Lab Operations Manager - NM Huntley Hospital - Northwestern Memorial Healthcare

At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry. As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better healthcare, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system. At Northwestern Medicine, we pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, we take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better?

The Lab Operations Manager reflects the mission, vision, and values of Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital and adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards.

The Manager collaborates with leadership to advance quality strategies, ensure a professional work environment, facilitate timeliness of services, and enhance patient satisfaction.  The Manager is responsible for fiscal, human resource, and quality outcomes for their defined service area or unit. The Manager places the needs of the patient and other customers as a first priority and demonstrates the skills necessary to meet and exceed expectations. The Manager focuses others on a clearly defined, clearly communicated vision and engages individuals and groups to achieve that vision.  The Manager identifies and develops organizational talent and embraces continuous learning of self and others.

Responsibilities:

• Attracts, develops, and retains exceptional service providers and provides those individuals with an environment that fosters excellence through continuous learning:
  • Collaborates with Human Resources and other managers to ensure appropriate staffing
  • Advances innovative retention strategies for staff
  • Collaboratively manages the disciplinary process when appropriate
  • Facilitates the annual performance review process
  • Ensures application of staffing tools
  • Facilitates on-boarding of new staff
• Manages people and resources in laboratory sites within hospitals and long-term care facilities to ensure safe and efficient patient care operations:
  • Assumes 24-hour accountability for quality of patient care, human resources, and overall function.
  • In conjunction with the Laboratory Medical Director and Laboratory Outreach Director, develops section-based goals to support hospital and outreach mission and objectives.
  • Ensures that staff exhibit Patients First standards.
  • Facilitates a multi-disciplinary and collaborative approach to patient care and interdepartmental problem solving/service delivery.
  • Develops and maintains relationships with all customers and suppliers.
  • Assures that service standards are developed, implemented and evaluated.
  • Creates an environment of high morale and motivated professionals.
  • Ensures that the environment is clean and attractive, safe, and free from hazards for patients, staff and visitors.
  • Assumes delegated management responsibilities in the absence of the Director.
  • Maintains productivity systems.
  • Facilitates planned growth in new program areas.
  • Participates and takes leadership roles in Hospital Committees as appropriate.
• Establishes, implements, and monitors the unit or service area’s capital and operating budget to achieve defined targets:
  • Creates annual operating budget and is accountable for monthly financial performance
  • Creates and implements new and replacement capital requests and departmental projects
  • Partners with leadership to advance improvement initiatives and opportunities
• Leads the development and implementation of approaches to attain maximum quality and efficiency of service provision:
  • Supports continuous quality improvement initiatives during the Define, Measure, Analyze, Implement, Control (DMAIC) phase
  • Monitors and reports on departmental regulatory compliance
  • Monitors and reports upon departmental productivity (statistics) and works with the management team to strategize means to maximize output. Develops tools/metrics necessary to adequately assess departmental performance
  • Incorporates results of compliance audits in the improvement of services and enhancement of patient care consistent with hospital policy
• Quality of Care and Service Management:
  • Develops and maintains a quality management system which allows for consistent evaluation and improvement of services and products in relation to physician and patient care requirements. Documents all significant activities and takes corrective action as necessary.
  • Attends Clinical Care Evaluation Committee (CCEC)
  • Designs and implements clinical protocols and quality improvements
  • Develops systems for improvement of the department’s services provided in relation to physician and patient care requirements.
  • Ensures Quality Dashboards are achieved
  • Involved in patient care issue follow-up
  • Incorporates results of QM audits in the improvement of services and enhancement of patient care consistent with hospital policy.
• Customer Focus:
  • Clearly identifies the internal and external customer(s) for their unit or service area and their respective requirements/expectations.
  • Actively seeks methods of concurrent and retrospective feedback from customers, listens to customer feedback and implements solutions and/or interventions as appropriate.
• Creative Leadership:
  • Translates organizational vision into a unit or service area vision that engages staff in contributing to and achieving that vision.
• Coaching and Development:
  • Provides daily, just-in-time feedback to improve performance and self-esteem of staff.
  • Tracks coaching discussions and actual performance of associates to ensure accountability.
  • Seeks ways to match staff members’ talents and career interests with organizational opportunities.
• Continuous Learning:
  • Continually examines ways to improve business relationships with customers, suppliers, community, etc.
  • Seeks and is open to new ideas from a wide range of sources; encourages others to share knowledge and best practices.
• Additional Key Functions:
  • Ensures compliance with applicable federal, state, local, AABB, FDA, TJC, CAP, CLIA, multi-disciplinary, hospital regulations, policies and procedures.
  • Participates in planning and maintenance of the laboratory information system (LIS).
  • Participates in the strategic planning/goal-setting for the department, including the implementation of new technologies and services.

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree
• Demonstrates personal alignment with Northwestern Medicine’s core values of integrity, excellence, patients first, and teamwork.
• Demonstrates effective communication and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrates the ability to plan, organize, and direct the activities of others.

Preferred:

• Master’s degree
• Certification in area of specialty or administration
• Laboratory certification (ASCP)

Northwestern Medicine is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.