Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Orlando (FL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

EDRP eligible

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Orlando seeks a Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist (GS-13) to lead a hospital laboratory. You will oversee a staff, ensure regulatory compliance, and drive quality and performance improvements in a high-volume setting.

Required are a bachelor's degree, English proficiency, and relevant CLS certifications (ASCP/AMT). The position includes leadership responsibilities, budgeting, and program oversight.

Qualifications

• Must meet basic federal requirements (citizenship, English proficiency).
• Bachelor's degree or higher; foreign education evaluated for creditability.
• Certification options include ASCP BOC/AMT Generalist or Specialist.

Responsibilities

• Provide supervisory duties over laboratory staff including performance evaluations.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory and accreditation requirements across the lab.
• Oversee budgeting, staffing, and implementation of quality management programs.

Skills

Supervisory leadership

Regulatory knowledge

Budget planning

Education

Bachelor's degree

Foreign education evaluation option

Tools

ASCP/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 eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply. Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

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.
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403 (f)
• Education-Transcripts Submitted. A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university.
  • Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. Graduates of foreign baccalaureate degree programs meet the educational requirements if they meet either of the following:
    • (1) Foreign transcripts are evaluated by an acceptable evaluation agency, and the degree is found to be equivalent to a NAACLS-approved U.S. clinical laboratory science degree program. OR
    • (2) The applicant submits a letter from ASCP BOC or AMT stating the individual is eligible to take the certification examination
    • NOTE: Possession of a certification identified in 4c above automatically determines the foreign education as creditable and no further documentation or proof of equivalency is needed.
• Certification-Documentation Submitted. Candidates must meet one of the certification options below,
  • Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT.
  • Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT.
  • Categorical certification or Specialist certification by ASCP or AMT.
    • NOTE: Categorical and specialist certifications are not acceptable for CLS Generalist positions or lab sections unrelated to the categorical or specialist certification held. Categorical or specialist certifications are acceptable for higher-graded positions within the relevant lab section or one of the non-section specific assignments (including, Ancillary Testing Coordinator, Education Coordinator, Laboratory Information Manager, Quality Manager, Laboratory Manager, Regional Technical Specialist, National Quality and Compliance Agent, Regional Program Manager, Regional Director, Laboratory Director, or National Quality and Compliance Officer).

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations

In addition to meeting the basic requirements stated above, the following qualifications criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates.

Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist, GS-13

The CLS has full supervisory responsibility in a laboratory where at least three of the five following conditions are met outlined below:

• Lab is a complexity level index group 1 or 2 based on the Hospital Complexity Level as designated in Office of Productivity, Efficiency, and Staffing (OPES) VHA Facility Complexity Model History.
• The laboratory performs at least one million standard billable tests annually (as reported to the Laboratory Management Index Program).
• The CLS supervises a staff of non-supervisory personnel including at least one GS-12 subordinate.
• Lack of on-site pathologist.
• Oversight of more than one laboratory specialty.

Experience

1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level is required for all GS-13 assignmentsKnowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of Federal and state laws and regulations, laboratory accrediting, and regulatory requirements to develop new policies and guidelines, formulate plans, and judge effectiveness of the operation.
• Knowledge of laboratory quality management procedures and principles sufficient to establish and monitor a laboratory quality management program and/or the education and training of laboratory staff.
• Skill in interpersonal relations and conflict resolution.
• Ability to provide the full range of supervisory duties, which includes responsibility for assignment of work to be performed, performance evaluations, selection of staff, recommendation of awards, advancements, and disciplinary actions.
• Ability to analyze organizational, technical, and administrative problems to develop and implement solutions that result in efficient laboratory operation.
• Ability to manage fiscal matters, forecast resource and equipment needs, and administer the allocated budget.
• Ability to set short and/or long-term goals for the section and conduct studies on technical and administrative problems including personnel shortages, organizational structure, and new technology

Assignment

For all supervisory assignments, the CLS must spend 25% or more of their time providing administrative and technical supervision and perform major duties above those at the FPL that consist of significant scope, complexity, difficulty, and variety. The CLS must supervise at least one staff member at the GS-12 grade level. The supervisory CLS exercises a full range of supervisory responsibilities in planning, directing, and assessing work of subordinate staff. The supervisory CLS recommends appointments, awards, advancement, and disciplinary actions. The CLS plans and assigns work based on priorities, requirements of assignments, and abilities of employees; provides advice and counsel; and evaluates work of subordinates. The supervisor ensures compliance with accrediting agencies and regulatory requirements and establishes and monitors the quality of pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical processes, initiating corrective actions as needed as part of the overall laboratory quality management program. The supervisory CLS plans and executes performance and quality improvement projects. The supervisory CLS verifies orientation, training, and competency assessment of assigned staff and develops and updates technical policies and procedure manuals. The supervisory CLS ensures all staff and affiliate staff comply with accrediting and regulating bodies. The supervisory CLS adjusts staffing levels or work procedures to accommodate resource allocation decisions made at the executive level. This individual manages document control, develops performance standards, position descriptions, and functional statements and is responsible for technical and administrative management of an assigned area including budget execution. The supervisory CLS interacts with administrative and clinical onsite personnel and exercises significant independent decision-making authority. The supervisory CLS maintains effective interdisciplinary and interprofessional relations with other services to accomplish medical center goals.

Preferred Experience

Prior supervisory experience and/or 4+ years of full time experience working in the clinical laboratory specialties of core lab, hematology, coagulation, urinalysis, microbiology, serology, chemistry, endocrinology, toxicology, special chemistry, body fluids and immunology. Candidates should have strong knowledge and experience in laboratory management supervision, quality assurance, quality control oversight, laboratory regulatory compliance and strong leadership skills suitable for a dynamic, high-volume healthcare.

Reference

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13.

Physical Requirements

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.