Technical Medical Laboratory Director

Job description / Role

Our client, a world's leading Healthcare diagnostics company, is currently seeking for qualified individual for the position of Technical Director in Abu Dhabi. This is a key management and clinical position that requires an individual with a depth of experience in managing a high complexity clinical laboratory testing facility. The individual must be familiar with medical laboratory instrumentation and platforms, and should meet all regulatory requirements for directing a medical laboratory in Dubai /and or Abu Dhabi.
In effect, the incumbent must be qualified to supervise, and must assume the professional, scientific, consultative, organizational, administrative, and educational responsibilities involved in directing the laboratory services.
The Technical Director’s responsibilities are diverse and relate to assessing new technology, general laboratory operations, staffing needs, workflow fluctuation and management, and customer service. In effect the Technical Director assists the Medical Director to plan, develop, organize, implement, direct and evaluate company’s laboratory operations and performance.

The primary responsibilities encompass (but are not limited to) the following:

1. Management, Administration and Strategic Planning
• Oversee the development of the organization's plans and programs in evaluation of long-range planning and regulatory action on operational performance of company’s technical laboratory.
• Ensures high quality, accessible, cost effective and patient focused services to members across the continuum;
• Identify and implement measures to maintain the state of the art testing in a cost-effective manner, to increase accessibility, and to improve client and staff satisfaction, while improving quality of the testing procedures and results;
• Foster a unified culture and promote a process for collaboration, cooperation, sharing of information and mutual teamwork;
• Ensure operational adherence to currently accepted technical service standards for laboratory medicine;
• Attend and participate in administrative and other meetings as appropriate;
• Participate in the development and implementation of operations budget to ensure compliance with organizational expenditure requirements;
• Ensure operational adherence to applicable policies and procedures by all technical and operational staff;
• In collaboration with the Medical Director, directs the development, communication and implementation of effective growth strategies and processes;
• Advise on all contracts into which the laboratory may enter.
2. Safety
• Ensure that the physical plant and environment conditions of the laboratory are appropriate for the testing performed and provide a safe environment in which employees are protected from physical, chemical and biological hazards develop, organize, implement, direct and evaluate company’s laboratory operations and performance;
3. Personnel
• Responsible for direction and coordination of the personnel in Clinical Laboratory services.
• Ensure the employment of personnel who are competent to perform test procedures, and record and report test results promptly, accurately, and proficiently and for assuring compliance with the applicable regulation;
• Employ a sufficient number of laboratory personnel with appropriate education and either experience or training to provide appropriate consultation, properly supervise and accurately perform tests and report test results in accordance with the personnel responsibilities described in DHA/ HAAD regulations;
• Ensure that prior to testing patient’s specimens, all personnel have the appropriate education and experience, receive the appropriate training for the type and complexity of the services offered and have demonstrated that they can perform all testing operations reliably to provide and report accurate results;
• Ensure that individuals who conduct preanalytical, analytical and postanalytical phases of testing are assessed, in compliance with Human Resources Policy, to assure that they are competent and maintain their competency to process specimens, perform test procedures and report test results promptly and proficiently, and whenever necessary, identify needs for remedial training or continuing education to improve skills;
• Provide support to staff for all aspects of workplace issues, referring to the Human resources and other departments as appropriate.
4. Consultation of Significance
• Responsible for recognizing results or problems that require referral to the Pathologist.
• Ensure that consultation is available to the laboratory clients on matters relating to the quality of the test results reported and their interpretation concerning specific patient conditions.
5. Quality Management
• Ensure that the quality control and quality assurance programs are established and maintained to assure the quality of laboratory services provided.
• To identify failures in quality as they occur; to take appropriate corrective action; to minimise occurrence.
• Maintains performance improvement activities within the department and participates in continuous quality improvement (CQI) activities.
• Provides expertise and guidance regarding scientific issues, and liaises with scientific functions at other facilities throughout the organization, as needed
6. Standards of Performance – Clinical Testing
• Ensure that testing systems developed and used for each of the tests performed in the laboratory provide quality laboratory services for all aspects of test performance, which includes the pre-analytic, analytic, and post-analytic phases of testing;
• Ensure that the test methodologies selected have the capability of providing the quality of results required for patient care; verification procedures used are adequate to determine the accuracy, precision and other pertinent performance characteristics of the method; and laboratory personnel are performing the test methods as required for accurate and reliable results;
• Ensure that the laboratory is enrolled in a proficiency testing program and that the proficiency testing samples are tested in accordance with regulatory standards; the results are returned within the timeframes established by the proficiency testing program; all proficiency testing reports are reviewed by the appropriate staff to evaluate the laboratory performance and to identify any problems that require corrective action; and an approved corrective action plan is followed when any proficiency testing results are found to be unacceptable or unsatisfactory;
• Ensure the establishment and maintenance of acceptable levels of analytical performance for each test system; Ensure that all necessary remedial actions are taken and documented whenever significant deviations from the laboratory established performance specifications are identified and that patient test results are reported only when the system is functioning properly;
• Ensure that reports of test results include pertinent information required for interpretation;
7. Educational Qualifications
• Ph.D. in Physical or Biological Science, with a minimum of 10 years progressive laboratory experience in hospital or referral laboratory. Prior experience managing and directing a high-volume laboratory with CAP Accreditation.
• Maintain personal Continuous Medical Education requirements for licensure and ensure all technical/clinical staff comply with DHA/HAAD CME regulations.
8. Research and Development
• Monitor utilization patterns of lab services and advises management, and the appropriate staff, of developing trends in clinical service needs;
• Establish and maintain lines of communication with internal and external customers in order to ensure a timely response to new clinical service trends and program planning.
9. Interaction outside the Laboratory
• Interact with and support other laboratory directors involved in the service industry;
• Represent the organization in the national and international scientific community;
• After the demands of laboratory services are met, directors are encouraged to publish, attend meetings and perform other professional duties as deemed appropriate by the management.
Duties
• It is the duty of the Technical Director to consistently demonstrate service behaviours and principles, defined by company’s Service Quality Credo, the company Mission as well as specific departmental /organizational initiatives;
• He/she must consistently demonstrate the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviours necessary to provide superior and culturally sensitive service to others, to company’s members, to purchasers, contracted providers and vendors.
• He/she must consistently support compliance and the Principles of Responsibility (company Code of Conduct) by maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of information, protecting the assets of the organization, acting with ethics and integrity, reporting non-compliance, and adhering to applicable laws and regulations, accreditation and licenser requirements;
• He/she must provide guidance on testing to others in the organization including management, strategic planning, customer service, sales and marketing, and assist in developing educational literature;
Clinical
• Evaluate clinical data; establish process for review of tests prior to issuance of patient reports;
• Oversee, review, interpret and sign-out, and assure accurate reporting of test results; as appropriate to his/her qualifications;
• Direct performance and evaluation of quality control and quality assurance procedures;
• Assure compliance with accrediting agencies of all laboratory services.
• Assume other responsibilities or manage projects as assigned to support company’s objectives.
Personnel
• Assists Senior Management in hiring, and training the laboratory staff;
• Recommend manpower planning budgets;
• Conduct review of clinical positions on a routine basis;
• Provide education to staff and others as necessary;
• Monitors competency and develop in-service for professional growth and certification;
• Assign daily work load to technicians and others as appropriate.
Safety Goals
• Improve patient & sample identification;
• Improve verification and communication of life threatening information;
• Improve identification, communication and correction of errors;
• Utilize data within system to improve care;
• Track trends and analyzes test results.
Quality
• Oversee the quality assurance of testing to make sure that all regulatory and certification standards are met, and that assay performance characteristics are consistently maintained throughout the process;
• Develops and maintains laboratory practice standards.

