Laboratory Manager-Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center
JOB SUMMARY:
The Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer's Center seeks qualified applicants for a Laboratory Manager who will be responsible for coordinating and executing biospecimen processing and brain autopsy pipeline goals.
The ideal candidate is a leader who has wet-lab research experience and an understanding of experimental methods. Proficiency in all Microsoft applications, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint and REDCap is essential. The ideal candidate should have excellent organizational, time management, and interpersonal skills; self-discipline; exceptional attention to detail; and be able to master responsibilities quickly and independently while working collaboratively as part of an interdisciplinary team in a fast-paced environment. Prior experience working with fluid and tissue biospecimens is preferred but not required.
DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:
The Department of Neurology has doubled in size over the last five years and continues to grow and expand, adding both clinical providers and administrative team members to support this growth. The department is looking for forward-thinking team members who are looking to learn, grow, and expand their skill sets. The ideal applicant will be flexible and adaptable, will offer solution-oriented suggestions, and will serve as a critical thinker, with a focus on quality and accuracy.
POSITION SUMMARY: Full-Time, Exempt
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Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center:
Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery and patient care, VUMC is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded and your abilities challenged. It is a place where your diversity -- of culture, thinking, learning and leading -- is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt's mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.
VUMC Recent Accomplishments
Because we are committed to providing the best in patient care, education and research, we are proud of our recent accomplishments:
US News & World Report: #1 Adult Hospital in Tennessee and metropolitan Nashville, named to the Best Hospitals Honor Roll of the top 20 adult hospitals, 10 nationally ranked adult specialty programs, with 3 specialties rated in the top 10 nationally, Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt named as one of the Best Children's Hospital in the nation, with 10 out of 10 pediatric specialties nationally ranked.
Healthcare's Most Wired: Among the nation's 100 "most-wired" hospitals and health systems for its efforts in innovative medical technology.
Becker's Hospital Review: named as one of the "100 Great Hospitals in America", in the roster of 100 Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Oncology Programs and to its list of the 100 Hospitals with Great Heart Programs.
The Leapfrog Group: One of only 10 children's hospitals in the to be named at Leapfrog Top Hospital.
American Association for the Advancement of Science: The School of Medicine has 112 elected fellows
Magnet Recognition Program: Received our third consecutive Magnet designations.
National Academy of Medicine: 22 members, elected by their peers in recognition of outstanding achievement
Human Rights Campaign Healthcare Equality Index: 6th year in a row that Vanderbilt University Medical Center was a Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Initiate and oversee the development and maintenance of standard operating procedures and methods for the newly established brain autopsy and fluid biospecimen processing pipelines.
Oversee and perform all fluid biospecimen processing and brain autopsy procedures for multiple large-scale studies.
Prepare and monitor budget expenditures as related to the needs of fluid biospecimen and brain autopsy protocols.
Ensure effective instrument/equipment use and quality control of laboratory.
Ensure accuracy and reliability of laboratory operations, assays, and protocols.
In collaboration with Center leadership, develop new and modify existing methodology and protocols.
Perform, interpret, and evaluate research methods related to the biospecimen pipelines, including procurement, shipping, and storage of fluid and tissue donations in collaboration with institutional and external resources and partnerships.
Serve as a resource to Center colleagues and collaborators, including performing biospecimen processing.
Serve as a training resource for team members and Center collaborators collecting and performing biospecimen processing. Ensure competency in standard laboratory procedures.
TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES:
OPERATIONS PLANNING - (ADVANCED):- Demonstrates ability to anticipate resource needs, identify discrete tasks, set priorities, define dependencies, schedule activities, meet deadlines, and organize work for a diverse, multi-functional area. Continuously monitors and follows up on buyins and commitments. Competently handles multiple assignments, projects, and units simultaneously, balancing and scheduling tasks requiring dependencies and those which can be accomplished independently. Accurately estimates and plans complex projects and assignments. Improves work procedures and systems in the environment. Makes major contributions to the success of task force groups. Maintains perspective between the overall picture and the details.
PEOPLE MANAGEMENT - (ADVANCED):- Adapts management style to meet the unique needs of individuals. Trains and assesses others in the application of management techniques. Understands the nature of team dynamics and organizational behavior. Demonstrates the utilization and understanding of different styles of management to meet different individual needs of job objectives. Outstanding proponent of company values as applied on the job.
COMPLIANCE - (ADVANCED):- Demonstrates expert knowledge of the appropriate rules and regulations as they apply to the incumbent's department and work areas. Analyzes the rules and regulations for situations that are unusual and knows the inter- relationship and implication of various rules and regulations in other areas of the department. Understands the flow of rules and regulations beyond the work area and can converse intelligently about alternatives and make recommendations for more effective rules and regulations to senior management. May represent the company at regional industry organizations meetings for discussing rules and regulations.
LABORATORY PRACTICES (ADVANCED):- Demonstrates the uppermost levels of expertise in applying laboratory practices in challenging and complex situations. Often takes a lead role in highly pressurized situations when there is a need to achieve results. Consistently delivers products and services using laboratory practices in a creative and imaginative manner while setting a standard for others. Actively participates in outside professional organizations and forums. Contributes in the development of best practices for the organization.
QUALITY ASSURANCE (ADVANCED):- Understands the goal of increasing organizational productivity and individual performance by making the products and services within your work assignments more efficient and more effective.
