Associate Director - Lab Quality & Regulatory Compliance

Company: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Location: Nashville
Posted on: May 13, 2025

Job Description:

Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center : Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your uniqueness is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt's mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

The experience expected from applicants, as well as additional skills and qualifications needed for this job are listed below.

Organization:

Quality Admin

Job Summary:

The Associate Director supervises, coordinates and monitors the work activity of a unit or department; develops program goals and objectives; prepares or assists in the preparation of annual operating budgets; recommends, evaluates and interprets personnel actions and policies.

.

The VUMC Quality Administration Laboratory Department is in need of a Associate Director to join the team!

Department Summary:

Our new 110,000-square-foot diagnostic core laboratory supports the needs of Vanderbilt University Medical Center's inpatient hospitals, outpatient clinics, regional hospitals, and extramural practice customers. Located five miles north of the 21st Avenue Nashville campus, the laboratory has expanded capacity to bring more testing to Vanderbilt, deploy innovative technology, improve patient care, and enhance team collaboration. The laboratory offers an expanded test menu supporting routine and specialized testing and aims to become the preferred reference laboratory provider in the southeast region.

Key Responsibilities:

Develop goals and objectives for the department based on interpretation of institutional policy and goals.

Develop department work goals and objectives, based on interpretation of organization plans and forecasts.

Plan to achieve goals or establish priorities.

Help department understand, share and support the vision.

Initiate changes in or develop new policies, procedures and/or methods.

Ensure the most effective operations of the department through program development, process improvement and coordination/integration of processes with other departments.

Follow-up/expedite work on obtaining information on procedures, data, or analysis of problem situations in order to get things done.

Analyze situations/incidents, prepare and deliver oral briefings to executive management regarding recommendations or conclusions.

Monitor and coordinate programs and actions.

Coordinate the activity of two or more functions to effect unity of operations.

Supervise a unit or department with full responsibility for planning, coordinating, and controlling the work procedures.

Analyze and evaluate ongoing department programs to identify areas where adjustments/improvements are needed; provide advice/consultation to others regarding problems; monitor status reports concerning projects assigned to others.

Participate in periodic management meetings to keep top management informed of department or unit problems and concerns.

Participate in professional associations and development activities to remain informed regarding new development in the field and disseminate information to department personnel.

Standardize services, processes, resources, and practice to improve efficiency.

Participate in meetings with persons from other areas of the institution to coordinate plans and decisions.

Define and achieve financial targets in support of business goals of the institution.

Prepare an annual operating budget for a department, including direct labor, material and supplies, services, equipment maintenance and replacement.

Develop cost reduction projects and targets in collaboration with subordinate managers and operating department managers.

Evaluate organizational functions and structures to best determine the allocation and utilization of resources.

Analyze and evaluate budget variance to determine cause.

Create and exceed service standards utilizing key service dimension and from knowledge of patient/customer expectations and best practice.

Participate in establishing service standards for the department.

Ensure that the service standards established for the department are met or exceeded.

Utilize customer satisfaction, best practices and market information to improve customer service and satisfaction.

Monitor performance against service stands.

Use patient/customer satisfaction data to improve systems, processes and outcomes.

Create an organizational culture (both within and across departments) that provides a safe, satisfying and enriching environment for and provides a qualified, competent staff to meet patient needs.

Provide qualified competent staff by tracking projected staffing needs against qualification and competencies of current staff to identify any deficiencies to improve staffing levels.

Define the qualifications and performance expectations for all staff positions through the Performance Development system, including department specific job descriptions, measurable performance standards, and defined patient populations care for and competencies for age-specific patient care.

Create an environment that encourages and supports self-development and learning for all staff through regular feedback. Ensure that each staff member's ability is assessed in meeting the performance expectations stated in his or her job description in a timely manner (normally annually).

Assure the development of people through orientation and training programs and through work experiences. Regularly collect data to assess trends and needs.

Evaluate workload, priorities, and activity schedules to determine staffing requirements.

Inform and advise supervisors about personnel actions which are likely to likely to result in grievances.

Recommend personnel actions, including hiring, promotion, and termination; Interpret personnel practices and policies in response to questions from supervisors.

Counsel employees with regard to disciplinary actions taken in response to violations of institutional policies or contractual provisions.

Assure appropriate compensation of people in collaboration with Human Resources Department.

Communicate within and across departments to maximize effectiveness, efficiency and information sharing.

Conduct or initiate staff meetings to develop resolution to problems.

Identify, establish and evaluate quality assurance standards, programs, and procedures within department.

Establish and evaluate standards of performance to ensure safe, effective, and efficient operation of the department.

Ensure that standards are met within area of responsibility to assure clinical enterprise accreditation/licensure.

Our professional administrative functions include critical supporting roles in information technology and informatics, finance, administration, legal and community affairs, human resources, communications and marketing, development, facilities, and many more.

At our growing health system, we support each other and encourage excellence among all who are part of our workforce. High-achieving employees stay at Vanderbilt Health for professional growth, appreciation of benefits, and a sense of community and purpose.

Core Accountabilities:

* Organizational Impact: Establishes key tactical and operational plans of a sub-function or multiple departments that has longer-term effect on results of the sub-function. * Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Integrate knowledge and in-depth analysis from several areas to resolve complex problems that are both technical and operational. * Breadth of Knowledge: Applies comprehensive knowledge of professional/technical area and broad management knowledge of other professional areas to carry out objectives. * Team Interaction: Leads multiple departments with a function.

Core Capabilities :

Supporting Colleagues: - Develops Self and Others: Acts upon constructive feedback from all levels of the organization and initiates strategies to develop talent in others. - Builds and Maintains Relationships: Leverages relationships and insight to forecast potential future needs and influence delivery of work to exceed expectations. - Communicates Effectively: Anticipates difference audience concerns, styles and finds mutually beneficial solutions across conflicting and sensitive issues. Delivering Excellent Services: - Serves Others with Compassion: Demonstrates in-depth knowledge of broad-based issues and considers the interests of others to improve satisfaction of services. - Solves Complex Problems: Critically evaluates complex information and identifies trends/risks to make recommendations to improve processes across areas. - Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing feedback and development discussions to motivate and support team members to maximize performance.Ensuring High Quality: - Performs Excellent Work: Anticipates problems or obstacles which may interfere with quality standards and develops plants to ensure area's quality standards are met. - Ensures Continuous Improvement: Routinely draws upon valuable learning from others, past experiences, and new information to determine key opportunities. - Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Develops appropriate corrective actions for unsafe environments in order to ensure operational and safety compliance. Managing Resources Effectively: - Demonstrates Accountability: Identifies potential obstacles to goal achievement and develops solutions to address those obstacles. - Stewards Organizational Resources: Creates the appropriate systems and processes to effectively manage resources. - Makes Data Driven Decisions: Applies in-depth knowledge of data to recommend and implement new approaches to improve decision making capabilities. Fostering Innovation: - Generates New Ideas: Identifies opportunities and leads development of new initiatives that create value across areas. - Applies Technology: Creates the energy and drive for self/others to identify and leverage technology in new, innovative ways to drive greater efficiencies. - Adapts to Change: Anticipates the change process and clearly communicates impact on others/own team(s), assisting them in embracing the change.

Position Qualifications:

Responsibilities:

Certifications:

Work Experience:

Relevant Work Experience

Experience Level:

5 years

Education:

Bachelor's

Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity. EOE/Vets/Disabled.

Keywords: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville , Associate Director - Lab Quality & Regulatory Compliance, Executive , Nashville, Tennessee