MLA Team Leader

Royal Marsden; Sutton; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

NHS Pension Scheme

Generous annual leave

Learning and development opportunities

Flexible working arrangements

Staff wellbeing and support programmes

Work in a leading specialist cancer>

Job summary

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Lab Team Leader to supervise Medical Laboratory Assistants in Specimen Reception and Blood Sciences, ensuring timely processing and compliance with ISO 15189.

You will support Biomedical Scientists and Section Leads, manage workload, and provide training to MLA and Biomedical Scientists, contributing to a high-quality patient service in a leading cancer centre.

Qualifications

• GCSE grade C or higher in English and Maths.
• A levels or equivalent relevant experience.
• ECDL or equivalent
• Previous laboratory experience.
• Experience with MS Excel and MS Word.
• Knowledge of Good Manufacturing Principles in hospital blood banks.
• Understanding of Quality Management Systems.
• Experience using a blood tracking application.

Responsibilities

• Supervise, carry out and assign MLA team activities to ensure workflow turnaround time targets are met.
• Conduct performance reviews and appraisals.
• Allocate work and assist with recruitment, selection and training.
• Provide training and competency assessments for new MLA and Biomedical Scientist staff in Pathology Reception.
• Support the Blood Sciences Department's service development and continuous improvement.

Skills

Communication

Written English

Deadline driven

Teamwork

Problem solving

Interpersonal skills

Good organisational skills

Prioritisation

Independence with guidance

Education

GCSE English & Maths C

A levels or equivalent

ECDL or equivalent

Tools

MS Excel

MS Word

Blood tracking system

Job description

The MLA Team Leader will be responsible for the day-to-day supervision of Medical Laboratory Assistants within Specimen Reception and associated Blood Sciences services. The successful candidate will play a key role in ensuring samples are received, processed and referred efficiently while maintaining service quality, turnaround times and compliance with ISO 15189 standards.

Main duties of the job

The Clinical Pathology Department provides diagnostic services for the Trust, primarily focusing on Blood Sciences. The post-holder will perform administrative, technical, and quality assurance duties, primarily supporting the Biomedical Scientists and Section Leads.

The post-holder will perform a range of tasks to support the Biomedical Scientists in the provision of a high-quality service to our patients. The post holder will organise and receive samples ensuring they are processed in a timely manner, including samples analysed on site and referred to other laboratories.

Working for our organisation

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world-leading cancer centre. Our role is to offer our patients the best cancer care available anywhere in the world, and to continue to make a global contribution to finding better ways of diagnosing and treating cancer. We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services. We have two hospitals – one in Chelsea, London, and one in Sutton, Surrey – as well as a Medical Daycare Unit in Kingston Hospital.

At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That's why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.

At the heart of the hospital is our dedicated team. We offer a stimulating and dynamic working environment, a wide range of staff benefits, learning and development opportunities and clear career pathways. There are opportunities to work flexibly across a range of areas and specialities and we welcome flexible working requests from point of hire to support employees work life balance. We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our on-going achievements.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For further information please refer to the job description and personal specification

Supervise, carry out and assign MLA team activities and duties in all specimen reception areas to ensure workflow turnaround time (TAT) targets are achieved.

Conducting performance reviews and appraisals in line with Trust policy

Allocating work and assisting with recruitment, selection, and training

Providing training and competency assessments for new MLA and Biomedical Scientist staff in Pathology Reception

Working for our organisation

The Blood Sciences Department provides diagnostic services that support patient care across The Royal Marsden. The department is undergoing significant service and equipment modernisation, providing opportunities to contribute to service development, innovation and continuous improvement.

Our Offer

• NHS Pension Scheme
• Generous annual leave entitlement
• Access to learning and development opportunities
• Flexible working arrangements where service needs allow
• Staff wellbeing and support programmes
• Opportunity to work within a leading specialist cancer centre

Informal enquiries

For further information or an informal discussion about the role, please contact:

Person specification

Education/Qualifications

• Good general education. GCSE grade C or higher in English and Maths. A levels or equivalent relevant experience.
• ECDL or equivalent

Experience

• Previous experience in a laboratory role
• Experience of MS Excel and MS Word, including creating and using spreadsheets

Skills Abilities/knowledge

• Ability to write clearly and concisely
• Able to work to deadlines
• Ability to express themselves clearly and communicate information

Experience

• Experience of working in a Blood Transfusion department or NHS organisation
• Understanding of Good Manufacturing Principles in hospital blood banks.
• Knowledge of Quality Management Systems
• Experience of using a blood tracking application
• Able to perform basic training

Skills Abilities/knowledge

• Demonstrates proactive approach to problem solving

Experience

• Ability and experience of understanding and following Standard Operating Procedures
• Experience of effective team working

Skills Abilities/knowledge

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to work closely and effectively with staff at all levels within the organisation
• Good organisational skills
• Ability to filter and prioritise work load
• Ability to work independently but within limits of the role.

Other Requirements

• Able to work flexibly to meet the unexpected needs of the role
• Self-confident, contributes to meetings
• Understanding of laboratory H&S procedures

The Royal Marsden values diversity and is committed to the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority groups. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates with disabilities.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are working to create a workplace that enables all staff to reach their full potential. We are committed to this because we know that greater diversity and inclusion will lead to an even greater positive impact for the people we serve.

Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, we reserve the right to close any adverts before the published closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications. We advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment. Please ensure your information is accurate to avoid errors with processing your application

All applicants will be contacted by email to the address supplied on your application. Applicants are advised to check their email accounts regularly and to ensure that email filters are set to allow our emails.

Flu Vaccination – What We Expect of our Staff

At The Royal Marsden we have an immune compromised patient population who we must protect as much as we can against the flu virus. Each year, seasonal flu affects thousands of people in the UK. Occurring mainly in winter, it is an infectious respiratory disease capable of producing symptoms ranging from those similar to a common cold, through to very severe or even fatal disease.

The wellbeing of our staff and patients is of the upmost importance to us, and it is the expectation of The Royal Marsden that all patient-facing staff have an annual flu vaccination, provided free of charge by the Trust.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.