Clinical Laboratory Supervisor

ST. CHARLES HEALTH SYSTEM

JOB DESCRIPTION

TITLE:                                     Clinical Laboratory Supervisor

REPORTS TO POSITION:     Laboratory Manager (Varies by Assigned Location(s))

DEPARTMENT:                      Laboratory

DATE LAST REVIEWED:       May 2026

OUR VISION:                          Creating America’s healthiest community, together

OUR MISSION:                       In the spirit of love and compassion, better health, better care, better value

OUR VALUES:                         Accountability, Caring, Teamwork, and Safety

DEPARTMENT SUMMARY: The laboratory departments provide many services to our multi-hospital organization and outreach community including: blood collection, processing, testing, and reporting of results, spanning all disciplines of laboratory medicine.

POSITION OVERVIEW: The Clinical Laboratory Supervisor is a frontline leadership role responsible for overseeing daily operations, quality, regulatory compliance, and staff performance across one or more clinical laboratory sites. This role functions as both a technical expert and people leader, ensuring safe, efficient, and high-quality laboratory services across all phases of testing (pre-analytic, analytic, and post-analytic). This role may fulfill the responsibilities of a Technical Supervisor, General Supervisor, or Testing Personnel as defined by CLIA (42 CFR 493), as delegated by the Laboratory Director, based on qualifications and assigned scope of responsibility.

The Supervisor partners with Laboratory Leadership to drive operational excellence, workforce engagement, continuous improvement, and high reliability in patient care delivery.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES:

Operational Leadership

• Oversee day-to-day laboratory operations to ensure timely, accurate, and efficient test results.

• Coordinate staffing, scheduling, and workload distribution to meet service demands and productivity targets.

• Maintain operational readiness across sites, including equipment, supplies, and workflow optimization.

• Serve as an on-site resource for troubleshooting technical, operational, and service issues.

Quality & Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory and accreditation standards (e.g., CLIA, CAP, TJC, OSHA).

• Monitor quality indicators, turnaround times, proficiency testing, and error trends; implement corrective actions.

• Maintain and update policies, procedures, and quality documentation.

• Lead or support inspections, audits, and readiness activities.

People Leadership & Talent Development

• Directly supervise laboratory staff, including hiring, onboarding, coaching, and performance management.

• Conduct competency assessments, annual evaluations, and ongoing skills validation.

• Foster a culture of accountability, engagement, and continuous professional development.

• Support retention strategies and workforce planning initiatives.

Clinical & Technical Oversight

• Perform testing as needed and maintain competency across assigned disciplines.

• Provide technical consultation to staff, providers, and customers.

• Evaluate and validate new instruments, methodologies, and test implementations.

• Ensure proper maintenance, calibration, and performance verification of laboratory equipment.

• Ensures technical and general supervision requirements are met in accordance with CLIA regulations, including oversight of test performance, quality systems, and personnel competency, as delegated by the Laboratory Director.

Financial & Resource Management

• Assist with budgeting, expense monitoring, and cost-containment initiatives.

• Support capital planning, supply chain management, and utilization review.

• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce waste.

Continuous Improvement & Strategy

• Lead and support process improvement initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma, or similar methodologies.

• Analyze workflows and data to drive operational enhancements and patient outcomes.

• Support system-wide standardization and best practice adoption across sites.

• Champion a culture of safety, high reliability, and patient-centered care.

Customer Service & Collaboration

• Promote excellent customer service for patients, providers, and internal stakeholders.

• Collaborate with nursing, medical staff, and other departments to improve care coordination.

• Serve as a liaison between laboratory staff and leadership.

Supports the vision, mission, and values of the organization in all respects.

Provides and maintains a safe environment for caregivers, patients, and guests.

Conducts all activities with the highest standards of professionalism and confidentiality.  Complies with all applicable laws, regulations, policies and procedures, supporting the organization’s corporate integrity efforts by acting in an ethical and appropriate manner, reporting known or suspected violation of applicable rules, and cooperating fully with all organizational investigations and proceedings.

Delivers customer service and/or patient care in a manner that promotes goodwill, is timely, efficient, and accurate. 

May perform additional duties of similar complexity within the organization, as required or assigned.

EDUCATION:

Required: Bachelor’s degree in Medical Laboratory Science, Clinical Laboratory Science, or related field.     

Preferred: N/A 

LICENSURE/CERTIFICATION/REGISTRATION:

Required: Current national certification as a Medical Laboratory Scientist/Technologist (e.g., ASCP, AMT, AAB or equivalent).

Preferred: Specialist in Blood Banking (SBB) certification, for candidates overseeing transfusion services.

EXPERIENCE:

Required: Minimum 3-5 years of clinical laboratory experience. Demonstrated experience in at least one core laboratory discipline.  

Preferred: Multi-site or multi-discipline laboratory experience. Experience with Lean, Six Sigma, or structured process improvement. Knowledge of laboratory information systems (LIS) and data analytics tools. Experience with regulatory inspections (CAP, CLIA, TJC). 

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT:

Must be able to wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required to perform the job safely.

ADDITIONAL POSITION INFORMATION:

Core Competencies

• Leadership and team development

• Operational and workflow management

• Quality and regulatory expertise

• Financial and business acumen

• Problem-solving and decision-making

• Communication and collaboration

• Continuous improvement mindset

Work Environment & Expectations

• May function as a working supervisor, including bench responsibilities based on operational needs.

• May support multiple laboratory locations; travel between sites may be required.

• Ability to travel between SCHS worksites as needed.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Continually (75% or more): Use of clear and audible speaking voice and the ability to hear normal speech level.

• Frequently (50%): Sitting, keyboarding operation

• Occasionally (25%): Standing and walking lifting/carrying/pushing or pulling 1-10 pounds, grasping/squeezing, operation of a motor vehicle

• Rarely (10%):  Bending, stooping/kneeling/crouching climbing stairs climbing ladder/step-stool (varies by area) reaching overhead lifting/carrying/pushing or pulling 11-25 pounds.

• Exposure to Elemental Factors

• Rarely (10%): chemical solution

• Blood-Borne Pathogen (BBP) Exposure Category

• Risk for Exposure to BBP

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