Lead Laboratory Technologist - UVA Cancer Care Laboratories

Cancer care depends on precise, reliable laboratory services, and this role offers a unique opportunity to help build and shape the future of oncology laboratory operations at UVA Health. As the Lead Technologist specializing in the Cancer Care laboratories, you will serve as the technical expert supporting the expansion of specialized cancer laboratory services across multiple outpatient locations while helping ensure the highest standards of quality, compliance, and patient care.

This is a rare opportunity for an experienced Medical Laboratory Professional who wants to move beyond a traditional bench role and take ownership of technical operations, instrumentation, quality, validation, and competency management across a growing cancer laboratory network. You'll have the opportunity to work closely with laboratory leadership, clinicians, and the medical director while directly contributing to the care of oncology patients throughout the region.

The Laboratory Lead Technologist serves as the primary technical resource for Cancer Care Laboratories located at Emily Couric Cancer Center, Pantops, and Fishersville/Augusta. This position combines hands-on laboratory expertise, technical leadership, quality oversight, and training responsibilities in a highly collaborative patient-care environment.

During the initial growth phase, you will play a critical role in helping establish and expand laboratory operations while supporting instrumentation implementation, validation activities, and regulatory readiness. As the laboratories become fully operational, you'll continue to provide technical leadership, quality oversight, troubleshooting support, and staff development across all locations.

In this role, you will:

• Lead technical operations across multiple cancer care laboratory locations.
• Support laboratory startup, expansion, and implementation initiatives.
• Perform and oversee instrument validations, correlations, and technical assessments.
• Partner with the medical director and laboratory leadership on quality and compliance initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with CAP standards and accreditation requirements.
• Monitor quality assurance metrics and continuous improvement activities.
• Troubleshoot instrumentation, assay, workflow, and technical performance issues.
• Support onboarding, training, competency assessment, and cross-training of laboratory staff.
• Serve as a technical resource for laboratory team members and clinical partners.
• Collaborate closely with phlebotomy, courier, clinical, and Core Laboratory teams.
• Travel between laboratory locations based on operational needs.
• Remain actively engaged in daily laboratory operations while providing leadership support.

This role offers significant autonomy and is ideal for a technologist who enjoys balancing technical expertise, quality oversight, mentorship, and operational leadership while remaining connected to direct patient care support.

UVA Health is one of the nation's leading academic health systems, recognized for clinical excellence, innovation, research, and a commitment to advancing patient care. The Cancer Care Laboratory team plays a critical role in supporting oncology clinicians and patients through high-quality diagnostic testing that directly impacts treatment decisions and outcomes.

What makes this opportunity especially attractive:

• Help build and launch an expanding cancer laboratory network supporting multiple oncology care locations.
• Serve as the technical leader for instrumentation, validation, quality, competency, and regulatory compliance.
• Work closely with the Medical Director and experienced Core Laboratory specialists.
• Enjoy meaningful autonomy and influence in designing technical workflows and operational best…