Histology Lab Supervisor

Job Description

Job Description:\n\nBenefits:\n\n 401(k)\n 401(k) matching\n Dental insurance\n Employee discounts\n Health insurance\n Opportunity for advancement\n Paid time off\n Training & development\n Vision insurance\n\nJob Summary:The Histology Laboratory Supervisor is responsible for the day-to-day technical operations and supervision of the Dermatopathology Histology Laboratory under the clinical and technical oversight of the Laboratory Director and the administrative oversight of the Chief Operating Officer. The Supervisor maintains an active technical role within the Dermatopathology Histology Laboratory while providing leadership and supervision of assigned laboratory personnel. The Supervisor is responsible for laboratory workflow, specimen processing and slide preparation, staff competency, quality control and quality assurance activities, equipment and reagent management, regulatory readiness, and adherence to laboratory policies and procedures.\n\nKey Responsibilities1. Daily Operations & Workflow Management• Participate in the development, implementation, and optimization of Dermatopathology Laboratory operations, including workflow development, equipment implementation, validation and verification activities, SOP development, QC processes, inventory systems, documentation systems, and regulatory readiness.\n\n• Coordinate daily Histology Laboratory production schedules to ensure timely and efficient completion of tissue processing, embedding, microtomy, staining, coverslipping, and slide preparation.\n\n• Monitor workflow, staffing, workload, and turnaround times to maintain appropriate laboratory throughput and identify potential delays or bottlenecks.\n\n• Coordinate and oversee specialized and advanced staining procedures, including Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and special stains.\n\n• Oversee routine histology procedures and ensure tissue is appropriately processed, embedded, sectioned, stained, labeled, and prepared for Pathologist review.\n\n• Ensure appropriate operation, maintenance, and quality control of tissue processors, embedding centers, microtomes, automated stainers, coverslippers, ovens, slide printers, and related instrumentation.\n\n• Oversee whole slide imaging and digital pathology workflows, when applicable, including image quality, case completeness, scanner operation and QC, troubleshooting, and appropriate preparation of digital cases for Pathologist review.\n\n• Ensure H&E staining systems and other staining platforms are properly maintained and monitored; QC slides must be reviewed and approved according to laboratory protocol before patient tissue is released for clinical use.\n\n• Monitor daily environmental and equipment QC requirements, including applicable room temperatures, equipment function, reagent conditions, and maintenance schedules.\n\n• Ensure reagents, controls, stains, and other laboratory supplies are appropriately prepared, labeled, stored, monitored, and replaced.\n\n• Identify and resolve discrepancies involving tissue blocks, slides, labels, requisitions, specimen identification, or technical quality.\n\n• Coordinate retrieval and preparation of blocks and slides for Pathologist review.\n\n• Ensure required paperwork, logs, QC documentation, maintenance records, and laboratory reports are completed accurately and timely.\n\n• Oversee safe transport, handling, storage, and disposal of hazardous laboratory waste in accordance with applicable requirements.\n\n• Maintain compliance with laboratory safety policies, including appropriate PPE and safe handling of chemicals, reagents, specimens, and biological materials.\n\n2. Staff Leadership & Development• Direct and coordinate the daily activities of Histotechnologists, Histotechnicians, Laboratory Assistants, and other assigned Histology personnel.\n\n• Participate in and/or manage personnel activities, including interviewing, hiring recommendations, onboarding, orientation, scheduling, assignment of duties, performance evaluations, coaching, and corrective action in accordance with company policies and in coordination with the Chief Operating Officer.\n\n• Develop staffing schedules that appropriately support workload, testing volume, turnaround-time requirements, and laboratory coverage.\n\n• Assign work based on employee qualifications, competency, workload, and laboratory priorities.\n\n• Assess staff competency and ensure employees are appropriately trained and qualified before independently performing assigned testing or laboratory procedures.\n\n• Develop and provide ongoing technical training and continuing education to maintain staff proficiency and meet laboratory performance expectations.\n\n• Monitor employee performance and productivity and provide coaching, feedback, and performance improvement plans when necessary.\n\n• Promote effective communication, teamwork, professionalism, and cooperation among laboratory staff and management.\n\n• Ensure staff follow established laboratory policies, procedures, safety requirements, and regulatory standards.\n\n• Serve as a technical resource and provide hands-on assistance when necessary to maintain workflow and resolve complex technical issues.\n\n3. Quality Assurance & Regulatory Compliance• Develop, implement, monitor, and maintain quality control and quality assurance programs in collaboration with and as approved by the Laboratory Director, as required by applicable regulations and laboratory policy.\n\n• Maintain the laboratory in a continuous state of readiness for announced and unannounced regulatory inspections and audits.\n\n• Ensure compliance with applicable requirements and standards established by CLIA and regulatory/accrediting organizations, including CAP, The Joint Commission (Joint Commission/JCAHO), and Florida AHCA, as applicable.\n\n• Maintain accurate QC, maintenance, competency, training, temperature, reagent, and other required laboratory records.\n\n• Review QC results and investigate unacceptable or out-of-range findings.\n\n• Identify, document, investigate, and resolve testing variances, specimen discrepancies, equipment failures, quality events, and other nonconformances.\n\n• Develop and implement corrective and preventive action plans when testing variances, specimen discrepancies, QC failures, or other quality issues occur.\n\n• Monitor quality indicators and laboratory performance metrics and initiate improvements when established standards are not met.\n\n• Participate in internal audits, external inspections, proficiency testing activities, and other quality initiatives as required.\n\n• Ensure appropriate documentation and follow-up of corrective actions resulting from inspections, audits, QC events, or identified deficiencies.