Manager, Clinical Microbiology

About the role

The Manager, Clinical Microbiology provides operational leadership for the Clinical Microbiology laboratory, ensuring high-quality, timely, efficient, and reliable laboratory services in support of patient care.

The Manager is accountable for laboratory operations, people leadership, quality and regulatory readiness, financial stewardship, resource planning, and execution of Clinical Microbiology projects and initiatives. The Manager works under the direction of the Medical Director-Microbiology and other faculty clinical microbiologists, who provide clinical and scientific direction for the service, and translates that direction into effective laboratory operations.

The Manager collaborates closely with Molecular Microbiology and partners with the Directors of Clinical Laboratory Operations, Quality, and Pathology Informatics, as well as the Sr. Director, to support departmental priorities and coordinated laboratory services.

This role provides operational leadership for an assigned clinical laboratory or cellular therapy operation. This role is accountable for personnel, workflow, quality systems, resources, equipment, budgets, and operational performance. This role ensures compliance with applicable regulatory, accreditation, and institutional requirements, which may include CLIA, FDA, CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program, CAP ISO 15189, FACT, Tennessee licensure, biosafety, human subjects' protection, HIPAA, and other applicable requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead daily Clinical Microbiology operations, including staffing, workflow, service delivery, performance, and resource utilization.
• Recruit, develop, coach, and manage laboratory staff while fostering accountability, teamwork, professional growth, and succession readiness.
• Oversee training and education of staff, students, fellows and other trainees, as appropriate.
• Maintain quality, safety, regulatory, and accreditation readiness and ensure effective follow-up of quality events, corrective actions, and operational risks.
• Develop and manage the Clinical Microbiology operating budget, conduct variance analysis, support forecasting, and ensure responsible financial and resource stewardship.
• Plan and prioritize capital equipment, instrumentation, technology, supply, and other resource needs.
• Maintain current knowledge of clinical microbiology practices, including bacteriology, mycology, and anti-microbial susceptibility testing. Serve as an expert resource for technical and clinical staff.
• Maintain specimen management, methodologies and staff training to match current best practices and latest technical advances, guideline changes or software updates.
• Provide project management oversight for Clinical Microbiology initiatives, including new instrumentation, testing, technology, workflow changes, and operational improvements.
• Operationalize the clinical and scientific direction of the service under the direction of the Medical Director-Microbiology and other faculty clinical microbiologists.
• Collaborate with Molecular Microbiology leadership on shared workflows, specimen management, service coverage, and other areas of operational interdependence.
• Partner with Clinical Laboratory Operations, Quality, Pathology Informatics, and senior leadership on operational performance, quality systems, technology, resource planning, and departmental initiatives.
• Use quality, operational, workforce, and financial data to identify risks, improve performance, and support continuous improvement and service development.

Minimum Education and/or Training

• Bachelor's degree in medical technology, medical laboratory science, clinical laboratory science, or one of the biological, chemical, or physical sciences is required.
• B.S. degree or equivalent with skill and proficiency in the principles, concepts and techniques in the field of medical technology (Such proficiency is usually acquired through completion of a medical technology program in an accredited school).

Minimum Experience

• Seven (7) years of relevant clinical laboratory experience required; OR master's degree in clinical laboratory science or a biological, chemical, or physical science with five (5) years of relevant clinical laboratory experience; OR doctoral degree in a biological, chemical, physical, or other field appropriate to the assigned clinical laboratory operation with two (2) years of relevant clinical laboratory experience.
• Demonstrated experience in clinical laboratory operations, testing processes, equipment, workflow, and associated laboratory practices.
• Experience with regulatory, accreditation, quality, and institutional requirements applicable to the assigned operation.
• Experience supervising personnel and managing laboratory operations, including work assignment, training, performance management, and staff development.
• Experience leading projects and process improvements, including resource planning, implementation, and collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience leading, developing, and mentoring teams.
• Proven performance in an earlier or comparable role.

Preferred Experience/Key Job-Related Skillsets

Extensive skill and experience in

• Gram and other microbial stain interpretation
• Bacterial and fungal culture and identification using both manual
• and automated methods
• Anti-microbial susceptibility testing using both manual and
• automated methods
• Rapid clinical microbiologic testing methods, including those
• using molecular technologies
• Compilation and analysis of clinical microbiologic data, including
• antibiogram creation
• Familiarity with common methods and instrumentation used in Clinical Microbiology
• Theoretical knowledge of all areas of clinical microbiology, including especially bacteriology, mycology and anti-microbial susceptibility testing

Licensure, Registration and/or Certification Required by Law

• Tennessee licensure as a Medical Laboratory Supervisor-General or Supervisor-Categorical in assigned lab section required within six (6) months of hire.

Licensure, Registration and/or Certification Required by SJCRH Only

• Medical Technologist or Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) by ASCP/ AMT required within 6 months of hire, if not licensed by the state of Tennessee.
• Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) or Medical Technologist (MT) through an approved national certification organization (e.g., ASCP, AMT, NRCC, ABB, ASCPi) is required within six (6) months of hire.
• Specialty categorical certification (e.g., DLM(ASCP), SH(ASCP), SM(ASCP), SC(ASCP), SCYM(ASCP), SMB(ASCP), SBB(ASCP) is strongly preferred.

Compensation

In recognition of certain U.S. state and municipal pay transparency laws, St. Jude is including a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role.

This is an estimate offered in good faith and a specific salary offer takes into account factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs.

It is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the salary range and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current salary range is $94,640 - $169,520 per year for the role of Manager, Clinical Microbiology.

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