Research Associate - III

Key Responsibilities:

• Deploy SENAITE LIMS to the various labs in Mazingira Centre, ILRI (animal nutrition lab, soil and manure lab, GHG measurement lab, etc). This includes parameterizing the LIMS so that it is able to ingest measurement results directly from the instruments.
• Set up the various analysis workflows for the same (sample reception, worksheet creation, batch processing, partitions & aliquots, interfaces for instruments and import routines, quality control workflows and report generation and approval).
• Set up instrument metadata, calibration logs, QC triggers.
• Create custom calculation scripts as needed using Python.
• Tailor security policies, defining roles (analyst, verifier, publisher, lab clerk, admin).
• Deploy audit/tracing setup and logging for changes
• In so doing, interact proactively with the staff at Mazingira (Daniel Mulat and his team) to better understand the requirements of the lab users and staff.
• In doing so, interact with the DRMU team and with the ICT team in order to make sure the SENAITE LIMS solution seamlessly integrates with the larger research data ecosystem at ILRI and is readily extensible to other labs at ILRI, both in its Nairobi and Addis Ababa locations.
• As and when needed, perform some code development in Python, Javascript, HTML and CSS, for the backend and the frontend. Both are already defined and publicly available at https://github.com/senaite/senaite.core and https://github.com/senaite/senaite.lims
• As and when needed, liaise with the SENAITE LIMS development team, mostly Ramon Bartl from RidingBytes, GmbH, to better understand the architecture of the SENAITE LIMS software, to report bugs and to suggest fixes to be applied onto the abovementioned repositories.
• Provide training for lab clerks, analysts, managers, and technical staff.
• Avail technical documentation and knowledge transfer.

Requirements

• BA/BSc in Computer Science or Computer Information Systems.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in a software development or systems administration environment.
• Proven track record of software development in Python.
• Proven track record of frontend development with Javascript and CSS
• Proven track record of CMS deployment and/or development (e.g. Plone, Drupal, Joomla, WordPress, etc)
• Lab domain familiarity: QC workflows, batch handling, instrumentation
• A track record of LIMS implementation, preferably with SENAITE, will be a definitive advantage.
• A previous professional experience with PLONE CMS will be a definitive advantage.
• A general knowledge of lab analysis workflows will be a definitive advantage.
• Strong customer service orientation with good communication and interpersonal skills that establishes a good working relationship with customers, with the attitude of wanting to assist people and pass-on knowledge and experience while grasping difficulties perceived by users.
• Excellent interpersonal skills enabling the consultant to interact efficiently with various teams.
• Good logical diagnostic skills and ability to exercise good judgement in the resolution of problems
• Ability to prioritize in dealing with several different issues at a time.
• Ability to work under high pressure, meet deadlines, monitor and follow-up on pending matters under minimum supervision.
• Ability to communicate fluently in English, both in writing and verbally.