Deputy Public Health Laboratory Director

This position is in the District of Columbia Government (District), Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS), Public Health Laboratory (PHL) Division. The mission of the DFS PHL is to protect human health and the environment through the provision of analytical and diagnostic laboratory services that support broad public health goals and the specific health concerns of citizens and visitors to the District of Columbia The PHL provides clinical diagnostic testing, disease surveillance, emergency response support, applied research, laboratory training, and other essential services through its six units: Accessioning Unit (ASU), Microbiology Unit (MBU), Clinical Toxicology Unit (CTU), Forensic Chemistry Unit (FCU), Immunology-Virology Unit (IVU), and Molecular Diagnostic Unit (MDU). The PHL is a member of the Laboratory Response Network (LRN) and operates a Bioterrorism and a Chemical Terrorism laboratory. As an LRN lab, the PHL supports emergency preparedness and response functions to support investigation of chemical or biological terrorism.

The Deputy PHL Director responsible for the administration and oversight of the Public Health Laboratory Quality Assurance Program quality assurance (QA) program and Quality Improvement (QI) activities of the division. The incumbent develops, directs, and coordinates the Laboratory Quality Assurance program in accordance with state and federal regulatory requirements to sustain continuous accreditation status and aligned with mission of the Public Health Laboratory (PHL) Division; routinely monitor quality assurance activities to achieve agency goals and objectives, provide oversight to internal/external quality assurance reviews and audits; and address nonconformance by guiding root cause analysis with appropriate recommendations for corrective and preventative actions.

Duties and Responsibilities

The incumbent oversees testing quality control standards and compliance with accrediting body; ensures that all Federal requirements and Federal grant funded requirements are met and that continuous application of quality control procedures are performed in accordance with College of American Pathologists (CAP), Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Department of Homeland security and general Good Laboratory Practices (GLP).

The incumbent works directly with training and quality control programs to ensure current reference materials and applicable publications are available; ensures uniformity in laboratory testing methods and techniques and maintains satisfactory working arrangement; Reviews and advises on PHL processes and standard operating procedures (SOP's),considering applicable changes from internal and external sources, prior to the submission to the PHL Director. The incumbent provides a full range of supervisory services, as required, to manage and direct the work efforts of subordinate staff and activities of assigned operations; develops quantitative and qualitative measures for evaluating the work performance of staff; supervises and assigns duties and responsibilities; formulates overall plans for resources; and identifies developmental and training needs and evaluates personnel competency.

Qualifications and Education

Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

OR

Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Specialized Experience, experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Applicants who have the 1 year of appropriate specialized experience, as indicated in the table, are not required by this standard to have general experience, education above the high school level, or any additional specialized experience to meet the minimum qualification requirements.

Licenses and Certifications

None

Working Conditions/Environment

This work is performed in the normal office settings.

Other Significant Factors

Tour of Duty: 9:00am - 5:30pm, Monday – Friday

Pay Plan, Series and Grade: MS-0401-14

Promotion Potential: None

Type of Appointment: Management Supervisory Service (MSS) Appointment. Positions in the Management Supervisory Service (MSS) serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority and may be terminated at any time with or without cause.

Collective Bargaining Unit (Non-Union): This position is not covered under a collecting bargaining agreement

Position Suitability: This position is designated as a Safety Sensitive position and is subject to mandatory pre-employment and periodic Criminal Background Checks and Traffic Records Checks (as applicable). This position is also subject to mandatory pre-employment and random Drug and Alcohol Testing. In this position, you may be disqualified from employment based on the presence of marijuana in test results, even if you possess a medical card authorizing the use of medical marijuana.

Position Designation: This position has been designated as Emergency and acceptance of this offer confirms you agree to adhere to the policies in sections 1271 and 1274 of DPM Chapter 12, regarding essential/emergency employees. As an emergency employee, you will be required to either report to work, stay at work, or telework (if directed to do so) during a declared emergency or during a period of non-emergency where your duties have been deemed as critical District government functions/operations. You may be required to perform other duties outside of your position description during a period of a declared emergency (such as manual labor, shelter services, etc.).

Residency Preference: Applicants claiming “Residency Preference” will be required to maintain residency in the District of Columbia for a minimum of seven (7) years. Failure to do so may result in forfeiture of employment.

Residency Requirement: If the position you are applying for is in the Career, Management Supervisory, or Educational Service at an annual salary of one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) or more, you must establish residency in the District of Columbia within one hundred eighty (180) days of the effective date of the appointment and continue to maintain residency within the District of Columbia throughout the duration of the appointment.

EEO Statement: The District of Columbia Government is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, family responsibilities, matriculation, physical handicap, or political affiliation.