Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Duties

Help

The New Jersey VA Healthcare System has 1 vacancy for a Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist in the Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service. The incumbent recommends appointment, plans, and assigns work, gives advice and counsel, and evaluates work of subordinate for an assigned section of PLMS as Anatomical Pathology, Blood Bank, Chemistry, Hematology/Coagulation, Microbiology/ Molecular, and supervisor CLS off-tour as assigned.

Major duties include but are not limited to:

• Plans and schedules on-going work. Adjusts staffing levels or work procedures.
• Chooses methods for achieving work goals, objectives and management strategies.
• Responsible for monitoring test analyses and specimen examinations to ensure acceptable levels of performance; assures corrective action is initiated when test performance deviates from established performance specifications.
• Approves and certifies Annual Leave (AL) and Sick Leave (SL) for the Pay Period.
• Assures corrective action is initiated when test performance deviates from established performance specifications.
• Assures orientation, training and competency assessment of staff has been performed and appropriately documented.
• Implements and monitors quality management activities.
• Works in conjunction with the section Technical Specialist/Lead Technologists and Pathologists to analyze emerging trends and technology and adopts appropriate methods and testing.
• Performs the full range of supervisory duties, including but not limited to, recommendations for appointments; planning, scheduling and assigning work; setting priorities; evaluating the work of subordinates; performance evaluations; providing advice and counsel.
• Works as a CLS during off-hours shifts, weekends and holidays in the Section. Performs a variety of technical duties at the bench in the event of a manpower shortage or of an increase in workload. Evaluates quality control materials and initiates corrective actions if reports indicate their necessity. Provides technical guidance to medical technologists/technicians when quality control or instrument problems occur.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm. Supervisors may be required to work off hours for emergencies, weekends, and holidays.

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized.

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)

Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.

Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.

Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.

Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA

Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)

Telework: Not available.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # 12238F

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this 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.
• 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.

Qualifications

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: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. a7 7403 (f).

Education: A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university.

• Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. Graduates of foreign baccalaureate degree programs meet the educational requirements if they meet either of the following:
  
  • (1) Foreign transcripts are evaluated by an acceptable evaluation agency, and the degree is found to be equivalent to a NAACLS-approved U.S. clinical laboratory science degree program. OR
  • (2) The applicant submits a letter from ASCP BOC or AMT stating the individual is eligible to take the certification examination.
  • NOTE: Possession of a certification identified above automatically determines the foreign education as creditable and no further documentation or proof of equivalency is needed.

Certification: Candidates must meet one of the certification options below.

• (a) Generalist 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.
  
  • NOTE: Categorical and specialist certifications are not acceptable for CLS Generalist positions or lab sections unrelated to the categorical or specialist certification held. Categorical or specialist certifications are acceptable for higher-graded positions within the relevant lab section or one of the non-section specific assignments (including, Ancillary Testing Coordinator, Education Coordinator, Laboratory Information Manager, Quality Manager, Laboratory Manager, Regional Technical Specialist, National Quality and Compliance Agent, Regional Program Manager, Regional Director, Laboratory Director, or National Quality and Compliance Officer).

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grandfathering Provision: Employees in VHA in this occupation under a permanent, appropriate, and legal placement on the effective date of this qualification standard (12/03/2024), are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held, including positive education and certification where applicable. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements of this standard but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply:

• Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level (GS-11), or be changed to a lower grade within the occupation but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level (GS-11) or newly placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
• If an assignment above the FPL (GS-11) requires an additional certification over and above the basic requirements, employees must meet the assignment-specific requirement before they can be promoted.
• Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
• Employees retained in this occupation under this provision who subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation.
• Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain certification that meets all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.
• NOTE: This provision is not intended to regularize appointments/ placements.

Grade Determinations:

Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Specialist, GS-12:

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

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

Preferred Experience: Minimum 5 years of Blood Bank experience with understanding knowledge, skills and ability of supervisory responsibilities including regulatory requirement, turn-around time, instruments, writing SOPs, bidirectional communication with internal and external customers, excellent communication with direct supervisor and subordinates, accreditation process and quality management.

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

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

Education

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/.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During th