Supervisory Clinical Lab Scientist - Assistant Laboratory Manager
What you'd do
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.
Major duties
Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional This Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist serves as the Assistant Laboratory Manager and works in the Main Pathology Laboratory at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System in the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service located in New Orleans, Louisiana. The primary duties of the Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist may include but are not limited to: Assists the Lab Manager in all aspects of laboratory operations. Serves as Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) Level II for laboratory service and supply contracts: Creates and submits necessary contracting documents into FORCE for the procurement of supplies and services. Performs vendor performance monitoring, reconciles supply and service deliveries to contract terms, and approves invoices aligned with deliverables and pricing structures. Coordinates RFIs/RFPs, renewals, and amendments in collaboration with Procurement, Legal, and Finance; maintains complete contract files per policy. Maintains the Services' Accountability Tool to monitor contract funding utilization, and initiates modifications with Fiscal to ensure proper allocation of funding for each laboratory section. Supervises and manages routine personnel matters related to the section, such as performance appraisals, competency assessments, evaluations, guidance, counseling, disciplinary actions, awards, and recruitment. Manages POCT program lifecycle: evaluation, validation, implementation, competency, proficiency, and retirement of devices/tests. Ensures adherence to all relevant regulatory requirements, including College of American Pathologists (CAP), VA National Pathology Program Office, and manufacturers' instructions; monitors Quality Control / Quality Assurance (QC/QA) indicators and initiates remediation as needed. Supervises laboratory informatics operations, including test build/change control, dictionaries, interfaces, instrument connectivity, and downtime/contingency procedures. Partners with IT and vendors to maintain system performance, cybersecurity, data integrity, and audit trails; leads validation when changes impact clinical workflows. Ensures communication of survey outcomes with section leaders and the Medical Director; ensures staff competency alignment with survey findings. Upholds patient safety initiatives, incident reporting, and Just Culture principles; leads investigations and implements system fixes. Provides day-to-day operational leadership during planned/unplanned absences of primary supervisors. Oversees staffing, scheduling, workflow balancing, STAT/TAT management, specimen triage, accessioning accuracy, and chain of custody requirements for urine drug screens. Ensures phlebotomy competencies, venipuncture quality, patient identification adherence, and specimen integrity; leads rapid root cause analysis for labeling/specimen errors. Functions as a general Clinical Laboratory Scientist, as needed, performing a broad range of laboratory procedures including all testing, reporting, documentation, troubleshooting, and maintenance. Work Schedule: Typically, Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM, with Rotating Weekends and Holidays. Subject to change based on needs of the facility. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized. Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized. EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year). Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA. Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement). Telework: Not available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 629-01510F. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.
What you need to qualify
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 to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Education. A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university. Certification. 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). Grandfathering Provision: Employees in VHA in this occupation under a permanent, appropriate, and legal placement on the effective date of this qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held, including positive education and certification where applicable. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements of this standard but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply: Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or be changed to a lower grade within the occupation but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or newly placed in supervisory or managerial positions. If an assignment above the FPL requires an additional certification over and above the basic requirements, employees must meet the assignment-specific requirement before they can be promoted. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Employees retained in this occupation under this provision who subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain certification that meets all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. NOTE: This provision is not intended to regularize appointments/ placements. Grade Determinations: Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist, GS-12. Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11). Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of Federal and state laws and regulations and laboratory accrediting agency regulatory requirements sufficient to develop plans and procedures for the laboratory. 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. Knowledge of concepts, principles, and methods of clinical laboratory technology and operations. Skill in applying leadership principles such as interpersonal relations and conflict resolution. Ability to perform the full range of supervisory duties, which includes responsibility for assignment of work, performance evaluations, selection of staff, recommendation of awards, advancements, and disciplinary actions. Ability to plan, organize, set short and/or long-term goals, and conduct studies on technical and administrative problems including personnel shortages, organizational structure, and new technology. Ability to manage fiscal matters, forecast resource and equipment needs, and administer the allocated budget. Preferred Experience: A bachelor's degree in Medical Technology, Clinical Laboratory Science, or Medical Laboratory Science. A minimum of three years of experience assisting with laboratory operations, including managing inventory, ordering supplies, preparing contracts, and developing a departmental budget. At least three years of experience in a supervisory or leadership role, with employee development and training in a clinical laboratory setting. Experience leading teams to achieve common goals. 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-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment. Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.
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