Director, Hospital Laboratory

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated; Paterson (NJ); On-site; USD 120,000 - 176,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Prescription Drugs

Dental

Vision

FSA

401(k) Company match 5%

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Life Insurance

Disability buy-up

Wellness programs

Educational Assistance

Paid time off

Job summary

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated in Paterson, NJ is seeking an experienced operational leader for hospital/clinical laboratory environments. You will drive performance, develop high-performing teams, and partner with physicians, pathologists, and executives to ensure high-quality patient care.

Seeking a results-oriented leader with seven+ years in healthcare operations, five+ years in people leadership, and expertise in regulatory requirements, Lean Six Sigma, and cross-functional collaboration

Qualifications

• Seven years of progressive leadership in hospital/clinical laboratory or healthcare operations.
• Five+ years direct people leadership with performance coaching and development.
• Experience leading laboratory operations, staffing, quality, and finance for service excellence.
• Demonstrated use of KPIs, trend analysis, and root cause analysis for improvement.
• Experience with Lean Six Sigma or other continuous improvement initiatives.
• Experience coordinating with physicians, hospital executives, and cross-functional teams.
• Experience with regulatory inspections (CAP/CLIA/State/JCAHO) and change management.

Responsibilities

• Ensure testing follows approved procedures and quality control policies.
• Plan schedules, assign work, and manage productivity and continuous operations.
• Evaluate performance, handle grievances, and support staff development.
• Provide direction to meet short- and long-term goals with regulatory compliance.
• Prepare monthly reports and monitor budgetary controls and cost containment.
• Coordinate Point-of-Care-Testing initiatives and capital equipment purchases.
• Support hospital performance improvement and ensure inspection readiness.

Skills

Leadership

People leadership

Operational excellence

Data-driven

Regulatory knowledge

Lean Six Sigma

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree preferred

ASCP/PMP/related certs preferred

Tools

LIS/EMR systems

Epic/Cerner

Job description

Job Description

Seeking a collaborative, data-driven operational leader with demonstrated success leading people, driving process improvement, and delivering measurable operational results in a hospital laboratory, clinical laboratory, or healthcare operations environment.

The successful candidate will have a minimum of seven years of progressive leadership experience, including at least five years of direct people leadership with responsibility for operational performance, employee development, client relationships, and continuous process improvement.

This leader will possess exceptional interpersonal, analytical, and relationship management skills, with the ability to develop high-performing teams, optimize workflows, improve operational and financial performance, manage multiple priorities, and build trusted partnerships with physicians, pathologists, hospital executives, and key stakeholders.

A working knowledge of laboratory operations, quality systems, regulatory requirements, staffing, workflow, and operational performance is required. While deep technical expertise across every laboratory discipline is not expected, the successful candidate must effectively partner with technical subject matter experts, medical directors, pathologists, quality leaders, and laboratory managers to ensure regulatory compliance, operational excellence, and outstanding patient care.

This role supports two main hospital campuses connecting Paterson and Wayne.

Pay Range: $120,000 - $176,000/ year, 15% AIP Bonus Target

Salary offers are based on a wide range of factors including relevant skills, training, experience, education, and, where applicable, certifications obtained. Market and organizational factors are also considered. Successful candidates may be eligible to receive annual performance bonus compensation.

Benefits Information:

• Medical/Prescription Drugs
• Dental
• Vision
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
• Supplemental Health Plans
• 401(k) Plan - Company match dollar-for-dollar up to 5%
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
• Supplemental Life Insurance
• Dependent Life Insurance
• Short- and Long-Term Disability buy-up
• Blueprint for Wellness
• Emotional Well-Being Resources
• Educational Assistance
• Paid time off / Health Time

Responsibilities

• Ensures that all testing performed under his/her supervision is according to established, approved procedures and quality control policies.
• Performs management tasks, in partnership with applicable centers of excellence, such as: Interviews, employs, terminates, or makes recommendations with regard to hiring or dismissal.
• Plans work schedules and assigns work based on availability of personnel, workload and makes adjustments to ensure continuous operations and productivity levels.
• Evaluates employee performance, recommends appropriate pay increases, handles grievances and work group performance.
• Coaches and counsels staff to assist in their professional development.
• Anticipates departmental needs in order to establish both long and short-range goals; provides direction to the employees to ensure implementation of plans and the meeting of goals; and measures compliance in collaboration with administration (ACL, Quest Diagnostics and Hospital).
• Prepares written monthly reports of all laboratory activities and submits to the Regional Director as directed.
• Establishes necessary budgetary controls and maintains costs within budgeting constraints. Supports and complies with all ACL, Quest Diagnostics and Hospital policies and procedures. Accountable for implementation and employee compliance with policies and procedures.
• Implements and coordinates Point-of-Care-Testing (POCT) within the hospital.
• Makes recommendations for the purchase of capital equipment.
• Supports and participates in the hospital's performance improvement process in an effort to continuously improve the quality of patient care.
• Investigates and resolves problems; informs Regional Director of all major problems.
• Responsible for the maintenance and retention of all documents needed for Federal/State inspections; ensure successful inspections and initiate timely remedial action as appropriate. Ensures that the laboratory maintains certification in all testing areas and retains its license.
• Executes Safety and Infectious Control Procedures to ensure patient, staff, and visitor safety.
• Promotes mutual respect and professionalism throughout the company and hospital.
• Ensures that client inquiries and problems are handled professionally and expeditiously.
• Other duties as assigned. This is not an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities, but rather a general description of work performed by the position.