MENTORING & COACHING - (ADVANCED):- Demonstrates high levels of training and mentoring expertise in challenging and complex situations. Often takes a lead role in highly pressurized situations when there is a need to achieve training results. Consistently provides training and mentoring in a creative and imaginative manner while setting a standard for others. Knows how to use failure as a learning process in a constructive way, replacing contention and conflict with enthusiasm and confidence. Personalizes the impact of behavior on performance and assignments. Has a proven track record of providing constructive suggestions, facilitating implementation of programs and improvements, recognizing achievements individually and reinforcing success.
CORE ACCOUNTABILITIES:
Organizational Impact: Directs activities to achieve operational plans with some near term effect on results of the department/area.
Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Identifies issues, gathers facts to resolve technical and operational problems.
Breadth of Knowledge: Applies in-depth knowledge and skills of a professional/technical area and basic management knowledge to manage the work of the team.
Team Interaction: Leads a complex department with a focus on implementation. Typically executes on a short to medium term strategies.
CORE CAPABILITIES:
SUPPORTING COLLEAGUES:
Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance and gain knowledge in new areas.
Builds and Maintains Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships.
Communicates Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies one's own communication style to suit different situations and audiences.
DELIVERING EXCELLENT SERVICES:
Serves Others with Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them.
Solves Complex Problems: Approaches problems from different angles; Identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions.
Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees' effectiveness.
ENSURING HIGH QUALITY:
Performs Excellent Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly.
Ensures Continuous Improvement: Applies various learning experiences by looking beyond symptoms to uncover underlying causes of problems and identifies ways to resolve them.
Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring.
MANAGING RESOURCES EFFECTIVELY:
Demonstrates Accountability: Demonstrates a sense of ownership, focusing on and driving critical issues to closure.
Stewards Organizational Resources: Applies understanding of the departmental work to effectively manage resources for a department/area.
Makes Data Driven Decisions: Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities.
FOSTERING INNOVATION:
Generates New Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches.
Applies Technology: Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short-term challenges.
Adapts to Change: Views difficult situations and/or problems as opportunities for improvement; actively embraces change instead of emphasizing negative elements.
Light Work category requiring exertion up to 20 lbs. of force occasionally and uses negligible amounts of force to move objects.
Movement
Occasional: Sitting: Remaining in seated position
Occasional: Standing: Remaining on one's feet without moving.
Occasional: Walking: Moving about on foot.
Occasional: Lifting under 35 lbs: Raising and lowering objects under 35 lbs from one level to another
Occasional: Push/Pull: Exerting force to move objects away from or toward.
Occasional: Bending/Stooping: Trunk bending downward and forward by bending spine at waist requiring full use of lower extremities and back muscles
Occasional: Crawling:Moving about on hands and knees or hands and feet.
Occasional: Reaching below shoulders: Extending arms in any direction below shoulders.
Occasional: Handling: Seizing, holding, grasping, turning or otherwise working with hand or hands.
Sensory
Occasional: Vision: Clarity of near vision at 20 inches or less and far vision at 20 feet or more with depth perception, peripheral vision, color vision.
Frequent: Noise: May include exposure to occupational noise levels which equal or exceed an 8-hr time-weighted average of 85 decibels, requiring enrollment in VUMC's Hearing Conservation Program which includes training, use of hearing protection, and periodic audiometry.
Continuous: Communication: Expressing or exchanging written/verbal/electronic information.
Environmental Conditions
Occasional: Chemicals and Gasses: Medications, cleaning chemicals, oxygen, other medical gases used in work area.
Occasional: Pathogens: Risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens and other contagious illnesses.
Occasional: Radiation: May be exposed to occupational radiation, requiring enrollment in VUMC's Radiation Safety Program which includes training, use of personal protective equipment with lead shielding, and personal dose monitoring.
Occasional: Climate: Ability to withstand exposure to atmospheric extremes including heat, cold, humidity, and barometric pressure changes.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center is home to Vanderbilt University Hospital, The Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, the Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital and the Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital. These hospitals experienced more than 61,000 inpatient admissions during fiscal year 2015. Vanderbilt’s adult and pediatric clinics treated nearly 2 million patients during this same period. Vanderbilt University Hospital and the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt are recognized again this year by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals as among the nation’s best with 18 nationally ranked specialties. Vanderbilt University Medical Center is world renowned because of the innovation, work ethic and collegiality of its employees. From our health care advances to our compassionate care, Vanderbilt owes its accomplishments and reputation to staff and faculty who bring skill and drive and innovation to the medical center day after day. World-leading academic departments and comprehensive centers of excellence pursue scientific discoveries and transformational educational and clinical advances across the entire spectrum of health and disease.As t...he largest employer in middle Tennessee, we welcome those who are interested in ongoing development in a caring, culturally sensitive and professional atmosphere. Most of us spend so much of our lives at work, we want to be part of maintaining a workplace in which people support one another and encourage reaching for excellence. Many high-achieving employees stay at Vanderbilt because of the professional growth they experience and because of their appreciation of Vanderbilt’s benefits, public events and discussions, athletic opportunities, beautiful setting and, above all, sense of community and purpose.Vanderbilt and its employees share a set of mutual expectations that have been created with productivity, legality, fairness and safety always in mind. We believe that our investment in training and compensating employees multiplies in value when we enable individuals to deliver their best performance for the benefit of us all.
