Medical Laboratory Scientist Lead - Chemistry, Renton Lab: Core Reference Lab

Job Description

$4,000 recruitment incentive for eligible new employees joining the UW Medicine team.

The UW Medicine - Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology (DLMP) in Renton, WA has a fantastic opportunity for a Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) Lead - Chemistry with the Core Reference Lab Team at the Renton Central Laboratory.

The MLS Lead oversees the automated testing system of the Chemistry Section of the Core Reference Laboratory. The MLS Lead provides advanced technical expertise, workflow oversight, and operational leadership to enhance performance and optimization. This role ensures consistent, high-quality clinical laboratory testing by coordinating daily operations and work assignments, training, mentoring, evaluating, and guiding staff, performing method validation, troubleshooting instrument and assay issues, and maintaining regulatory compliance.

The MLS Lead acts as the primary resource for the clinical process by collaborating with managers, supervisors, and medical directors, writing and maintaining SOPs, setting up benches, conducting validation studies, setting up new equipment and validation protocols, and ensuring and contributing to an efficient, safe, and patient-focused lab environment. The MLS Lead may perform duties of an MLS 1 and MLS 2.

• 100% FTE

• Work schedule to be discussed with the hiring manager

• Day shift

• Participate in interviewing, hiring, and performance evaluation processes as requested.

• Support a culture of professionalism, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

• Support Total Laboratory Automation workflow.

• Oversee day-to-day operations of the Core Lab section.

• Prioritize and distribute work assignments based on staffing, efficiency, workload, and turnaround-time requirements.

• Serve as the primary technical resource for technologists and technicians.

• Provide real-time guidance, coaching, mentorship, and performance feedback.

• Escalate staff performance issues to manager when corrective action is needed.

• Assist leadership with workforce planning, scheduling, and staffing adjustments.

• Promote a culture of teamwork, respect, and continuous quality improvement.

• Act as a backup for the manager, if needed.

• Maintain strong theoretical and practical knowledge of all procedures in the section.

• Lead development, evaluation, validation, and implementation of new assays and methodologies.

• Work with faculty to troubleshoot assay issues, resolve instrument or method problems, and improve test performance.

• Develop and manage written current and new instrument/assay validation protocols and perform validation studies.

• Oversee preventive maintenance and instrument care performed by staff, SID teams, and vendors.

• Maintain expert knowledge of instruments, essays, and analytical processes.

• Lead investigation and resolution of instrument failures, QC flags, calibration issues, and workflow disruptions.

• Collaborate with medical directors, supervisors, and vendors on instrumentation performance, assay optimization, and workflow improvements.

• Support method evaluation, validation, and implementation of new tests and equipment.

• Evaluate and optimize workflow to maintain high-volume efficiency and target turnaround times.

• Ensure processes comply with CAP, CLIA, and organizational standards.

• Review QC, proficiency testing results, and quality dashboards; initiate corrective action as needed.

• Oversee section QA activities, including documentation, maintenance logs, and quality indicators.

• Maintain inspection readiness by enforcing regulatory standards and participating in audits, corrective actions, improvement plans, and CAP inspections.

• Develop and maintain training and competency documentation for all tests performed.

• Train new employees, students, and rotating staff on chemistry instrumentation, workflows, and procedures.

• Develop and maintain training materials, competency assessments, and procedure documentation.

• Provide ongoing education and in-services when updates or changes occur.

• Support staff development by…