Senior Lead Biomedical Scientist

Job Overview

This is a senior leadership role within the Blood Sciences Department, responsible for providing operational leadership and management to the Specialist Biochemistry service and its associated workforce and services across all UHSussex sites.

Main Duties

The post-holder will be accountable for all aspects of the Speciality, including business continuity processes and planning, day-to-day management of staff, and providing strong leadership, management, and communication of the strategic direction to the Pathology operational teams across all sites. The post-holder will also act as Deputy to the Head of Blood Sciences as required.

The post-holder will be responsible for managing staff working within the Speciality, including recruitment, appraisal, CPD, and performance. They will also maintain high professional standards, professional knowledge, and competency, undertaking personal continuing professional development, and lead the training and development of other staff.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide operational leadership and management to the Specialist Biochemistry service and its associated workforce and services across all UHSussex sites.
• Accountable for all aspects of the Speciality, including business continuity processes and planning, day-to-day management of staff, and providing strong leadership, management, and communication of the strategic direction to the Pathology operational teams across all sites.
• Act as Deputy to the Head of Blood Sciences as required.
• Manage staff working within the Speciality, including recruitment, appraisal, CPD, and performance.
• Maintain high professional standards, professional knowledge, and competency, undertaking personal continuing professional development, and lead the training and development of other staff.

Requirements

The post-holder will require:

• Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council as a Biomedical Scientist.
• Accredited degree or equivalent resulting in state registration with the Health and Care Professions Council as a Biomedical Scientist.
• Up-to-date and in-depth specialist knowledge in own Discipline (evidenced by Log book or specialist Portfolio).
• Masters degree in Biomedical Sciences/own Discipline or, equivalent e.g. Fellowship examination from Institute of Biomedical Sciences.
• Recognised professional postgraduate qualification in leadership and management or equivalent experience or training plus further specialist knowledge or experience to master's level or equivalent.
• Evidence of leading and managing change in a complex environment.
• Robust negotiating and performance management skills.
• Evidence of meeting challenging operational and service objectives.
• Experience with procurement of new equipment and consumables.
• At least 5 years post-state registration experience in a NHS laboratory with at least 3 years at a senior specialist level.
• High level of knowledge of pathology instrumentation.
• Previous supervisory or management experience.
• Experience of relevant laboratory instrumentation used within the Department.
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development and a commitment to staff education and training.
• Significant experience of managing quality systems including UKAS.
• Comprehensive understanding of Quality, Audit, and Clinical Governance.
• Detailed knowledge of Health and Safety requirements including COSHH regulations and evidence of experience of compliance with accreditation bodies.

Desirable Criteria

The post-holder will also require:

• Understanding of the complex strategic environment and of the commissioning agenda.

Skills

The post-holder will require:

• High level of leadership skills.
• Team building, motivational, negotiation, co-operation, persuasion, and counselling.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
• Ability to present complex and sensitive information to large groups of staff at all levels (Trust level to Junior staff).
• Excellent numeric and analytical skills to enable critique of reports, both financial and information-based.
• Highly developed problem-solving skills.
• Ability to capture, analyse, manipulate, and interpret complex data from a range of sources.
• Able to make sound judgements and decisions involving highly complex facts.
• Good budgetary management experience.
• High level of business, commercial, and financial acumen.
• Excellent organisational and prioritising skills.
• Capability to plan over short, medium, and long-term timeframes and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly.
• Able to contribute to commercial strategy.
• Professional credibility and gravitas and ambassadorial skills to represent the Trust and Service both internally and externally.
• Able to respond to conflicting demands, work to tight and often challenging timescales and deadlines.
• Empathises with staff and patients' issues in a compassionate, sympathetic, and understanding manner.
• Can work to strict standards of quality and Safety.
• Able to work on own initiative.
• Ability to undertake and report on highly complex biomedical investigations analysing the outcome of tests or procedures and their clinical significance where a range of options may be involved.
• Ability to recognise and monitor parameters of quality, accuracy, and imprecision according to laboratory standard operational procedures.
• Able to lead or participate in the production and interpretation of audit data.
• Understands and is able to plan the delivery of day-to-day complex procedures and processes including trouble shooting.
• Advises the Head of Blood Sciences and Clinical Lead of changes in policy and their interpretation, initiating action in compliance with these changes.
• Participation with producing and delivering the Directorate and Departmental Business plans.
• Multitasking.

People Management and Development

The post-holder will require:

• Highly developed leadership and influencing skills with the ability to enthuse, motivate, and engage individuals and teams.
• Able to prioritise own work effectively and be able to direct activities of others.
• Experience of planning workload of other team members to ensure service delivery.
• Ability to delegate and support empowerment.
• Experience of change management.
• Proven staff management skills.
• Experience of managing and motivating a team and reviewing performance of the individuals.
• Experience of managing a team of professionals, including recruitment, appraisal, and development.
• Experience of developing the operational capability of others.
• Change management experience.

Specific Requirements

The post-holder will require:

• Ability to lift laboratory consumables up to 15 Kg as required to maintain stocks and supplies.
• Must display attention to detail.
• Willingness to contribute towards production and review of departmental Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Understanding of the requirements of ISO 15189.
• Must be able to ensure personal continuing education and professional development.
• Flexible approach to working practices.
• Evidence of involvement in business case development.
• Evidence of Project Management skills.

Freedom to Act

The post-holder will require:

• Ability to work autonomously, liaise, and co-ordinate specialty services on a day-to-day basis and to take appropriate action as necessary.
• Identify and adhere to best practice.
• Responsible for own professional actions and have sufficient autonomy for the delivery of the role.
• Able to interpret national and local guidance and develop local policies to reflect these standards.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

The post-holder will require:

• Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (as appropriate to role).
• Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues.

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