Qualifications

Work Experience (Required)

• Minimum of seven years of progressive leadership experience in hospital laboratory, clinical laboratory, or healthcare operations.
• Minimum of five years of direct people leadership experience with responsibility for employee performance, coaching, engagement, accountability, and leadership development.
• Experience leading laboratory or healthcare operations, including staffing models, productivity standards, quality, financial performance, and service excellence.
• Demonstrated success using operational data, KPIs, trend analysis, and root cause analysis to improve operational performance and drive sustainable results.
• Experience leading Lean Six Sigma, workflow optimization, continuous improvement, or operational excellence initiatives.
• Experience managing multiple projects, priorities, sites, or operational workstreams simultaneously.
• Experience partnering with physicians, pathologists, nursing leadership, hospital executives, and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Experience leading or coordinating regulatory inspections, including CAP, CLIA, State Department of Health, Joint Commission, or other applicable agencies.
• Experience leading teams through organizational change, operational challenges, and performance improvement initiatives.
• Experience presenting operational, quality, financial, and performance results to C-suite executives and governing committees.

Preferred Work Experience

• Experience leading multi-site or multi-department healthcare or laboratory operations.
• Experience in laboratory management services or outsourced hospital laboratory operations.
• Experience supporting laboratory consolidations, implementations, integrations, transitions, or operational turnaround initiatives.
• Experience in unionized healthcare environments.
• Experience with workforce planning, labor management, budgeting, and financial analysis.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification preferred.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification preferred.

Knowledge

• Working knowledge of hospital and clinical laboratory operations, quality systems, workflow optimization, staffing, productivity, and regulatory requirements.
• Knowledge of CAP, CLIA, Joint Commission, CMS, OSHA, HIPAA, and State regulatory requirements.
• Knowledge of quality management systems, inspection readiness, risk management, and patient safety principles.
• Knowledge of Lean Six Sigma, continuous improvement methodologies, workflow analysis, process mapping, and root cause analysis.
• Knowledge of healthcare operational metrics, financial performance indicators, budgeting, and productivity management.
• Working knowledge of Laboratory Information Systems (LIS), Electronic Medical Records (EMR), and healthcare technology.-Epic, Cerner, etc.
• Knowledge of hospital operations and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Skills & Core Competencies

Leadership

• Demonstrated ability to build, develop, coach, and lead high-performing teams.
• Strong change leadership, employee engagement, and performance management skills.
• Ability to influence without direct authority and build collaborative partnerships.
• Strong conflict resolution, decision-making, and accountability skills.

Operational Excellence

• Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making skills.
• Ability to interpret operational data, identify trends, determine root causes, and implement sustainable process improvements.
• Demonstrated success improving workflow, productivity, quality, service, and financial performance.
• Strong project management, organizational, and prioritization skills.
• Ability to manage multiple sites, projects, and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Client & Executive Relationship Management

• Exceptional interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
• Experience developing trusted partnerships with physicians, pathologists, hospital executives, and C-suite leadership.
• Strong customer service, negotiation, facilitation, and executive presentation skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively across all organizational levels.

Technical & Business Skills

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.
• Ability to analyze operational and financial data and present actionable recommendations to executive leadership.
• Working knowledge of Laboratory Information Systems and healthcare technology.

Personal Attributes

• Collaborative and approachable leadership style.
• Strategic thinker with strong business acumen.
• Results-oriented with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Adaptable, resilient, and effective in a dynamic healthcare environment.
• Demonstrates professionalism, integrity, and accountability.
• Willingness to maintain a regular onsite presence across one or more hospital locations.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends, as operational needs require.
• Location 100% onsite at hospital location with travel between sites up to 30%

Education

• Bachelor's degree Required in Medical Laboratory Science, Medical Technology, Biology, Chemistry, Healthcare Administration, Business, Engineering, or a related field.
• Master's degree in Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, Public Administration, Laboratory Science, or a related discipline strongly preferred.
• Lean Six Sigma certification, Project Management Professional (PMP), ASCP certification, or other relevant professional certifications preferred.

People Leader Responsibility: Yes.

Travel Required: 30% between sites

Licenses and Certifications

NYS licensure or eligible, MT (ASCP) or equivalent for certification as a general laboratory supervisor under C.L.I.A. 1967 (Preferred)

Equal Opportunity Employer: Race/Color/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/Religion/National Origin/Disability/Vets or any other legally protected status.