Technical Advisor for Clinical Lab

About FCS

Since 1984, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) has built a national reputation for excellence. With over 250 physicians, 220 nurse practitioners and physician assistants, and nearly 100 locations, FCS utilizes innovative clinical research, cutting-edge technologies, and advanced treatments to provide world-class cancer care. Recognized by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) with a national Clinical Trials Participation Award, FCS offers patients access to more clinical trials than any private oncology practice in Florida. Our patients benefit from ground-breaking therapies in a community setting and may participate in national clinical research studies. In the past five years, the majority of new cancer drugs approved for use in the U.S. were studied in clinical trials with FCS participation prior to approval. Through our partnership with Sarah Cannon, FCS is one of the largest clinical research organizations in the United States, often leading the nation in initiating research studies and offering ground-breaking new therapies.

At FCS, we believe our people are our strength and invest in them through competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits packages, professional opportunities, career advancement, and training. Benefits include tuition reimbursement, 401-K match, pet insurance, and legal insurance.

About the Role

Responsible for the technical and scientific oversight of the clinical laboratory, the Technical Advisor provides timely consultation and direction to ensure laboratory quality programs and services are implemented at the highest standards according to regulatory standards and established policies and procedures. The Technical Advisor ensures policies and procedures are followed, aligns them with regulatory updates, and coordinates and implements the lab quality management and quality improvement programs.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with laboratory leadership to maintain standardized laboratory workflows according to regulatory requirements and company standard operating procedures and methods of practice.
• Perform quality assurance functions to accomplish coordination, monitoring, and reporting of quality assurance actions and issues.
• Review Quality Control, Quality Assurance, Proficiency testing, and equipment/analyzer service and preventive maintenance records at defined frequencies.
• Remain regularly accessible to clinic lab personnel to provide on-site, telephone, or electronic meetings/consultation.
• Prepare the clinic laboratory for COLA and CLIA validation surveys, including facilitating all surveys.
• Coordinate and organize inspection information/documentation, including appropriate data gathering mechanisms and procedures.
• Identify gaps in understanding and provide in-service education when needed.
• Directly evaluate the competency and proficiency of all testing personnel, ensuring clinic lab staff perform test procedures, tasks, and report test results promptly and accurately.
• Perform direct observation competency assessments at frequencies outlined by laboratory regulatory requirements: initial, semi-annual, annual, and annually thereafter.
• Resolve technical problems ensuring that corrective actions are taken whenever test systems deviate from the clinic laboratory's established performance specifications.
• Under the direction of laboratory leadership, ensure specified quality indicators are monitored and correctly measured, providing appropriate and timely feedback to staff.
• Support the financial goals of the company by being fiscally responsible in all areas, including inventory management.
• Serve as a subject matter expert to represent laboratory services in cross-departmental presentations and other related projects.
• Demonstrate working knowledge of all facets of the role, regulatory standards, and organizational and departmental policies and procedures.
• Support laboratory services in all other necessary duties, including but not limited to supporting new clinical and pathology test offerings, technology enhancements/improvements, workflow processes or system changes, and analyzer/equipment upgrades.
• Complete all duties required to keep the laboratory in compliance with state and federal regulatory agencies.
• Comply with all Federal laws and regulations pertaining to patient care, patients’ rights, safety, confidentiality, billing, and collections.
• Adhere to all FCS and departmental policies and procedures, including IT policies and procedures and Disaster Recovery Plan.
• Work at any location to help meet company business needs.
• Work overtime when given sufficient notice of required overtime.
• Perform other duties and projects as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a Chemical, Biological, Physical, Medical Technology, or Clinical Laboratory Science from an accredited institution.
• Current State of Florida Medical/Clinical Laboratory Technologist license.
• Current National Medical Technologist or Medical Laboratory Scientist certification.
• Valid Florida driver’s license for travel to other FCS offices.
• BLS certification preferred.
• Minimum of four (4) years of experience in a clinical laboratory setting.

Skills

• Critical thinking skills, including solid problem-solving, analysis, decision-making, planning, time management, and organizational skills.
• Detailed-oriented with the ability to exercise independent judgment.
• Developed interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, diplomacy, tact, conflict management, delegation skills, and diversity awareness.
• Able to work effectively with sensitive and confidential material and sometimes emotionally charged matters.
• Good command of the English language.
• Effective communication skills (oral, written, presentation), active listening, and providing balanced feedback.
• Strong customer focus.
• Ability to build an engaging culture of quality, performance effectiveness, and operational excellence through best practices, strong business and political acumen, collaboration, and partnerships.
• Effectively manages own time, conflicting priorities, self, stress, and professional development.
• Self-motivated and self-starter with the ability to work independently with limited supervision.
• Ability to work remotely effectively as required.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, multi-site environment with demonstrated ability to balance competing priorities and demands from a variety of stakeholders and sites.
• Solid time management with the ability to prioritize multiple tasks.
• Proficient in MS Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

Core Values

• Patient First – Keeping the patient at the center of everything we do.
• Accountability – Taking responsibility for our actions.
• Commitment & Care – Upholding FCS vision through every action.
• Team – Working together, one team, one mission.

Expectations

Every FCS employee is expected to regularly conduct themselves in a professional and respectful manner, comply with all labor laws, workplace policies, and practices. Employees are expected to bring issues of any forms of workplace harassment, discrimination, or other potential improprieties to the attention of their management or the human resources department.

Screenings

All offers of employment at Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute are contingent upon clear results of a thorough background screening, including drug and nicotine tests. Medical Marijuana cards are not recognized.