Lead Clinical Laboratory Scientist

The Lead Clinical Laboratory Scientist (CLS) serves as a certified laboratory professional, performing complex laboratory diagnostic testing on human specimens for diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of disease in a variety of clinical laboratory specialties. The lead
CLS is responsible for performing the pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical phases of clinical laboratory testing as well as a variety of administrative functions as it applies to the clinical laboratory.

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Identifies, distributes, balances work, coaches, and facilitates with problem solving methods.
• Prepares reports and maintains records of work status; resolves simple, informal complaints; reports performance, progress, and training needs of the team and on behavioral problems; and provides information on promotions, reassignment, recognition of outstanding performance, and personnel needs.
• Responsible for assignment of work responsibilities, workload management, and completion of assignments for staff at or above the FPL as well as preparation and maintenance of records and reports, analysis of testing methodologies, training, instrumentation, and compliance.
• May act as a liaison to the supervisor and other departments/divisions of the medical center for the appropriate laboratory specialty.
• Conducting orientation and evaluating the competency of assigned staff including identification of continuing education and training needs, coordinating daily activity of the lab section(s), writing or modifying technical procedures, providing technical instruction, ensuring that policies, procedures and regulatory requirements are followed, advising on course of action to follow when results or samples obtained are unacceptable, and coordinating or performing quality control reviews and method verification activities.
• Develop, perform, evaluate, interpret, correlate, and validate the accuracy of laboratory procedures and results in line with current laboratory regulatory requirements.
• Conducts quality control and routine maintenance of instrumentation and troubleshooting.
• Correlates abnormal lab data with pathological states, determines the validity of test results, and the need for additional tests.
• Monitoring quality control systems and measures, collaborating in the diagnosis and treatment of patients, and providing education for laboratory health care professionals and the public in a professional, courteous, and effective manner.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm
Telework: Not available
Functional Statement #:93590-A

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. To qualify for appointment to this position, all applicants must possess the following:

• Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
• 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.
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403 (f).

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:

Lead Clinical Laboratory Scientist, GS-12

Experience. 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level is required for all GS-12 assignments. Examples of creditable experience include, but are not limited to: develops, performs, evaluates, interprets, correlates, and validates the accuracy of laboratory procedures and results in line with current laboratory regulatory requirements; conducts quality control and routine maintenance of instrumentation and troubleshooting; correlates abnormal lab data with pathological states, determines the validity of test results, and the need for additional tests; monitoring quality control systems and measures, collaborating in the diagnosis and treatment of patients, and providing education for laboratory health care professionals and the public in a professional, courteous, and effective manner.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• 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.

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.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.