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****THIS IS AN OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT****

This is an open continuous announcement until September 26, 2025. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available.

Typical duties may include, but are not limited to:

• The Lead CLS is responsible for all aspects of operation in their area of specialty, including assignment of work responsibilities, workload management, and completion of assignments for staff at or above the FPL. The higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and range of variety, and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.
• Identifies, distributes, and balances workload and tasks among employees in accordance with established workflow, skill level, and/or occupational specialization.
• Maintains, troubleshoots, & repairs laboratory instrumentation.
• Develops procedures for new tests, & modify existing procedures & methods to resolve problems relative to complex & difficult situations.
• Manages & coordinates daily work activities & assignments in a section.
• Provides or coordinate staff development & training.
• Provides guidance & technical direction to a wide variety of individuals including physicians, nurses, & other clinical staff regarding technical aspects of testing, specimen requirements & results.
• Serves as an expert providing authoritative advice & consultation for more markedly difficult, complex, unique, &/or emerging tests requiring special knowledge.
• Prepares Correlations, Quality Control, Proficiency Testing, Lot to Lot comparisons, Calibrations, Linearities, & Peer group data.
• Conducts studies & recommends changes to correct deficiencies & improve the specialty area.
• Recommends & assists Lab Manager in selection & evaluation of new/replacement instrumentation.
• Designs workflow to accomplish objectives in the clinical specialty area.
• Advises all organizational levels on various aspects of the specialized testing, including the appropriateness of specific tests & takes into consideration the clinical context & usefulness of the test information.
• Advises on alternate testing to overcome ambiguities in the clinical diagnoses.
• Identifies training needs appropriate for the type & complexity of the laboratory services performed.
• Identifies, defines, & resolves issues associated with complex aspects of data or unique or controversial aspects of the testing where no direct precedent exists.
• Analyzes emerging trends & technology & adopts appropriate methods & testing.
• Applies laws, policies, & precedents, regulatory, licensing, & accrediting requirements to establish, monitor, & maintain the specialized testing.
• Maintains process control in a specialty area through a multifaceted quality assurance program.
• Completes all inventory duties & supply ordering to assure continued availability of all tests, making sure to allow for reagent problems that may develop.
• Works throughout the lab as a generalist & works weekends, holidays & the evening or night shift by themselves when priorities demonstrate a need.
• Performs testing procedures on a variety of biological specimens &/or environmental samples using manual & automated techniques.
• Collects venous blood samples from patients adhering to all safety & patient care requirements.
• Processes specimens & selects appropriate procedures based on knowledge of type of specimens, patient information, & resources available in the laboratory. Controls physical conditions & responds to time factors to ensure that the physiological state of the specimen is maintained.
• Resolves procedural, reagent, & equipment problems according to written procedures, verbal instructions, & previous experience.
• Serves the needs of other VA staff seeking advice on the proper ordering of tests, technical information about tests offered & interpretation of test results.
• Provides effective & professional training to new staff members on theoretical & practical aspects of procedures in use providing demonstration of laboratory practices.
• Ensures the adequacy of the scientific knowledge applied in the performance of required tests.
• Annually attends/completes the required hours of mandatory training required by VA Grand Junction.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Tour to be determined by service. Monday - Friday,(ROTATING WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS)
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 12241F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• RESUME REQUIREMENTS - Your resume MUST include the following information:
• Job Title (for each position)
• Description of duties (be as detailed as possible)
• Month and year start/end dates (e.g. June 2018 to April 2020) of employment
• Full-time or part-time status (include average hours worked per week)
• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• You may be required to serve a trial period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency: Per VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C., chapter 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English.
• Education (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university. Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. Graduates of foreign baccalaureate degree programs meet the educational requirements if they meet either of the following: (1) Foreign transcripts are evaluated by an acceptable evaluation agency, and the degree is found to be equivalent to a NAACLS-approved U.S. clinical laboratory science degree program. OR (2) The applicant submits a letter from ASCP BOC or AMT stating the individual is eligible to take the certification examination. NOTE: Possession of a certification identified below automatically determines the foreign education as creditable and no further documentation or proof of equivalency is needed.
• Certification. Candidates must meet one of the following certification options below.
  • Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT.
  • Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT.
• NOTE: Categorical and specialist certifications are not acceptable for CLS Generalist positions or lab sections unrelated to the categorical or specialist certification held.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations: Lead Clinical Laboratory Scientist, GS-12.

Experience: Must have 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11) which is directly related to the position to be filled. This is required for all GS-12 assignments.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
(A) Knowledge of medical technology applicable to a wide range of duties to solve complex problems involving diverse aspects of clinical laboratory practice.
(B) Skill to maintain, troubleshoot, and repair laboratory instrumentation.
(C) Ability to develop procedures for new tests, and modify existing procedures and methods to resolve problems relative to complex and difficult situations.
(D) Ability to manage and coordinate daily work activities and assignments in a section.
(E) Ability to provide or coordinate staff development and training.
(F) Ability to provide guidance and technical direction to a wide variety of individuals including physicians, nurses, and other clinical staff regarding technical aspects of testing, specimen requirements and results.

Assignments: For all lead assignments, the individual must spend at least 25% or more of their time performing lead duties over staff one grade level below. The Lead CLS communicates the organization's strategic plan, mission, vision, and values. The Lead CLS identifies, distributes, balances work, coaches, and facilitates with problem solving methods. The Lead CLS prepares reports and maintains records of work status; resolves simple, informal complaints; reports performance, progress, and training needs of the team and on behavioral problems; and provides information on promotions, reassignment, recognition of outstanding performance, and personnel needs. The Lead CLS is responsible for all aspects of operation in their area of specialty, including assignment of work responsibilities, workload management, and completion of assignments for staff at or above the FPL as well as preparation and maintenance of records and reports, analysis of testing methodologies, training, instrumentation, and compliance. The Lead CLS may act as a liaison to the supervisor and other departments/divisions of the medical center for the appropriate laboratory specialty. Duties may include, but are not limited to, orientation and evaluating the competency of assigned staff including identification of continuing education and training needs, coordinating daily activity of the lab section(s), writing or modifying technical procedures, providing technical instruction, ensuring that policies, procedures and regulatory requirements are followed, advising on course of action to follow when results or samples obtained are unacceptable, and coordinating or performing quality control reviews and method verification activities.


Preferred Experience: This is a full-time position for Lead CLS required to cover the midnight shift, with flexibility to cover other shifts during staffing shortage, rotating weekends and holidays. This position supports the Off-tour Supervisor, to ensure the required functions and productivity on assigned tours. A Generalist CLS with knowledge, skills and ability needs to meet qualification standards to cover all functions on the assigned tours.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.