Senior Director Laboratory Services

Sr Director Laboratory Services

At Houston Methodist, the Sr Director Laboratory Services position is responsible for the operational oversight and business expansion of laboratory services throughout Houston Methodist. In partnership with the medical leadership of the Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, this position is responsible for the overall strategic vision and leadership for all Laboratory and Pathology services across the organization and the continuum of patient care, ensuring the Laboratory strategy and goals are in alignment with the institutional and organizational strategic areas of focus. The System Director Laboratory Services position maintains effective and collaborative relationships with the executives across the organization to maximize the success of the laboratory, hospitals and ultimately the organization. This position will provide oversight for design and operation of the entire laboratory process throughout the system, ensuring it is efficient and safe for the patients we serve, and will represent the laboratory in key internal/external committees and forums.

The Sr Director position has a direct report to a VP level or above and directs work that has a significant impact on the organization and strategic goals. This position leads or directs key programs; large scope (i.e., system-wide, TMC, or all community hospitals). The scope for the Sr Director position involves setting the strategic vision and administration and has responsibility for multiple budgets (operational and capital) and/or directs work that has significant financial implications including high-level oversight of the activities within the assigned functional area(s), ensuring quality, productivity, functional excellence, and efficiency to accomplish strategic and operational objectives. In addition, the Sr Director position is accountable for employee engagement, adequate staffing levels, budget development and compliance, and developing and implementing policies and procedures to ensure a safe and effective work environment. This position also ensures training, monitoring and operations initiatives are implemented which secure compliance with ethical and legal business practices and accreditation/regulatory/government regulations. The Sr Director position may serve in lieu of an entity director for the assigned functional area(s). This position may also have direct reports to include director-level employees.

Responsibilities

• Sets the strategic vision and administration and is responsible for multiple budgets (operational and capital) and/or directs work that has significant financial implications including high-level oversight of the activities within the assigned functional area(s), ensuring quality, productivity, functional excellence, and efficiency to accomplish strategic and operational objectives.
• Directs, develops, and implements strategic and operational/high-level projects and processes through independent/highly autonomous work or through the facilitation of work teams to enable the effective and efficient completion of objectives.
• Oversees and ensures development for staff to meet overall objectives in terms of quality, service, and cost effectiveness. Provides timely guidance and feedback to help others strengthen specific knowledge/skill areas needed to accomplish a task or solve a problem. Provides a functional area oversight guidance and directs management responsibilities of selection, scheduling, supervision, retention, and evaluation of employees.
• Reviews metrics for the function on a holistic basis. Meets or exceeds threshold goal for department turnover and/or system metrics on employee engagement indicators.
• Provides leadership and communication to maintain a competent and engaged employee group by conducting function leadership meetings to review policies and procedures and operational matters, rounding on all direct reports, completing performance appraisals, conducting new hire feedback sessions, coaching/corrective counseling, and providing recognition/commendations to achieve desired outcomes. Ensures information pertinent to function operations cascades appropriately to each entity.
• Identifies opportunities and takes action to build strategic relationships between one's functional area and other areas, teams, departments, and units to achieve business goals. Drives the promotion of teamwork within and between entities and departments; participates and/or leads system function process improvements as needed.
• Develops and maintains collaborative relationships with the key hospital leaders, medical staff members, and other patient care leaders to ensure the safety, effectiveness, and quality of Laboratory Services. Works with Department of Pathology and Genomics to make sure clinical and operational processes are aligned.
• Oversees functional area department operations, designated projects, schedules, and activities as needed to ensure that system goals or objectives are accomplished within the prescribed time frame. Sets priorities and functional standards, giving direction to function leadership and staff as necessary to ensure the best possible delivery of service and high customer/patient satisfaction.
• Drives department service standards and activities to impact department and/or system score for patient/customer-based satisfaction, through role modeling and fostering accountability. Serves and actively participates on various entity committees as a voice for the functional area.
• Coordinates the flow of information (internal and external) and communication throughout the laboratory to ensure the appropriate individuals and medical directors are involved in all matters.
• Ensures a safe and effective working environment; monitors and/or revises the department safety plan and/or any specific accreditation/regulatory required safety guidelines. Responsible for ensuring leaders in the functional area stay abreast of staff maintenance of credentials and competencies, per accrediting/licensing agency and/or department guidelines as applicable.
• Establishes and maintains a functional area alignment of policies, processes, and goals. Employs a proactive approach in the optimization of safe outcomes and information systems by monitoring and improving the system-wide workflow and enhancing operations, using peer-to-peer accountability and identifying solutions via collaboration. Designs and implements functional area process improvements utilizing tools such as lean principles. Role models situational awareness, using teachable moments to improve safety.
• Responsible for ensuring leaders in the functional area stay abreast of employee compliance to policies and procedures and perform associated actions upon non-compliance (i.e., licensure/certification compliance, focal point review requirements, disaster plan, in-services, influenza immunization, wage and hour, standard hours, timely termination submission, timely timecard approval, etc.).
• Ensures compliance with regulatory and accreditation requirements.
• Working with medical leadership, confirms that HM employs a sufficient number of laboratory personnel with the appropriate education, certification and either experience or training to provide appropriate laboratory management and performance of all other laboratory personnel job functions and activities as defined by departmental and organizational policies, regulatory board or agency rules, regulations and statutes, and accreditation and professional organization standards.
• Provides input on the development and management of operational and capital budgets, approvals, and ongoing maintenance of the department(s), ensuring operation in a cost-effective manner. Proactively identifies and plans for capital needs related to current equipment and future system projects. Ensures staffing plans and schedules meet system needs that reflect understanding of the importance of cost-effectiveness.
• Creates functional area strategies to achieve financial target and staffing needs, through optimizing productivity, supply/resource efficiency, minimizing incidental overtime and overtime percentage, and other areas according to functional area specifications.
• Performs vendor management functions and oversees contract negotiation, contract development, and conformance to contract procedures and evaluation of expenditures.
• Identifies, develops, implements and revises as needed physical facility, equipment, information systems, and/or other non-personnel needs to effectively support laboratory services and programs.
• Identifies areas within the lab that can drive efficiency and best practices through standardizations. Identifies opportunities where centralization within the lab can add value and labor efficiencies.
• Identifies, designs, and ensures implementation of innovative solutions for the functional area. Proactively participates in task forces and committees. May represent HM at assigned community or professional organization meetings.
• Drives change initiatives, maintaining effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work responsibilities or environment; adjusts effectively to work within new work structures, processes, requirements or cultures. Partners effectively with stakeholders as appropriate.
• Ensures own career discussions occur with appropriate management. Completes and updates My Development Plan (MDP) on an ongoing basis. Conducts conversations with direct reports on their development and MDP.
• Promotes the Education and Research programs of the organization, including accredited residencies and undergraduate laboratory programs.
• Continually monitors the healthcare environment and landscape to identify future growth and business expansion opportunities within the laboratory to enhance revenue, provide the highest quality care for our patients and/or maximize operational efficiencies in conjunction with the Department of Pathology and Genomics. Implements and maximizes the use of automation and technology; and expands and optimizes laboratory expertise in areas throughout the patient experience to provide the highest quality patient care in a timely manner.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in business management or related field
• Five years of laboratory experience, to include experience in a large hospital
• Five years of people management experience

License/Certification

• N/A

KSA/ Supplemental Data

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through ongoing skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations
• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially about activities impacting patient or employee safety or security
• Demonstrates