Career Opportunity: Project Architect - Public Health & Laboratory Infrastructure (Consultant) at eHealth Systems Africa

eHealth Africa is dedicated to building stronger health systems across Africa through digital innovation, technical infrastructure, and data-driven solutions. By designing and deploying rapid eHealth and mHealth systems, eHealth Africa empowers NGOs, hospitals, donor agencies, and government stakeholders with the vital data needed to evaluate interventions and respond efficiently to critical public health emergencies.

To support this mission, eHealth Africa is looking for an experienced and visionary Project Architect (Consultant) to join their Laboratory System and Diagnostics team. This role is a unique opportunity to directly impact public health infrastructure, designing modern laboratory systems and supply hubs that save lives across the continent.

The Role & Key Responsibilities

As a Project Architect, you will provide critical architectural design, planning, and implementation support for major public health infrastructure initiatives. Your designs will directly influence biosafety, workflow efficiency, and clinical outcomes. Key responsibilities include:

Architectural Design & Visualization: Develop detailed architectural designs, technical drawings, schedules, and specifications for public health laboratories, surveillance facilities, and medical supply hubs. Generate high-quality 3D illustrations and visualizations to aid stakeholder reviews and secure regulatory approvals.
Workflow & Safety Integration: Translate clinical and diagnostic workflows into functional layouts that ensure a safe, one-way flow of personnel, samples, and waste. Apply strict infection prevention and control (IPC) and biosafety zoning principles.
Compliance & Best Practices: Align all designs with national building codes, statutory requirements, WHO laboratory biosafety guidelines, and donor-specific compliance frameworks.
Collaborative Coordination: Work hand-in-hand with multidisciplinary teams, coordinating architectural plans with MEP, HVAC, structural, and civil engineers. Act as a technical liaison to Ministries of Health, regulatory bodies, and international donors.
Site Management & Technical Oversight: Conduct feasibility assessments, technical risk studies, and site inspections. Provide technical oversight to Site Coordinators across multiple locations to ensure high standards during the construction and handover phases.

Who You Are

To succeed in this consulting engagement, you must bring a balance of technical expertise, regulatory knowledge, and strategic thinking:

Technical Expert: Proven competence in healthcare, laboratory, or institutional architecture, with a deep understanding of biosafety and IPC guidelines.
Design & Systems Thinker: Ability to conceptualize complex healthcare layouts that balance resource constraints with rigorous regulatory standards.
Excellent Communicator: A collaborative professional capable of conveying complex design ideas to technical teams, government partners, and non-technical stakeholders alike.
Detail-Oriented & Responsive: Highly organized, with a track record of meeting tight project deadlines and maintaining excellent design standards.

Engagement Level & Deliverables

This is a consultancy role with a Medium Support engagement level, translating to approximately 10 - 15 days per month. The exact Level of Effort (LoE) will be determined by specific project requirements. Key deliverables include:

Complete architectural drawing sets and 3D renderings.
Development and regular updating of detailed Bills of Quantities (BoQ) aligned with project budgets.
Review of architectural layouts and coordination with engineering teams.
Site inspection summaries, as-built drawings, and comprehensive handover documentation.

Qualifications and Experience

Bachelor’s degree in Architecture or a closely related field. A Master’s Degree is highly preferred.
A minimum of 5–7 years of progressive architectural design experience, with specific exposure to health, laboratory, or institutional environments.
Demonstrated experience collaborating with international donors, government agencies, and managing multi-country initiatives.
Proficiency in design, modeling, and visualization software.