Supervisory Clinical Lab Scientist (Laboratory Manager)

Clarification from the agency

Area of consideration: First area of consideration current permanent Facility employees VA Finger Lakes Health care system Second area of consideration current permanent Department of Veterans Affairs employees Third area of consideration ALL US CITIZENS NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Describe the nature, purpose, and location of the work:
This position is in the Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service within the Finger Lakes VA Health Care System. The incumbent at this level has full supervisory responsibility for a large staff of nonsupervisory personnel, including GS-06 & GS-07 Laboratory Support Personnel and matrixed reporting of GS-07, GS-09, GS-11 and GS-12 Clinical Laboratory Scientists, or at least 1 subordinate team leader or supervisor at the next lower grade level. The incumbent works recommends appointment, plans, and assigns work, gives advice and counsel and evaluates work of subordinates. The incumbent is responsible for monitoring test analyses and specimen examinations to ensure acceptable levels of performance. Assures corrective action is initiated. Assures orientation, training, and competency assessment of assigned staff. Develops and updates technical policy and procedure manuals. Ensures all staff and affiliate staff are in compliance with accrediting and regulating bodies. Adjusts staffing levels or work procedures to accommodate resource allocation decisions made at the executive level. The Incumbent will also work off hour shifts, weekends, and holidays as priorities demonstrate a need.

Lists the major duties and responsibilities of the position may include but are not limited to:
The duties and responsibilities of the Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist include but are not limited to the following: Performs the full range of supervisory duties in their area(s) of specialty.

The incumbent possesses advanced knowledge and understanding of concepts, principles, methodology of clinical laboratory science, regulatory and accrediting agency requirements, medicolegal requirements, and pertinent statistics sufficient to perform complex diagnostic tests.

Serves as a recognized technical expert (technical consultant or technical supervisor as mandated by CLIA) to provide authoritative advice and consultation in areas of quality control/assurance, records control, proficiency testing, inspection, and accreditation to all levels of the organization.

The Supervisory CLS is responsible for all aspects of operation in their area of specialty, including assignment of work responsibilities, workload management, and completion of assignments for staff at or above the FPL. Facilitates team or unit processes by working in collaboration with team members to ensure tasks are completed and team priorities, goals, needs and achievements are coordinated with management.

Prepares reports, develops policy and procedure, and maintains records and administrative information. Develops procedures for new tests and modifies existing procedures or methods to resolve problems relative to complex and difficult testing situations.

Prepares and presents information to program manager or serviced chief. Creates, applies, and monitors reengineering and continuous performance improvement initiatives, both withinthe program and/or the organization. Identifies, defines, and resolves issues associated with complex aspects of the data and ensures the validity of data in relation to the test systems.

The incumbent is responsible for coordination of staff training in the methods and techniques of the appropriate laboratory specialty area. Identifies continuing education, training needs and performs and maintains staff competency assessment records to meet regulatory guidelines.

Manages fiscal matters of the area supervised, forecasts resource and equipment need, and administers the allocated budget.


Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Work Schedule: Mon-Fri 7:30am to 4pm
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VISN2EDRPCoordinators@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
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 #: 11913F
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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: To qualify for appointment to this position, all applicants must possess the following:

• United States Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
• Education. A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university.
• Certification. Candidates must meet one of the certification options below.

1. (a) Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT.
2. (b) Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT.
3. (c) Categorical certification or Specialist certification by ASCP or AMT.

• Loss of Credential. If an employee fails to maintain the required certification, management officials, in collaboration with HR Office staff, must immediately remove the employee from duties and responsibilities associated with this occupation. This may also result in separation from employment.
• 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 in 4c above automatically determines the foreign education as creditable and no further documentation or proof of equivalency is needed.

• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403 (f).

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).

Experience.

(1) Creditable Experience. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with current CLS practices. The experience satisfying this requirement may be paid or non-paid employment as a CLS in the health care field. Research laboratory experience does not fulfill this requirement.

(2) Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to a full-time workweek. For example, an individual employed 20 hours per week, or on a half-time basis, would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service.

(3) Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to CLS experience at the next lower grade level of the position being filled. For all assignments above the full performance level (FPL), the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity, and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, candidates must meet the following grade-determining criteria for placement at grade levels specified.

Clinical Laboratory Scientist, GS-13 Assignments.

General. For all GS-13 assignments above the FPL, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety, and be performed by the CLS at least 25% of the time.

Experience.1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level is required for all GS-13 assignments.

Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist (Laboratory Manager), GS-13. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

(A) Knowledge of regulatory, licensing, accrediting agency requirements and statutes governing clinical laboratory operations used in planning, implementing, and monitoring laboratory programs and services.

(B) Skill in problem solving and applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to measure and improve program effectiveness and/or organizational productivity.

(C) Skill to develop new or modified work methods, organizational structures, records and files, management processes, and staffing patterns.

(D) Skill in administrative management such as budgeting, contracting, procurement, and property management in accordance with VHA regulations.

(E) Ability to balance administrative and clinical functions to coordinate and manage programs and resources.

(F) Ability to plan and execute short-range and long-range programs and/or goals through project management and tactical/strategic planning.

(G) Ability to effectively communicate, orally and in writing, technical information with a wide variety of individuals including senior managers in a medical center or health care setting or higher-level managers in regional or national offices (for example, VISN-level staff and VHA Central Office staff).

Preferred Experience: At 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower level.

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS 13.

Physical Requirements: There are no physical requirements for this occupation per OCHCO Communications email to VA Handbook 5019, updated on 4/17/2026.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Area of consideration. Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred to hiring manager/s in the following order:
First area of consideration current permanent Facility employees VA Finger Lakes Health care system
Second area of consideration current permanent Department of Veterans Affairs employees
Third area of consideration: US Citizens

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all questions by addressing your work experience in detail.

Note: Please ensure your resume includes details of your experience that fully demonstrate the required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) as described in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement.

Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.

NOTE: If you are claiming Agency or Federal Employee Eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent (not more than 1 year old) Notification of Personnel Action, SF-50 (Not an award SF-50). Your SF-50 must include:

• Position title, pay plan/series/grade
• Tenure code
• Position Occupied - type of appointment (Competitive or Excepted)

Within Grade Increase, General Adjustments, or Promotion SF-50's are best, Award SF-50's do not include this pertinent information.

Veterans' Preference: Does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees. The Clinical Laboratory Scientist (GS-0644) is currently on the FY 2026 VHA shortage occupations approved for waiver of Veterans' preference

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