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Position Overview
The Supervisor, Histology (Monday-Friday, 12pm-8:30pm) is responsible for the day-to-day operations of Histology in support of meeting production throughput and quality requirements in a manner that utilizes laboratory best practices and adheres to all company policies and procedures. Additionally, the Supervisor, Histology is a point person for interactions with Pathology to ensure that specimens are prepared and delivered on-time and with sufficient quality for Pathology review and analytical testing.
This role requires excellent attention to detail, excellent written and verbal communication skills, the ability to multi-task and be flexible with tasks and schedules, and the ability to work independently and in a team environment.
The Supervisor, Histology is a liaison between the Accessioning and Histology laboratory staff and various functional groups including, but not limited to, Customer Service, Analytical Laboratory, Process and Service Engineering, Information Technology, Human Resources, and Materials Management groups. As such, the Supervisor, Histology must exhibit leadership skills such as good judgment, sound analysis and decision making, the ability to remain professional and composed under pressure, effective interpersonal skills, and the ability to effectively communicate across all levels of the laboratory and across departments.
The Supervisor, Histology directly supervise the histology staff. Emphasis is placed on involvement with scheduling, troubleshooting technical and non-technical challenges, coaching and mentoring the laboratory staff, and building an effective team. The Supervisor, Histology will, in partnership with the lab training team, drive the training of both new hires and current employees with moderate levels of experience to advance the overall technical and organization readiness of the Histology Group. The Supervisor, Histology assists the Histology Management Team in managing projects, meeting project deliverables, and implementing laboratory enhancements. Given the wide variety of tasks involved in this position, the Supervisor, Histology must demonstrate the ability to seek guidance and input when analyzing complex issues and make recommendations that lead to sound decisions in a timely manner, the commitment to helping and motivating employees, the ability to respond to difficult issues quickly, fairly, and ethically, outstanding organizational skills, and the ability to respond to change with flexibility in order to adapt quickly to evolving circumstances. The Supervisor, Histology must be able to utilize various communication channels (e.g., email, communication board, team meetings, one-on-one etc.), to communicate team goals and priorities clearly, openly, and objectively, and to communicate changes, issues, and challenges to various sections of the Clinical Laboratory and applicable cross-functional teams.
Essential Duties
Include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Resolution of technical problems in accordance with policies and procedures established by the laboratory director or technical supervisor.
- Monitoring of test performance.
- Ensuring that remedial actions are taken when test systems deviate from the laboratory's established performance specifications.
- Providing or ensuring orientation of testing personnel.
- Maintain stringent standards for quality; identifying any issues which might adversely impact the quality of test results and/or employee safety and immediately communicating these to the appropriate management representatives, as necessary, to ensure prompt resolution.
- Oversee the day-to-day operations of the Histology laboratory; including, but not limited to, ensuring processing systems are functioning properly and samples are processed in a timely manner, with sufficient quality, and delivered to Pathology and Analytical Laboratory as expected, monitoring quality control testing results, assisting the Histology Management team in planning, validation, and implementation of new test procedures, and direct supervision of Histology laboratory personnel.
- Work with the Histology laboratory staff on the laboratory’s quality control and quality assurance procedures, technical/process troubleshooting and improvement procedures, and staff training and education programs under the guidance of management.
- Interact with Clinical Laboratory QA, IT, Process Engineering, Customer Service, and other cross-functional teams to address process and workflow issues.
- Assist the Histology Management team to manage laboratory and cross-functional projects; such as process improvement, quality improvement, development studies, and new assay launch.
- Write and review standard operating procedures (SOPs), NCDR and DAR reports, and other documents, as assigned.
- Write, review, and conduct staff performance assessments, facilitate development discussions, and partner with Histology Management and Human Resources, as needed, to effectively manage staff performance gaps.
- Conduct the training and competency assessment of Histology staff, under the guidance of Histology management.
- Assist management in resource management and exploring various improvement initiatives.
- Assist management in holding staff meetings and implementing staff development plans and team building exercises.
- Ensure that Histology laboratory operations and personnel conducts meet the requirements of local, state, and federal regulatory agencies and company policies.
- Participate in quality assurance activities.
- Assist the staff with daily laboratory processing.
- Ability to maintain open communication with employees, managers, cross-functional team members, and customers, as needed.
- Ability to integrate and apply feedback in a professional manner.
- Ability to prioritize and drive to results with a high emphasis on quality.
- Ability to work individually and as part of a team.
- Ability to effectively communicate verbally and in writing technical information to technical and non-technical audiences.
- Ability to analyze and make recommendations to solve complex issues that impact laboratory processes under the guidance of the Histology Management team.
- Supervise staff; including, but not limited to, organize and prioritize work, write/conduct performance reviews, train/develop, and manage work performance.
- Communicate goals clearly to employees to ensure understanding and success in achieving them.
- Motivate and inspire employees to do their best work through coaching.
- Maintain morale and support employee engagement initiatives.
- Uphold company mission and values through accountability, innovation, integrity, quality, and teamwork.
- Support and comply with the company’s Quality Management System policies and procedures.
- Regular and reliable attendance.
- Some time spent using near vision to view samples at close range.
- Use of various chemicals may be used to perform duties.
- May be exposed to hazardous materials, tissue specimens and instruments with moving parts, lasers, heating and freezing elements, and high-speed centrifugation.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor Degree in a scientific field, 6+ years of laboratory experience.
- Detailed knowledge and understanding of CAP, CLIA and NY regulations.
- Professional working knowledge of regulatory inspection preparation and execution.
- Strong computer skills; including proficiency with standard business software (e.g., Microsoft Office), laboratory information management software (LIMS) systems, and automated instrumentation.
- Authorization to work in the United States without sponsorship.
- Demonstrated ability to perform the Essential Duties of the position with or without accommodation.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in high volume Clinical or surgical Pathology Laboratory.
- Experience with using Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS).
- Experience with project management.
- HT(ASCP) or HLT(ASCP) certification.
- Possession of active QIHC (Qualification in Immunohistochemistry) through the ASCP Board of Certification.
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Salary Range:
$108,000-$156,000
The annual base salary shown is for this position located in US - CA - Redwood City on a full-time basis. In addition, this position is bonus eligible.
Exact Sciences is proud to offer an employee experience that includes paid time off (including days for vacation, holidays, volunteering, and personal time), paid leave for parents and caregivers, a retirement savings plan, wellness support, and health benefits including medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage. Learn more about our benefits.
Our success relies on the experiences and perspectives of a diverse team, and Exact Sciences fosters a