Medical Laboratory Pre-analytical Technician/Trainee - Histology

Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers; Hamilton; On-site; NZD 52,000 - 68,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Learning & development

Professional growth support

Wellbeing resources

Flu vaccination

Job summary

Pathlab Waikato in Hamilton is seeking a Medical Laboratory Pre-analytical Technician/Trainee for histology. This full-time permanent role (80 hours per fortnight) involves hands-on histology work and rostered weekends/public holidays.

Reporting to Site Lead - Histology, you'll support specimen processing, QA, safety, training of junior staff, and participate in external QA programmes to meet IANZ standards.

Qualifications

• Qualification in Medical Laboratory Technology.
• Experience in a medical laboratory, ideally histology.
• Knowledge of histology techniques and IANZ requirements.

Responsibilities

• Perform histology processes: accessioning, dissection, embedding, microtomy, immunohistochemistry and section staining.
• Ensure timely and accurate processing of specimens.
• Maintain laboratory quality assurance and safety standards.
• Support the training of junior staff as appropriate and with Site Lead.
• Participate in external quality assurance programmes to meet IANZ requirements.
• Work flexibly across rostered shifts between 6:00am and 9:00pm.

Skills

Histology techniques

Lab quality systems

IANZ requirements

Workload prioritisation

Teamwork

Education

Medical Laboratory Technology qualification

Job description

Medical Laboratory Pre-analytical Technician/Trainee - Histology

Join a team where your expertise makes a real difference.

We're looking for a skilled and motivated Medical Laboratory Pre-analytical Technician/Trainee to join our Hamilton-based Histology team. This is a full-time, permanent role (80 hours per fortnight), including participation in a weekend and public holiday roster.

Reporting to the Site Lead - Histology, you'll play an important role in delivering high-quality diagnostic services within our Histopathology department. This is a hands-on position where your technical capability, attention to detail, and commitment to quality will directly support patient care across the region.

What you'll be doing

• Performing histology processes including accessioning, small biopsy dissection, embedding, microtomy, immunohistochemistry and section staining.
• Ensuring timely and accurate processing of specimens.
• Maintaining laboratory quality assurance and safety standards.
• Supporting the training of junior staff as appropriate and in consultation with the Site Lead.
• Participating in external quality assurance programmes to support IANZ requirements.
• Working flexibly across rostered shifts between 6:00am and 9:00pm, aligned to service demand.

You're detail-focused, reliable, and take pride in producing accurate work in a busy laboratory environment.

What you'll bring

• Relevant qualification in Medical Laboratory Technology.
• Hands-on experience in a medical laboratory, ideally within histology.
• Working knowledge of histology techniques including tissue preparation, embedding, sectioning, and staining.
• Understanding of laboratory quality systems and IANZ requirements.
• Ability to prioritise workload and meet turnaround expectations.
• A flexible, adaptable approach and willingness to learn.
• Strong teamwork skills, with the ability to also work independently.

Registration with the Medical Sciences Council of New Zealand and a current Annual Practising Certificate is preferred where applicable.

Pathlab Waikato is part of the wider Pathlab group, owned and led by local Pathologists who are passionate about quality, innovation, and community impact. Every day, we support more than 5,000 patients across the Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Lakes regions. Our success is built on strong systems, dedicated people, and a shared commitment to doing the right thing.

Our values reflect who we are - service excellence, respect, integrity, continuous improvement, and recognition of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Why Pathlab?

Our people are at the heart of everything we do. When you join Pathlab, you'll benefit from:

• Ongoing learning and development opportunities.
• Support for professional growth.
• A supportive, team-focused environment where your contribution matters.
• Free and confidential wellbeing support and resources via our EAP platform Clearhead, free annual flu vaccination.