Manager of Cancer Center Laboratories, Full-Time, Days

At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry. As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better healthcare, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system. At Northwestern Medicine, we pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, we take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better?

The Manager of Cancer Center Laboratories reflects the mission, vision, and values of Northwestern Medicine, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines, and all other regulatory and accreditation standards.

Collaborates with leadership to advance quality strategies, ensure a professional work environment, facilitate timeliness of services, and enhance patient satisfaction. The Manager is responsible for fiscal, human resource, and quality outcomes for their defined service area or unit. The Manager places the needs of the patient and other customers as a priority and demonstrates the skills necessary to meet and exceed expectations. The Manager focuses others on a clearly defined, clearly communicated vision, and engages individuals and groups to achieve that vision. The Manager identifies and develops organizational talent and embraces continuous learning of self and others.

Responsibilities:

Core Skills: Operations, Performance, Practice

• Attracts, develops, and retains exceptional service providers and provides those individuals with an environment that fosters excellence through continuous learning
  • Collaborates with Human Resources and other managers to ensure appropriate staffing
  • Advances innovative retention strategies for staff
  • Collaboratively manages the disciplinary process when appropriate
  • Facilitates the annual performance review process
  • Ensure application of staffing tools
  • Facilitates on-boarding of new staff
• Manages people and resources to ensure safe and efficient patient care operations
  • Assumes 24-hour accountability for quality of patient care, human resources, and overall function.
  • In conjunction with the Laboratory Director, Section Medical Director(s) and Administrative Director develops section-based goals to support hospital and division mission and objectives.
  • Ensures that staff exhibit patients’ first standards.
  • Monitors research and investigational activity to assure compliance with hospital policies/procedures.
  • Facilitates a multi-disciplinary and collaborative approach to patient care and interdepartmental problem solving/service delivery.
  • Develops and maintains relationships with all customers and suppliers.
  • Assures that service standards are developed, implemented, and evaluated.
  • Creates an environment of high morale and motivated professionals.
  • Ensures that the environment is clean and attractive, safe, and free from hazards for patients, staff, and visitors.
  • Assumes delegated management responsibilities in the absence of the Director.
  • Maintains Relative Value Unit (RVU), and productivity systems.
  • Maintains department Service Master.
  • Provides coordinated access between all vendors of Northwestern Medicine departments.
  • Facilitates planned growth in new program areas.
  • Participates and takes leadership roles in Hospital Committees as appropriate.
• Established, implements, and monitors the unit or service area’s capital and operating budget to achieve defined targets
  • Creates annual operating budget and is accountable for monthly financial performance
  • Creates and implements new and replacement capital requests and department projects
  • Partners with the leaderships to advance improvement initiative and opportunities
• Leads the development and implementation of approaches to attain maximum quality and efficiency of service provision
  • Supports continuous quality improvement initiatives during the Define, Measure, Analyze, Implement, Control (DMAIC) phase
  • Monitors and reports on departmental regulatory compliance
  • Monitors and reports upon departmental productivity (statistics) and works with management team to strategize means to maximize output. Develops tools /metrics necessary to adequately assess departmental performance
  • Incorporates results of compliance audits in the improvement of services and enhancement of patient care consistent with hospital policy
• Quality of care and Service Management
  • Develops and maintains a quality management system which allows for consistent evaluation and improvement of services and products in relation to physicians and patient care requirements. Documents all significant activities and takes corrective action as necessary
  • Attends Clinical Care Evaluation Committee (CCEC)
  • Designs and implements clinical protocols and quality improvements
  • Develops systems for improvement of the department’s services provided in relation to physician and patient care requirements
  • Ensures Quality Dashboards are achieved
  • Involved in patient care issue follow-up
  • Incorporates results of QM audits in the improvement of services and enhancement of patient care consistent with hospital policy.

Basic Core Skills:

• Customer Focus:
  • Clearly identifies the internal and external customer(s) for their unit or service area and their respective requirements/expectations.
  • Actively seeks methods of concurrent and retrospective feedback from customers, listens to customer feedback and implements solutions and/or interventions as appropriate.
• Creative Leadership:
  • Translates organizational vision into a unit or service area vision that engages staff in contributing to and achieving that vision.
• Coaching and Development:
  • Provides daily, just-in-time feedback to improve performance and the self-esteem of staff.
  • Tracks coaching discussions and actual performance of associates to ensure accountability.
  • Seeks ways to match staff members’ talents and career interests with organizational opportunities.
• Continuous Learning:
  • Continually examines ways to improve business relationships with customers, suppliers, community, etc.
  • Seeks and is open to new ideas from a wide range of sources; encourages others to share knowledge and best practices.

Additional Key Functions

• Ensures compliance with applicable federal, state, local, AABB, FDA, OHSA, TJC, CAP, CLIA, multi-disciplinary, hospital regulations, policies, and procedures.
• Participates in planning and maintenance of the laboratory information system (LIS).
• Strategic planning/goal setting for department, including the implementation of new technologies and services.

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree
• Demonstrates personal alignment with NMH’s core values of integrity, excellence, patients first, and teamwork.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to plan, organize, and direct the activities of others.
• Laboratory experience with demonstrated progressive level of responsibility

Preferred:

• Master’s degree preferred
• Certification in area of specialty or administration
• Laboratory certification (ASCP) preferred

Northwestern Medicine is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.

If we offer you a job, we will perform a background check that includes a review of any criminal convictions. A conviction does not disqualify you from employment at Northwestern Medicine. We consider this on a case-by-case basis and follow all state and federal guidelines.

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. Please visit our Benefits section to learn more.