Requirements

To be considered for this opportunity, you should meet the following criteria:

Education/License/Certification:
• PhD in appropriate field of Chemistry
• Must meet UAE local authority for licensing (Dubai / Abu Dhabi)
• American Board certification and/or Fellowship;
• US Board certification preferred however board eligible candidates may be considered.

Experience/Knowledge/ and Abilities:
• A minimum of eight (8) years postdoctoral laboratory experience;
• Previous experience directing/managing a clinical laboratory (minimum five (5) years);
• Broad knowledge of the technical aspects of the tests performed and equipment utilised by the departments under his/her supervision;
• Ability to stay abreast of the latest innovations in test methodologies pertaining to the department of supervision;
• Ability to develop and/or direct the implementation of new and improved laboratory tests;
• Understanding of laboratory information, reporting, billing systems;
• Experience conducting CAP inspections.

Language:
• Fluency in English;
• Arabic an advantage.

Attributes:
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment;
• Ability to work in a team environment;
• Capable of working independently and to tight deadlines;
• Flexible; mature disposition;
• Willingness to travel within the GCC.

Skills:
• Must be able to work in a Labour/Management Partnership environment;
• Excellent primary management skills:
a. Planning
b. Organizing
c. Leading/Directing
d. Evaluating/ Controlling
• Effective communication and inter-personal skills;
• Ability to understand and apply established principles, theories and concepts to all areas of responsibility;
• Sufficient administrative and management skills to direct, control and plan the activities of departmental personnel;
• Computer expertise essential.

Advantages:
Experience in start-up or entrepreneurial projects;
UAE / Middle East work experience an advantage.

License:
UAE - Dubai Health Authority, UAE - Health Authority Abu Dhabi

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About the Company

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