Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist (Laboratory Manager)

The Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist (CLS) Laboratory Manager is part of the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service (P&LMS). The Laboratory Manager exercises a full range of supervisory responsibilities to plan, direct, and assess work of subordinate staff. The Laboratory Manager supervises a contingent of laboratory personnel and plans and assigns work based on priorities, requirements of assignments, and abilities of employees.

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS.

To qualify for appointment to this position, all applicants must possess the following: a. 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). b. Education. A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university. c. Certification. (1) Candidates must meet one of the certification options below. (a) Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT. (b) Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT. (c) Categorical certification or Specialist certification by ASCP or

AMT. NOTE

Categorical and specialist certifications are not acceptable for CLS Generalist positions or lab sections unrelated to the categorical or specialist certification held. Categorical or specialist certifications are acceptable for higher-graded positions within the relevant lab section or one of the non-section specific assignments (including, Ancillary Testing Coordinator, Education Coordinator, Laboratory Information Manager, Quality Manager, Laboratory Manager, Regional Technical Specialist, National Quality and Compliance Agent, Regional Program Manager, Regional Director, Laboratory Director, or National Quality and Compliance Officer). (2) Exception for Non-Certified. (a) Applicants who do not currently hold valid certification may be hired by VA and actively work toward their certification if they meet one of the routes identified in Appendix A that makes them eligible to take the MLS certification exam through the ASCP BOC or the MLS certification exam through AMT Certification Agency. (b) Non-Certified applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for licensure may be given a temporary appointment CLS under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2). (c) Non-Certified individuals may only provide care under the supervision of a certified CLS at or above the FPL. (d) Non-certified individuals may only be appointed at the entry level and may not be promoted/converted until certification is obtained. (e) Temporary appointments of non-certified CLS may not be extended beyond 2 years or be converted to a new temporary appointment. (3) Failure to Obtain Certification. In all cases, CLSs must actively work to meet requirements for certification starting from the date of their placement into the occupation. At the time of appointment, the Human Resources (HR) Office staff, in collaboration with the supervisor, will provide the employee with the written requirements for certification, including the time by which the certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming certified by the deadline. Failure to obtain certification during this time period may result in separation from employment. d. 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 above automatically determines the foreign education as creditable and no further documentation or proof of equivalency is needed. e. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403.

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. (1) 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. (2) Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist (Laboratory Manager), GS-13. Experience. 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level is required for all GS-13 assignments. (3) 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).

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.