TALENT POOL - LABORATORY MANAGER AT INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE (IITA) | LABORATORY JOBS IN OYO

About Company:

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a not-for-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan Africa, we improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resource integrity. IITA is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future.

Job Description:

• The Food & Nutrition Sciences Laboratory plays a critical role in delivering high-quality analytical services, research outputs, and training that support IITA’s mandate on nutrition, food safety, and food systems transformation.
• The Laboratory Manager is responsible for ensuring operational excellence, system integrity, and performance visibility across the laboratory and positioning the lab for ISO certification.

Key Responsibilities and Duties

• The Laboratory Manager will have end-to-end responsibility for the following five operational domains:

Inventory and Stores Management:
Responsibilities:

• Establish and maintain a single, standardized digital inventory management system based on analysis standard operating procedures
• Ensure weekly inventory updates and verification
• Define, document, and enforce reorder thresholds
• Prevent stock-outs, over-ordering, and reagent expiry
• Ensure traceability and audit readiness of inventory records

Expected Outputs:

• Live inventory dashboard (quantities, expiry dates, value)
• Reduced stock-out incidents
• Improved reagent utilization and reduced waste 

Workflow Coordination and Accountability:
Responsibilities:

• Implement a shared task and workflow tracking system
• Support clear role definition and task ownership at the system level
• Ensure weekly visibility of priorities and workloads
• Facilitate regular operational check-ins focused on delivery blockers
• Escalate operational risks in a timely and evidence-based manner

Expected Outputs:

• Predictable workflows
• Reduced rework and dropped tasks
• Improved turnaround consistency 

Equipment and Asset Management:
Responsibilities:

• Establish and maintain a master equipment register
• Track equipment usage, downtime, servicing, and calibration
• Ensure preventive maintenance schedules are followed
• Coordinate equipment servicing with internal and external providers
• Minimize unplanned downtime and data quality risks

Expected Outputs:

• Updated equipment registry
• Maintenance and calibration logs
• Improved equipment uptime and reliability 

Cost Recovery and Financial Visibility:
Responsibilities:

• Support determination and documentation of cost per analysis
• Track samples from receipt through analysis, reporting, and invoicing
• Maintain records linking samples, data outputs, and invoices
• Monitor operational costs and revenue on a monthly basis
• Support evidence-based pricing and break-even analysis

Expected Outputs:

• Cost-per-analysis documentation
• Sample-to-invoice traceability
• Monthly deliverables and financial summary reports

Client Experience and Operational Credibility:
Responsibilities:

• Support definition of standard turnaround times by analysis
• Monitor delivery performance against agreed timelines
• Ensure operational commitments to clients are realistic and visible
• Support consistent and professional laboratory communication

Expected Outputs:

• Improved on-time delivery rates
• Reduced client complaints
• Increased repeat business and credibility
• Supervise and coordinate the overall activities of the Food and Nutrition Sciences laboratory, including equipment maintenance and all laboratory operations.
• Supervise technical staff and research fellows in the laboratory
• Conduct analysis of chemical, physicochemical and functional properties of cassava, yam, Banana, Plantain, maize, cowpeas, and soybeans and their food products.
• Provide expertise in quality control/assurance of laboratory analytical data
• Identify and order all approved equipment, chemicals, and materials for the laboratory
• Provide technical backstopping to national agricultural research institutes, non-governmental organizations and community-based organizations conducting activities on crop quality, processing, utilization, and product development
• Contribute to capacity building on food analysis and training of corps members, industrial training, and research fellows
• Perform any other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor.

Requirements:

• Master’s degree in laboratory sciences, operations management, or a related field with a minimum of 8 years experience.
• Current IPAN certification 
• Demonstrated experience leading or coordinating operational and quality systems within an ISO-certified or ISO-aligned laboratory environment.
• Recent, hands-on experience supporting ISO certification, accreditation, or re-certification processes.
• Strong communication, teamwork, organizational, and systems management skills.
• Proven ability to work confidently with data, tracking tools, dashboards, and performance indicators.
• High level of integrity, accuracy, and attention to detail.

Desirable:

• Experience with service laboratories or cost recovery models
• Familiarity with quality management systems or laboratory audits
• Experience working in research or institutional laboratory settings

Salary

Application Closing Date: Not specified

Application Instructions:

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