Medical Laboratory Inventory Technician The African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE)
full-time
Job Purpose
The Medical Laboratory Inventory Technician will be responsible for supporting the effective management, documentation, storage, tracking, and replenishment of laboratory reagents, consumables, supplies, and related inventory items required for safe and efficient laboratory operations.
The role holder will support stock control, receiving, issuance, reconciliation, cold-chain monitoring, expiry tracking, documentation, and coordination with laboratory, procurement, stores, finance, and vendor teams.
The role is critical to ensuring availability of essential laboratory supplies, compliance with quality standards, and continuity of diagnostic services across the hospital.
Key Accountabilities/Responsibilities
Laboratory Inventory and Stock Control:
Maintain accurate records of laboratory reagents, consumables, PPE, collection materials, controls, calibrators, and other laboratory inventory items.
Receive, inspect, label, store, and issue laboratory supplies in line with approved procedures, storage requirements, and departmental requests.
Monitor stock levels, usage patterns, minimum stock thresholds, expiry dates, lot numbers, and replenishment needs to prevent stock-outs and wastage.
Procurement, Requisition, and Vendor Coordination:
Support the preparation and tracking of purchase requisitions, goods received notes, invoices, delivery documentation, and other supply chain records.
Liaise with Laboratory, Stores, Procurement, Finance, and vendors to follow up on pending orders, discrepancies, delayed deliveries, and documentation gaps.
Escalate low-stock, near-expiry, damaged, recalled, incorrect, or non-conforming items to relevant supervisors for timely resolution.
Storage, Cold Chain, and Safety Compliance:
Ensure laboratory supplies are stored under appropriate environmental conditions, including temperature-controlled, cold-chain, hazardous, and restricted-access storage areas.
Support daily temperature monitoring, storage area checks, stock rotation, segregation of expired items, and safe handling of laboratory materials.
Promote compliance with infection prevention, biosafety, chemical safety, waste handling, and occupational health and safety requirements.
Documentation, Quality, and Audit Support:
Maintain complete and well-organized inventory registers, stock cards, bin cards, electronic records, usage logs, reconciliation sheets, and audit evidence.
Support stock counts, cycle counts, reconciliations, variance investigations, internal audits, external audits, and quality improvement activities.
Assist in maintaining records required for laboratory accreditation, quality management systems, equipment-related consumables, and regulatory compliance.
Collaboration and Operational Support:
Work with medical laboratory scientists, pathologists, phlebotomy teams, stores personnel, procurement staff, and administrative teams to support uninterrupted laboratory service delivery.
Provide timely updates on inventory availability, pending requisitions, consumption trends, and operational issues affecting laboratory supplies.
Contribute to process improvement, inventory planning, standard operating procedure implementation, and efficient use of laboratory resources.
Qualifications
Relevant training or certification in inventory management, laboratory quality management, procurement, warehousing, biosafety, or healthcare supply chain will be an added advantage.
Good knowledge of laboratory consumables, reagents, stock documentation, expiry tracking, cold-chain requirements, and basic laboratory safety procedures.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office tools, particularly Excel, Word, and Outlook; familiarity with laboratory information systems, ERP, inventory, or warehouse management systems is an advantage.
Strong attention to detail, numerical accuracy, organization, communication, documentation, confidentiality, and ability to follow approved procedures.
Ability to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary hospital laboratory environment with a strong commitment to quality, safety, and service continuity.
Experience:
Minimum of 2 years of relevant experience in laboratory inventory, healthcare stores, medical supply chain, diagnostic laboratory support, hospital procurement support, or a related operational environment.
Experience receiving, storing, issuing, documenting, and reconciling laboratory reagents, consumables, PPE, sample collection materials, or other healthcare inventory items.
Practical experience in stock-taking, cycle counts, inventory reconciliation, expiry tracking, lot number tracking, cold-chain monitoring, and stock rotation.
Good understanding of laboratory quality systems, biosafety, infection prevention, chemical safety, hazardous material handling, and documentation requirements.
Experience using Microsoft Excel or inventory systems for data entry, stock tracking, reporting, basic analysis, and follow-up on inventory actions.
Ability to work effectively under pressure in a fast-paced clinical laboratory environment while maintaining accuracy, accountability, and confidentiality.
Experience supporting audits, SOP implementation, vendor follow-up, procurement documentation, and continuous improvement in laboratory inventory processes will be an added advantage.
Must have skills:
Medical Laboratory Inventory Technician.