Director of Laboratory Services - Full Time

Monadnock Community Hospital•Peterborough, NH

About The Position

This role provides overall leadership and direction for all laboratory operations, aligning departmental priorities with organizational goals, service expectations, quality standards, regulatory requirements, and financial targets. The Director will direct the daily operation of technical and support laboratory functions, including chemistry, hematology, transfusion service, point of care testing, specimen processing, and related information systems workflows. Responsibilities include establishing departmental goals, annual operating plans, staffing plans, productivity targets, and performance expectations. The role also involves coordinating staffing schedules, overseeing compliance with various regulatory standards, managing the development and implementation of laboratory policies and procedures, and directing the selection, validation, and implementation of laboratory test methodologies and instrumentation. Quality control, quality assurance, and continuous improvement activities are key, as is monitoring performance indicators and implementing corrective actions. The Director will ensure all records are current and inspection-ready, lead staff recruitment and development, manage budgets, coordinate purchasing, and oversee the laboratory revenue cycle. Reporting and collaboration with various departments and external clients are also essential. The role aims to maintain a culture of service excellence, teamwork, accountability, flexibility, and continuous improvement.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Medical Laboratory Science, Clinical Laboratory Science, or a related field.
Minimum of 5 years of progressive leadership experience in a clinical laboratory setting.
Experience with CLIA, CAP, Joint Commission, AABB, CMS, and other regulatory standards.
Proficiency in managing laboratory operations, including technical, support, and information systems workflows.
Demonstrated experience in budget management, including operating and capital budgets.
Strong understanding of quality control, quality assurance, and continuous quality improvement principles.
Experience with laboratory test methodologies, instrumentation, and validation processes.
Knowledge of laboratory revenue cycle management, including billing and charge integrity.
Excellent communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills.
Ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders, including physicians, nursing, and administrative staff.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Medical Laboratory Science, Business Administration, or a related field.
ASCP certification (e.g., MLS, MT) or equivalent.
Experience with laboratory information systems (LIS) implementation and optimization.
Experience in developing and implementing new laboratory services or programs.
Familiarity with Lean or Six Sigma methodologies for process improvement.

Responsibilities

Provide overall leadership and direction for all laboratory operations, aligning departmental priorities with organizational goals, service expectations, quality standards, regulatory requirements, and financial targets.
Direct the daily operation of technical and support laboratory functions, including chemistry, hematology, transfusion service, point of care testing, specimen processing, and related information systems workflows.
Establish departmental goals, annual operating plans, staffing plans, productivity targets, and performance expectations for laboratory staff.
Coordinate daily, weekly, and monthly staffing schedules and assignments to meet workflow demands, maintain service levels, support cross-training, and minimize overtime.
Oversee compliance with CLIA, CAP, Joint Commission, AABB, CMS, state, and other applicable regulatory and accreditation standards, including inspection readiness, survey response, corrective action, documentation follow-up, and ongoing monitoring.
Direct the development, review, implementation, and annual update of laboratory policies, procedures, competency programs, quality systems, safety plans, chemical hygiene requirements, and job descriptions.
Manage selection, validation, verification, implementation, and optimization of laboratory test methodologies, instrumentation, middleware, and workflows in collaboration with the Laboratory Medical Director and organizational leadership.
Establish and maintain quality control, quality assurance, proficiency testing, and continuous quality improvement activities across all laboratory functions.
Monitor laboratory performance indicators, including turnaround time, critical value reporting, pending work, analyzer downtime, specimen rejection, claim denials, outreach activity, customer complaints, productivity, competency completion, and budget performance, and implement corrective actions as needed.
Ensure all technical, operational, and support records are current, accurate, complete, and inspection ready, including analyte listings, maintenance logs, reagent records, calibration documentation, safety records, competency files, pricing updates, and policy manuals.
Lead recruitment, interviewing, onboarding, orientation, training, competency assessment, performance evaluation, coaching, counseling, and corrective action processes for laboratory staff in collaboration with Human Resources.
Identify staff development needs and provide regular communication, meetings, and education related to policies, workflow changes, safety requirements, customer service expectations, and departmental priorities.
Develop and monitor salary, operating, and capital budgets for the laboratory; manage cost centers, labor utilization, supply expenses, capital requests, and productivity improvement efforts within approved fiscal guidelines.
Coordinate purchasing, product evaluation, reagent and supply utilization, and contingency planning for shortages or backorders in partnership with materials management and vendors.
Oversee laboratory revenue cycle and support operations, including billing workflow, denial reduction, pricing support, charge integrity, CPT review, payer-related compliance, and coordination with finance and patient accounts.
Prepare and review routine and ad hoc reports related to laboratory volumes, outreach activity, payor mix, financial performance, quality indicators, cost center performance, and operational trends.
Investigate operational, technical, quality, safety, service, and compliance issues; develop corrective action plans; and verify sustained improvement.
Collaborate with physicians, nursing, finance, patient accounts, compliance, information systems, hospital leadership, and external clients or partners to resolve issues, improve workflows, and support service growth.
Lead or participate in quality, safety, compliance, and service improvement committees and special projects, and represent the laboratory across the organization.
Maintain a culture of service excellence, teamwork, accountability, flexibility, and continuous improvement throughout the laboratory.
Perform other related duties as assigned to support departmental and organizational needs.