Job Description:

Laboratory Technician

Job Locations

US-CA-Redwood City

Summary of Major Responsibilities

The Laboratory Technician in Accessioning is responsible for supporting the daily operations of the department to provide pre- and post-analytical laboratory services, and as needed, assisting other teams in the Clinical Laboratory.  Daily job functions include, but not limited to, one or more of the following: specimen kit receipt, scanning and archiving documents and records received from the ordering physicians and submitting laboratories, shipping patient reports and specimen kit boxes to the physicians, returning specimen, organizing department supplies, assisting in maintenance activities of a work bench and/or equipment and supporting management in triaging workflow issues.

The Laboratory Technician has the knowledge and skills to perform duties beyond the job functions of the Laboratory Assistant in a high throughput work environment with expected quality and throughput. Some duties include identifying issues, troubleshooting common issues, follow up on missing information, assisting management in SOP revision, interviews, staff training, collecting data for tracking and trending, and project execution as assigned.  He or she shows the initiative to learn and help address laboratory needs and issues.  The Laboratory Technician may serve as a lead to the Laboratory Assistant team to coordinate tasks, divide workload, manage task assignments and review documents as assigned.

To be successful in this role, the Laboratory Technician must demonstrate the ability to follow standard operating procedures and work independently in a regulated work environment, the ability to complete scheduled tasks and assignments with expected quality and throughput and assist others when necessary. He or she is adaptive to change, possesses a good understanding of job requirements and workflow, and functions effectively as a member of the Exact Sciences team. The nature of the work requires excellent attention to detail, the ability to organize assigned tasks and be flexible with tasks and schedules, and the ability to communicate professionally and effectively within the department and with internal customers.  He or she will support or participate in process improvement activities to ensure scalability and operational excellence.  He or she will support or participate in internal and external audits and quality assurance activities to ensure laboratory compliance with the applicable quality standards and regulatory requirements.

The Laboratory Technician must report all potential disclosures of PHI and breaches of HIPAA compliance immediately to the Supervisor. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Specimen transportation, specimen kit receipt, organizing incoming patient specimens and records.
• Scanning, archiving or disposing documents and records according to Exact Sciences retention policy.


• Preparing specimens and associated documents for return to the customers. Monitoring pending log (or inactivity report). Assist in troubleshooting issues as assigned (e.g. delay in material return, blocks not queued for return, etc.).


• Preparing specimen kit boxes, patient reports and other Exact Sciences documents and forms for shipment.


• Create sample batches, as needed, print labels and label specimen containers.


• Use various information systems to track the status of samples, documents, kit boxes or others, and ensure that specified turnaround time targets are met. Escalate issues to supervisors for timely resolution. Demonstrate ability to troubleshoot simple issues and initiate the escalation process appropriately.


• Complete assigned training, demonstrate competency on trained tasks and attend laboratory meetings.


• Report all potential disclosures of PHI and breaches of HIPAA compliance immediately to the Supervisor.


• Assist in troubleshooting issues as assigned, e.g. missing specimens or documents, discrepant information on documents, system or interface downtime, identifying and resolving conflicting task assignments, etc.


• May serve as a lead to the Laboratory Assistant team to coordinate tasks, divide workload, manage task assignments based on pre-determined priority and review documents, as assigned.


• Assist in the general upkeep of the laboratory to support daily operations.


• Maintain sufficient inventory of materials and supplies in the laboratory for performance of duties.


• Demonstrate ability to identify problems, appropriately escalate to management and resolve discrepancies with support from the supervisor.


• Work with Supply Chain to ensure that laboratory is sufficiently stocked. Track the lot numbers of materials, if applicable, when placed in use/removed from lab.


• Set up laboratory equipment or perform equipment maintenance according to the laboratory’s standard operating procedures as assigned and complete within the stated timeline.


• Clean sample containers and the other laboratory supplies, as assigned.


• Train new Laboratory Assistants and Lab Technicians on current and new procedures and duties, as assigned.


• Accurately document and maintain equipment records when applicable. Manage electronic storage/archiving of equipment records as assigned.


• Maintain stringent standards for quality, identifying any issues which might adversely impact the quality of test results and/or employee safety, and communicating these to the appropriate management representatives as necessary for resolution.


• Participate in Quality Assurance activities, such as adhering to good documentation practices, organizing records for review, task verification and inspection preparation. Complete tasks assigned in preparation of internal and external audits.


• Demonstrate understanding of regulatory requirements specific to the assigned work areas.


• Identify and implement process or quality improvement tasks under Supervisor's guidance; provide ideas to lab management and engineers.


• Assist with organizing and maintaining personnel and training records, as assigned.


• Perform annual review of standard operating procedures as assigned. May revise standard operating procedures (SOPs) and forms, as assigned.


• Provide peer review feedback for performance evaluations with specific examples. Seek and provide feedback.


• Participate in laboratory or cross-functional team projects under the supervision of a project lead or a Supervisor, while maintaining quality and an efficient workflow of daily duties. May be assigned as the point-person for a task.


• May interact with Customer Service, Histology, billing company by phone, fax or e-mail to obtain or provide required information and documentation, as assigned.


• Perform other duties, as assigned.


• Able to work in a regulated environment.


• Ability to handle patient specimens.


• Ability to follow SOPs with great attention to detail.


• Ability to effectively communicate information associated with the assigned bench tasks to others; e.g. report potential issues (such as conflicting task assignments or priority, anticipated backlog) to the supervisors for assistance and investigation in a timely manner.


• Ability to learn to use a computer, software and other equipment to manage and track specimens and documents.


• Ability to analyze and problem solve basic issues.


• Strong communicator with ability to maintain open communication with internal employees, managers and customers, as needed.


• Ability to integrate and apply feedback in a professional manner.


• Ability to prioritize and drive to results with a high emphasis on quality.


• Ability to adapt to changes in the schedule and daily workflow.


• Ability to work as part of a team.


• Uphold company mission and values through accountability, innovation, integrity, quality, and teamwork.


• Support and comply with the company’s Quality Management System policies and procedures.


• Regular and reliable attendance.


• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds for approximately 10% of a typical working day.


• Ability to work on a mobile device, tablet, or in front of a computer screen and/or perform typing for approximately 60% of a typical working day.


• Ability to grasp with both hands; pinch with thumb and forefinger; turn with hand/arm; reach above shoulder height.


• Ability to comply with any applicable personal protective equipment requirements.


• Ability and means to travel between Madison and Redwood City locations.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• High School Diploma or General Education Degree (GED).


• 2+ years of laboratory work experience or experience in a production environment (e.g., manufacturing operations).


• Demonstrated ability to perform the Essential Duties of the position with or without accommodation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Associates degree.


• Experience with high volume laboratory operations.


• Experience in maintaining inventory or resources in an organized manner.


• Experience in using PC, printer, bar code labels & scanner or document scanner.


• Experience with Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS).


• Knowledge of ISO 13485 standards and Clinical Laboratory regulatory requirements.


• Experience with quality and process improvement projects.

We are an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, creed, disability, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and any other status protected by applicable local, state or federal law. Applicable portions of the Company’s affirmative action program are available to any applicant or employee for inspection upon request.