\n\n• Review and update laboratory policies and procedures as needed to maintain current and compliant practices.\n\n4. Pathologist & Clinical Collaboration• Serve as the primary liaison between Histology Laboratory technical staff and staff Pathologists.\n\n• Communicate with Pathologists regarding specimen quality, tissue processing, staining quality, specimen discrepancies, special testing requirements, and other technical concerns.\n\n• Investigate and resolve specimen or technical issues that may affect Pathologist interpretation or patient testing.\n\n• Monitor slide quality and work with technical staff to optimize tissue processing, sectioning, staining, and overall slide preparation.\n\n• Coordinate special stains, IHC, and other specialized testing requirements in collaboration with Pathologists and laboratory leadership.\n\n• Evaluate technical problems and recommend solutions to improve quality, efficiency, and turnaround time.\n\n• Evaluate and assist with implementation of new laboratory methodologies, instrumentation, equipment, software platforms, and workflow processes.\n\n• Participate in validation and implementation activities for new or modified laboratory procedures, methodologies, and equipment as assigned.\n\nHistology Technical Responsibilities• Tissue processing and monitoring of tissue processor performance.\n\n• Paraffin embedding and evaluation of tissue orientation.\n\n• Microtomy and preparation of high-quality tissue sections.\n\n• Routine H&E staining and troubleshooting of staining quality.\n\n• Special stain preparation, performance, and troubleshooting.\n\n• Immunohistochemistry (IHC) procedures and quality control.\n\n• Coverslipping and slide preparation.\n\n• Slide labeling and identification verification.\n\n• Preparation and evaluation of controls.\n\n• Identification and investigation of tissue, block, slide, labeling, or staining discrepancies.\n\n• Operation and maintenance of histology equipment and instrumentation.\n\n• Whole slide imaging workflow support, when applicable.\n\n• Appropriate handling and preparation of blocks and slides for Pathologist review.\n\n• Maintenance of documentation associated with technical procedures and QC.\n\nEquipment, Reagent & Inventory Management• Ensure appropriate maintenance and operation of Histology Laboratory equipment.\n\n• Establish and monitor equipment maintenance schedules and ensure required maintenance is documented.\n\n• Identify equipment malfunctions and coordinate troubleshooting, repair, and service as appropriate.\n\n• Monitor reagent inventory and ensure adequate supplies are available to support uninterrupted laboratory operations.\n\n• Assist with selection, evaluation, and implementation of new equipment, reagents, stains, instrumentation, and supplies.\n\n• Coordinate receipt, inspection, labeling, storage, and appropriate use of laboratory supplies and reagents.\n\n• Monitor reagent expiration dates and ensure expired or compromised materials are removed from use.\n\nDocumentation & Administrative Responsibilities• Maintain accurate laboratory records and documentation in accordance with laboratory policies and regulatory requirements.\n\n• Review, complete, and/or approve applicable QC, maintenance, competency, training, inventory, and operational documentation within the scope of the Supervisor's authority, with Laboratory Director review or approval when required.\n\n• Collaborate with the Laboratory Director and Chief Operating Officer in the development and maintenance of laboratory policies, procedures, forms, and documentation, consistent with their respective areas of oversight.\n\n• Monitor laboratory productivity, turnaround times, staffing needs, and operational performance.\n\n• Participate in departmental meetings and communicate laboratory needs, concerns, and recommendations to laboratory management.\n\n• Maintain confidentiality of patient information and laboratory records.\n\n• Complete other administrative, technical, and laboratory responsibilities as assigned by the Chief Operating Officer or Laboratory Director, consistent with the scope of the position and applicable regulatory requirements.\n\n \n\nSafety Responsibilities\n\n• Ensure adherence to laboratory safety policies and applicable state and federal regulations.\n\n• Ensure staff appropriately handle biological specimens, chemicals, reagents, sharps, and hazardous materials.\n\n• Ensure appropriate segregation, handling, transport, and disposal of hazardous laboratory waste.\n\n• Monitor compliance with personal protective equipment requirements.\n\n• Report and investigate laboratory accidents, exposures, spills, injuries, and safety incidents according to established procedures.\n\n• Provide and document staff training related to laboratory safety and applicable safety procedures.\n\nJob Qualifications & RequirementsEducation• Minimum: Associate of Science (AS) degree in Histology or a related life science field meeting applicable CLIA requirements.\n\n• Highly Preferred: Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Medical Technology, Clinical Laboratory Science, Biological Sciences, or a related field.\n\nLicensure & Certifications• State of Florida Supervisor License in Histology — Required.\n\n• HT (ASCP) or HTL (ASCP) certification — Preferred/Required based on applicable laboratory and regulatory requirements.\n\nEssential Skills & Abilities• Advanced proficiency with automated tissue processors, embedding equipment, microtomes, automated staining systems, coverslippers, and related histology equipment.\n\n• Advanced proficiency with Laboratory Information Systems (LIS).\n\n• Strong technical troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.\n\n• Strong understanding of IHC procedures, controls, QC, and validation.\n\n• Ability to organize and prioritize multiple laboratory activities in a dynamic laboratory environment.\n\n• Ability to supervise, train, coach, and evaluate laboratory personnel.\n\n• Strong verbal and written communication skills.\n\n• Ability to manage conflict professionally and effectively.\n\n• Ability to coordinate workflow across laboratory personnel and functions.\n\n• Ability to interpret and follow laboratory policies, procedures, regulatory requirements, and technical instructions.\n\n• Ability to maintain accurate documentation and records.\n\n• Ability to maintain confidentiality of patient information.\n\n• Ability to work cooperatively with Pathologists, laboratory staff, management, and other clinical personnel.\n\n• Ability to exercise sound judgment and make appropriate decisions regarding technical, operational, and personnel matters.\n\n• Working in an environment where exposure to biological specimens, chemicals, odors, and other laboratory hazards may occur.