tests run in market and which route to Nairobi, and build the referral logistics behind that decision: sample integrity, cold chain, transport, customs where cross border, and committed turnaround times.
• Standardisation: Own one group test menu logic, one set of standard operating procedures, one set of quality thresholds and one data structure, deployable in any market without redesign.
• Commercial performance: Own laboratory revenue, cost per test, reagent yield, instrument utilisation and gross margin by test line.
• Report these monthly to the Group CEO
• Supplier strategy: Consolidate all equipment, reagent and consumable procurement to group level under a qualified supplier list. Individual laboratories no longer source independently.
• Clinical trials and validation: Act as Laboratory Director of record for trials and validation studies, including Al diagnostic validation, and hold the laboratory to Good Clinical Laboratory Practice where trial work is in scope.
• Systems and automation: Deliver bidirectional instrument interfacing into the HMIS, barcode driven sample tracking, reagent lot and expiry control, and a complete test event ledger recording who ran which test, when, on which instrument and using which reagent lot People:
• Build the laboratory organisation across markets: structure, competency framework, training, rota discipline and succession for every critical position.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science, Biomedical Science or an equivalent discipline.
• A Master of Science or MBA is strongly preferred. Registered and licensed with the Kenya Medical Laboratory Technicians and Technologists Board, or immediately eligible for registration.
• Twelve years or more in clinical laboratory practice, including at least five years in a senior leadership role with responsibility for more than one site.
• Demonstrated leadership of an ISO 15189 accreditation, either an initial award or a successful reaccreditation cycle, as the accountable leader rather than a participant.
• Proven experience operating a laboratory that supported regulated clinical trials under Good Clinical Laboratory Practice.
• Technical depth across clinical chemistry, immunoassay, haematology, microbiology and molecular diagnostics, with direct experience of a major automated platform such as Mindray, Roche, Abbott or Siemens.
• Track record of laboratory information system or HMIS implementation, including analyser interfacing.
• Demonstrated cost leadership, with evidence of reducing cost per test while maintaining or improving quality. Preferred Experience of SLMTA or SLIPTA, or of a national accreditation process through KENAS or an equivalent body.
• Multicountry or Pan African laboratory experience, particularly in West Africa alongside East Africa.
• Experience of research ethics and regulatory submissions, including ERC, NACOSTI and the Pharmacy and Poisons Board or their equivalents in other markets.
• Exposure to donor funded or public private laboratory strengthening programmes