Position overview
ACT Pathology is a division of the Canberra Health Services with laboratories located at both the Canberra Hospital and the North Canberra Hospital operating 24 hours, 7 days a week all year round, and Collection Centres located at several community sites. Pathology provides diagnostic and consultative services to medical specialists and general practitioners and their patients in hospital and in the community.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Senior Scientist/Laboratory Manager looking to progress their career to join the team at ACT Pathology as the Chief Scientist of Immunopathology & Infectious Immunoassay. You will be responsible for managing and leading the Immunopathology and Infectious Immunoassay laboratory. The position reports to the Director of Laboratory Operations and is under the clinical supervision of the Clinical Director of Microbiology and the Clinical Director of Immunopathology.
Note: The successful applicant will need to be available for occasional weekend and after-hours work, including participation in a 24/7 on call roster.
Key Responsibilities
Under the operational direction of the Laboratory Operations Director and clinical supervision of the Director of Clinical Microbiology and Clinical Director of Immunopathology, the successful applicant will Be responsible for the management of the Immunopathology and Infectious Immunoassay laboratory. The successful applicant will work collaboratively with team leaders across ACT Pathology to identify improvement opportunities, and to help build a collaborative, proactive workplace culture consistent with CHS values.
- Be responsible for the day-to-day management of the Immunopathology and Infectious Immunoassay Laboratory; plan, allocate and co-ordinate the resources and workflow within the laboratory including the LIS in collaboration with the relevant Clinical Director.
- Manage the staffing resources of the laboratory; plan, allocate and co-ordinate the workload, preparing rosters to maximise operational efficiency; and being responsible for human resource matters.
- Develop and implement training programs for all staff, coordinate the recruitment of staff and succession planning within the laboratory including TO1, HP2, HP3 and HP4 classifications and across both Immunopathology and Infectious Immunoassay.
- Manage the development and introduction of new tests/equipment and review and modify existing methods as appropriate, advise and develop business cases and evaluate capital equipment as required in collaboration with the relevant Clinical Director and Laboratory Operations Director.
- Maintain the laboratory quality management system, demonstrating compliance with relevant accreditation standards. Implementation of operational policies and procedures for the laboratory on technical matters, service delivery and safety issues, ensuring consistency and conformity with ACT Pathology’s overall policies.
- Provide professional scientific advice regarding the provision and interpretation of tests within your scope of practice in conjunction with the medical staff and liaise with industry representatives and educational bodies. Represent the Laboratory on local and professional committees as appropriate.
- Undertake other duties appropriate to this level of classification which contribute to the operation of the organisation.
Competencies
To be successful in this position, it is expected that the successful candidate will have the following attributes:
- Adaptability and flexibility to accommodate change and provide responsive services to meet the needs of those using the service.
- Strong organisational skills with a high degree of drive.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to liaise with a diverse range of people including staff across all levels, company representatives and users of the service.
- Ability to work in a team environment.
- A high level of emotional intelligence.
Qualifications
Essential
- Tertiary qualifications in Medical Laboratory Science or other relevant science related field.
Desirable
- Have an understanding of how the National Standards and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) indicators align with this role.
Experience
Essential
- Minimum of 3 years’ experience working at a Senior Scientist level within a Diagnostic laboratory.
- Have an understanding of National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accreditation requirements.
Desirable
- Experience as a senior scientist in immunopathology and/or immunoassay.
- Fulfil the responsibilities of this role in alignment to the CHS Exceptional Care Framework, and all other related frameworks.
Prior to commencement
Appointment to this position is conditional on being granted and retaining appropriate clearances:
- Pre-employment National Police Check.
- Comply with Canberra Health Services Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination policy.
Important information
All employees are required to:
- Adhere to the Canberra Health Services Values and the ACT Public Service Code of Conduct.
- Act in accordance and comply with all relevant Safety and Quality policies and procedures.
- Comply with all relevant clinical and/or competency standards.
- Be available for weekend and/or after-hours work.
CHS is leading the drive to digitally transform health service delivery in Australia through the implementation of a territory wide Digital Health Record. Computer literacy skills are required which are relevant to this role as you will be responsible for completing required documentation and becoming a proficient user of the Digital Health Record and/or other Information Technology systems; once proficient, you will need to remain current with changes, updates, and contingencies.