SUPERVISORY CLINICAL LABORATORY SCIENTIST

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.

• Required to know all Federal and state laws and regulations and laboratory accrediting agency regulatory requirements sufficient to develop plans and procedures for the laboratory.
• Required to know all 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.
• Required to know all concepts, principles, and methods of clinical laboratory technology and operations.
• Performs 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.
• Plans, organizes, sets short and/or long-term goals, and conducts studies on technical and administrative problems including personnel shortages, organizational structure, and new technology.
• Manages fiscal matters, forecast resources and equipment needs, and administer the allocated budget.
• Determines staffing needs and projections and prepares staffing request to the appropriate committees.
• Recommends improvements in the overall efficiency and functioning of P&LMS and identifies ways to improve service delivery.
• Interviews candidates for positions in P&LMS and selects for appointments.
• Provides first line supervision for GS-11 scientists and below, including health and/or medical technicians.
• Gives advice, counsel and instructions to lab staff on both work and administrative matters.
• Schedule and facilitates monthly meetings for the above staff to encourage communication and coordination with the service.
• Recommends awards or bonuses for supervised staff and changes in position classification, subject to approval by the Chief, P&LMS.
• Counsels and resolves complaints from employees, individuals or groups.
• Assures that all laboratory personnel demonstrate understanding of policies and procedures for handling and reporting of workplace violence.
• Ensures training needs of employees such as orientation training for all lab employees and competency re-training or training.
• Advises the Laboratory Manager and/or Chief of P&LMS on problems that affect other service and the impact it may have on them.
• Acts as a consultant to the Laboratory manager and/or Chief, P&LMS regarding management decisions that may affect service function.
• Provides assistance to Education Coordinator and the outpatient clinics interacting with nursing and CBOC staff to ensure that all necessary documentation is available for all pertinent activities.
• Visits the outpatient clinics periodically to make qualitative evaluations of laboratory services and to determine adequacy of equipment, personnel.
• Provides appropriate understanding of laboratory operations and appropriate accommodations are made as necessary to accomplish the mission.
• Keeps abreast of new technology in instrumentation and justifies expenditures for purchase or lease of major pieces of equipment which can reduce the overall operating costs.
• Acts as committee representative, facilitating consolidated instrument and supply selection and procurement of CPRR contracts.
• Acts as point of contact for contracts providing fiscal oversight and feedback to VISN contracting officials when problems arise.
• Assists in supply inventory oversight and maintains proficiency in purchasing for department supplies, executing orders as needed.
• Incumbent provides fill-in coverage for the Lab Manager in their absence, coordinating leave requests with them and committing adequate time and study to any fill-in requirements for that interval.
• Oversees rotation, scheduling, and adequacy of technical hours in all departments.
• In conjunction with the Education Coordinator, oversees initial training of technical staff members by making the rotating department assignments, monitoring competency testing, and assuring complete documentation for initial training file.
• In conjunction with the Quality Manager, applies quality management performance improvement principles, methodology, and processes to develop and manage a clinical laboratory quality management program.
• Assists in shift-to-shift communication on weekdays, updating the arriving evening staff of any technical and staffing problems for that next shift.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday. 8:30am-5:00pm or dependent on service needs
Telework: Ad-Hoc Telework may be approved.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 60646A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

*** This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until December 28th, 2026. The initial cutoff date for referral of eligible applications will be November 16th, 2026. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as needed basis until positions are filled. ***


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:

• MTs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part.

Education and/or Experience Combination

• A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university in medical laboratory science, medical technology, clinical laboratory science or in a related science (e.g., laboratory sciences such as chemistry, biochemistry, biology, microbiology, immunology, etc.).

AND

• Completion of a medical technology clinical practice program. Clinical practice programs completed after 1974 must have been accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP, formerly CAHEA), or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). The professional curriculum may have consisted of a post-baccalaureate certificate program or be integrated into a four year program of study that culminated in a baccalaureate degree.

OR

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university, including 16 semester hours of biological science (with one course in microbiology), 16 semester hours of chemistry (with one course inorganic or biochemistry) and one course in mathematics.

AND

• Two years of post-certification clinical laboratory experience (e.g., blood banking, chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology, clinical microscopy, etc.) within the last ten years as a certified Medical Laboratory Technician by the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification(ASCP-BOC), American Society of Clinical Pathology Board of Registry (ASCP-BOR) or American Medical Technologists (AMT). This experience must include performing moderate and/or high complexity testing in blood banking, chemistry, hematology, microbiology immunology and clinical microscopy (or categorical experience which matches categorical certification) in a clinical laboratory.

OR

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university, including 16 semester hours of biological science (with one course in microbiology), 16 semester hours of chemistry (with one course inorganic or biochemistry) and one course in mathematics.

AND

• Five years of clinical laboratory experience within the last ten years performing moderate and/or high complexity testing in blood banking, chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology and clinical microscopy (or categorical experience which matches categorical certification) in a clinical laboratory.

OR

• Foreign Graduates. Graduates of foreign baccalaureate degree programs meet the educational and/or experience requirements if the degree is found to be equivalent to degree programs recognized by the NAACLS or clinical laboratory experience as described in paragraph 2b(2) or (3) above. This finding may be based on either of the following:
  • A letter from a college or university with a baccalaureate program recognized by the NAACLS stating that the individual's foreign degree has been evaluated and been found to be equivalent to its bachelor of medical technology degree.
  • A letter from ASCP-BOC or AMT stating that the individual is eligible for the certification examination.

Certification

Candidates must have either (1) or (2) below:

• (1) Candidates must currently possess the appropriate 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.
• (2) For positions up to the full performance level, candidates must currently possess the categorical or specialist technologist level certification from the certification agencies listed above, such as, but not limited to, chemistry (C/SC), hematology (H/SH), microbiology (M/SM), molecular biology (MB/SMB)and blood bank (BB/SBB). Technologists with categorical or specialist certifications may only perform duties within the area of the laboratory specific to their categorical certification (e. g., an individual with a chemistry (C) certification can only perform duties in chemistry).

Grade Determinations:

Supervisory 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.

And

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

(A) Knowledge of Federal and state laws and regulations and laboratory accrediting agency regulatory requirements sufficient to develop plans and procedures for the laboratory.
(B) 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.
(C) Knowledge of concepts, principles, and methods of clinical laboratory technology and operations.
(D) Skill in applying leadership principles such as interpersonal relations and conflict resolution.
(E) 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.
(F) 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.
(G) Ability to manage fiscal matters, forecast resource and equipment needs, and administer the allocated budget.

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

Physical Requirements: The incumbent must be able to perform moderate lifting up to 45 lbs., straight pulling, pushing, reaching above the shoulder, use of fingers and both hands, walking, standing for up to 4 hours, kneeling, repeated bending, use of both arms and legs. Specific visual requirements include use of both eyes, depth perception, ability to distinguish colors and shades of colors, hearing (aids permitted), clear, high cognitive function and emotional stability; ability to
read ordinary type without strain.

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.
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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.