Manager, National Donor Testing Services (NDTS) Laboratory

Join our team of heroes! The Manager of National Donor Testing Services (NDTS) provides operational, technical, and people leadership for a high-complexity donor testing laboratory. This role is accountable for ensuring the timely, accurate, and compliant testing of donor specimens while maintaining uninterrupted laboratory operations that support patient safety, hospital partners, and the national blood supply.

Responsibilities

• Operational Leadership (35%)
  • Develop workforce plans and staffing models to support operational demands and future growth.
  • Manage departmental expenses and operating budgets to ensure efficient use of organizational resources.
  • Monitor laboratory capacity and implement contingency plans to maintain business continuity.
  • Oversee daily NDTS Laboratory operations, ensuring timely testing completion and reporting of donor samples across all testing platforms.
  • Monitor workflow, productivity, and turnaround time to ensure consistent service delivery to internal and external stakeholders.
  • Allocate resources effectively, including staffing, instrumentation, and test batches to maintain uninterrupted testing operations.
  • Ensure adequate inventory of reagents, supplies, and equipment needed for continuous laboratory operations.
  • Monitor metrics to ensure the department achieves departmental goals.
  • Develop and administer departmental budget, maintain adequate staffing for the laboratory and maintain technical abilities to evaluate and instruct staff and students in the department.
  • Determine priority goals for multiple projects, make independent decisions, provide leadership, exhibit good judgment and maintain perspective in unusual or stressful situations.
• Quality & Compliance (25%)
  • Ensure inspection readiness and serve as a key contact during regulatory audits and accreditation reviews.
  • Assess operational risks and implement mitigation strategies to support patient safety and organizational compliance.
  • Promote a culture of inclusion, accountability, recognition, and continuous learning.
  • Ensure testing processes and documentation comply with all applicable regulations, including FDA, AABB, CLIA, and CAP and state regulatory bodies.
  • Oversee quality assurance activities, including proficiency testing, deviation review, nonconformance investigations, and corrective/preventive actions (CAPA).
  • Monitor preparation for audits, inspections, and regulatory reporting requirements.
  • Maintain validated processes and ensure staff adherence to SOPs and safety standards.
• Staff Leadership & Development (25%)
  • Provide coaching, mentoring, and technical leadership to develop employee capabilities, engagement, and succession readiness.
  • Supervise NDTS laboratory personnel, including hiring, training, scheduling, and performance management.
  • Establish clear performance expectations and foster a culture of accountability and continuous learning.
  • Ensure competency assessments and ongoing training are completed on time and aligned with regulatory requirements.
  • Perform annual and semi-annual performance appraisals of direct reports.
  • Directly supervise NDTS laboratory personnel, including Assistant Managers, Coordinators, Technologists, Technicians, and support staff.
  • Responsible for workforce planning, recruitment, training, scheduling, performance management, employee engagement, and succession planning.
  • Ensure compliance with all organizational policies, laboratory standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Continuous Improvement & Strategic Support (15%)
  • Lead or support operational improvement initiatives, including process optimization, workflow redesign, and automation projects.
  • Monitor and analyze key operational metrics to drive evidence-based decisions.
  • Partner with cross-functional teams such as Quality, Donor Services, Hospital Services, and Supply Chain to ensure alignment of testing capabilities with organizational needs.
  • Contribute to business continuity, disaster recovery, and emergency preparedness planning for laboratory operations.
  • Identify opportunities for automation, standardization, and process optimization to improve service delivery and operational efficiency.
  • Support organizational strategic initiatives and long-range laboratory planning efforts.
  • Complete at least eight (8) hours of continuing education per year.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Medical Laboratory Science, Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCP or equivalent), Biology, Chemistry or related field.
• Current certification as MT/MLS (ASCP) or equivalent.
• Experience within donor testing, blood banking, immunohematology, molecular diagnostics, or transfusion medicine strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience managing quality systems, regulatory inspections, and operational performance metrics.
• Minimum five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in a high-complexity laboratory environment.
• Minimum two (2) years of leadership or supervisory experience managing technical staff.
• Strong working knowledge of FDA, AABB, CLIA, CAP, OSHA, and other applicable regulatory requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in donor testing, blood banking, immunohematology, molecular diagnostics, transfusion medicine, or related laboratory disciplines strongly preferred.
• Experience in donor testing, infectious disease testing, molecular assay management, or high-volume automated laboratory environments.
• Experience implementing laboratory automation, laboratory information system (LIS) enhancements, or operational improvement initiatives.
• Knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience managing departmental budgets and resource planning.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to stand, walk, lift up to 20 pounds, and operate laboratory equipment.
• Ability to work flexible hours to support after-hours operational needs as required.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Laboratory Environment with exposure to biological specimens and chemical reagents.

Schedule

• Must be regularly available to work at least 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week.
• Must be available and willing to work such overtime and/or weekends and holidays as determined necessary or desirable to meet business needs.

About Us

Since 1975, Gulf Coast Blood has been one of the nation’s largest community blood centers, serving 170 hospitals across 26 counties. Headquartered in Houston, we support the world’s largest medical complex—the Texas Medical Center—while operating 18 donor centers and hosting more than 7,000 mobile blood drives each year. As an FDA-accredited nonprofit, we provide high-quality human cellular material for both scientific and therapeutic use.