Lead Clinical Laboratory Scientist

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Lake City (FL); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Lake City, FL seeks qualified CLS/MLS professionals to join the clinical laboratory team. The role involves handling a range of laboratory tests, interpreting results, and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.

Candidates must have a bachelor's degree or higher and relevant MLS/MT certifications; English proficiency is required. Opportunities include growth within a federal lab, with robust training and a strong emphasis on patient care and accuracy.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university.
• MLS/MT certification options as listed (ASCP/AMT).
• Proficiency in English (written and spoken).

Responsibilities

• Perform and interpret lab procedures across chemistry, microbiology, immunology, hematology and immunohematology.
• Develop, validate and modify tests; ensure compliance with current regulations.
• Coordinate daily work activities and provide staff development and guidance.

Skills

Knowledge of medical technology

Laboratory procedures

Quality control

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

Tools

ASCP BOC Generalist

ASCP BOR Generalist

AMT certifications

Job description

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Basic Requirements

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Education. A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university.
• Certification.(1) Candidates must meet one of the certification options below.(a) Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT. (b) Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT. (c) Categorical certification or Specialist certification by ASCP or AMT..
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403 (f).

Grade Determinations

In addition to the basic requirements for employment, candidates must meet the following grade-determining criteria for placement at grade levels specified.

GS 12:

Experience. 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11) experience includes: independently carrying out the day-to-day operations in the laboratory, develops, performs, evaluates, interprets, correlates, and validates the accuracy of laboratory procedures and results in line with current laboratory regulatory requirements. The work performed may be in a variety of laboratory specialties such as chemistry, microbiology, immunology, hematology, and immunohematology. Testing procedures are performed on a variety of biological specimens and/or environmental samples using manual or automated methods. This experience is required for all GS-12 assignments.

Assignments

For all GS-12 assignments above the FPL, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety and be performed by the CLS at least 25% of the time.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of medical technology applicable to a wide range of duties to solve complex problems involving diverse aspects of clinical laboratory practice.
• Skill to maintain, troubleshoot, and repair laboratory instrumentation.
• Ability to develop procedures for new tests, and modify existing procedures and methods to resolve problems relative to complex and difficult situations.
• Ability to manage and coordinate daily work activities and assignments in a section.
• Ability to provide or coordinate staff development and training.
• Ability to provide guidance and technical direction to a wide variety of individuals including physicians, nurses, and other clinical staff regarding technical aspects of testing, specimen requirements and results.

Preferred Experience

3 years experience as CLS/MLS

Reference

For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Part II Appendix G24