Laboratory Technician

Bulgaria is a wonderful, beautiful, and fascinating country in the southeast corner of Europe. For millennia, it has been the transportation neck connecting Europe to Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, a crossroad and melting pot for people from the entire eastern hemisphere. Home to ten UNESCO World Heritage sites, the variety of historical, cultural, and natural beauty would keep even the most ardent fan busy for a lifetime.

The Bulgarian people are warm, hard working, and especially kind to foreigners. Yet the needs in this country are vast. Communism devastated Bulgarian society. Resource shortages, flight to countries offering better life opportunities, and crumbling local institutions have left Bulgarians facing many serious social and economic problems. Bulgaria is the poorest country in the European Union, with average wages only half those of the next poorest country, and less than 20% of the EU average. In the midst of these social problems, Christians have an opportunity to demonstrate how to live transformed lives committed to following Jesus.

Our vision is to bridge the gap between local churches and Bulgarian society at large. Our strategy is to live and work among Bulgarian people in such a way as to demonstrate how following Jesus leads to a happier, healthier, and more fulfilling life. We have learned through experience that the best way to earn the right to be heard is to walk in the shoes of your audience and respond to what they experience each day. Our embedded servants are foreigners and Bulgarians who use their full-time secular positions as a platform to proclaim the gospel.

The Laboratory technician will work part-time for Phagestack, a biotech start-up company operating in Sofia, Bulgaria. The other half of the work week will be given to community development and educational programs offered by the PINK Foundation, a life transformation program for children. You will participate in activities including community and family outreach, extra-curricular activities for children, outdoor adventures, English clubs, and more.

Phagestack is a German/American start-up company developing bacteriophage therapies against antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. The laboratory in Sofia is dedicated to data collection, phage characterization, host analysis, and bioinformatics. The lab technician will gain real-world experience as part of a research team on the cutting edge of gene sequencing.