Manager, Research Laboratory

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The Department of Pathology has an exciting opportunity for a Manager, Research Laboratory to work on-site full-time in Miami, FL.

CORE JOB SUMMARY

The Manager, Research Laboratory oversees the day-to-day operations of the research laboratory, including maintenance and upkeep and ensuring an efficient and effective laboratory working environment.

CORE JOB FUNCTIONS

1. Formulates and implements short and long-range goals for the operation of the laboratories.

2. Implements laboratory policies and procedures and coordinates with research staff on issues which impact

laboratory services.

3. Serves as a liaison between investigators, research personnel, and staff to solve specific operating problems

and improve technical activities.

4. Advises on technical procedures, techniques and equipment, and maintains conformance with specific

operational standards.

5. Maintains quality checks on the safety of laboratories and insures maintenance of the facilities according to

good laboratory practices.

6. Installs and maintains laboratory equipment in compliance with federal regulations.

7. Assures that the laboratory technicians are properly trained in standard operating procedures and equipment

specific requirements.

8. Assists in the determination of fiscal requirements and in the preparation of budgetary recommendations.

9. Compiles and prepares reports and analyses, setting forth progress, adverse trends, and appropriate

recommendations and conclusions.

10. Establishes and continuously assesses the effectiveness of the internal controls within the unit and

compliance with University policies and procedures. Ensures employees are trained on controls within the

function and on University policy and procedures.

This list of duties and responsibilities is not intended to be all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other

duties or responsibilities as necessary.

CORE QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in relevant field required

Experience:

Minimum 5 years of relevant experience required

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

- Operational Management: Optimizes day-to-day operations and processes for efficiency and effectiveness.

- Organizational Development: Ability to implement strategies to improve organizational effectiveness,

engagement, and manage change.

- Financial Oversight: Knowledge of financial operations and management.

- Team Leadership: Ability to create and maintain a cohesive and productive team environment, build positive

working relationships and work collaboratively with others.

- Technical Proficiency: Skilled in using office software, technology, and relevant computer applications.

- Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills to convey ideas clearly and persuasively.

DEPARTMENT ADDENDUM

DEPARTMENT SPECIFIC JOB SUMMARY

The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine is seeking a Manager, Research Laboratory to provide hands-on technical leadership and day-to-day technical supervision for the Translational Research Histopathology Laboratory (TRHL), in coordination with the Cancer Modeling Shared Resource (CMSR). This role is the primary histology technical lead responsible for performing, supervising, troubleshooting, and quality-controlling complex research histology workflows, including tissue handling, processing, embedding, microtomy/cryotomy, H&E staining, special stains, immunohistochemistry, frozen-section support, slide quality control, technical documentation, inventory, equipment readiness, and staff technical competency. The position supports basic, clinical, and translational research studies under the direction of Dr. Bilbao. This position owns technical feasibility, technical execution, technical staff supervision, troubleshooting, SOP/competency implementation, and production quality for histology laboratory services.

DEPARTMENT SPECIFIC JOB FUNCTIONS

1. Provides hands-on technical leadership for daily TRHL histology operations, including receipt/accessioning support for research specimens, tissue triage, fixation, decalcification, processing, embedding, microtomy, cryotomy/frozen-section support, H&E staining, special stains, immunohistochemistry, coverslipping, labeling, slide quality review, and delivery of research-ready slides and blocks.

2. Supervises and supports technical personnel executing histology workflows; assigns work based on priorities, technical complexity, project timelines, and staff competency; ensures tasks and turnaround times are completed in coordination with the Director and the ML Manager role.

3. Implements and continuously updates histology SOPs, quality-control checks, acceptance/rejection criteria, equipment logs, documentation standards, safety practices, and training materials; ensures adherence to University policies, research protocols, good laboratory practices, and applicable regulatory expectations for human- and animal-derived tissues.

4. Serves as technical reference and liaison for investigators, pathologists, research staff, shared resources, and the coordinating manager role by translating project requests into feasible histology workflows, identifying technical constraints, resolving technical problems, and recommending appropriate technical methods.

5. Advises on histology techniques, reagents, tissue handling conditions, staining strategies, antibody/immunohistochemistry controls, special stains, workflow selection, troubleshooting, and equipment needs; validates and optimizes new protocols before implementation for research projects.

6. Coordinates hands-on execution and quality control of complex tissue-based projects, including clinical/translational specimens, mouse model and PDX tissues, FFPE and frozen samples, TMA-related workflows, archival block/slide retrieval, tissue inventories, and digital pathology pre-analytics.

7. Manages quality assurance for histology production, including review of block/slide integrity, staining consistency, section quality, labeling accuracy, chain-of-custody documentation, discrepant/problem-case resolution, corrective actions, and communication of issues that may affect downstream pathology, imaging, AI, molecular, or digital pathology analyses.

8. Oversees installation, operation readiness, calibration, routine maintenance, and troubleshooting of histology equipment and staining platforms, including processors, embedding stations, microtomes, cryostats, automated H&E/special-stain/immunohistochemistry platforms, coverslippers, and scanners or slide-preparation equipment as applicable.

9. Trains, competency-assesses, coaches, and supervises histology staff and users in SOPs, tissue handling, microtomy, staining, immunohistochemistry, safety, equipment use, documentation, and problem escalation; promotes a productive, compliant, and service-oriented culture. Lead, train, mentor, and evaluate technical personnel in histology procedures, including specimen processing, embedding, microtomy, routine staining, special stains, immunohistochemistry, frozen sections, quality control, equipment operation, troubleshooting, and documentation.

10. Maintains inventories and supply readiness for reagents, antibodies, consumables, paraffin, slides, stains, controls, instrument parts, and service contracts; provides technical input for purchasing, recharge cost assumptions, budgetary recommendations, and workload planning.

11. Maintains and reviews project records, sample logs, equipment logs, quality-control documentation, SOP files, training records, inventories, and laboratory information/tracking systems; prepares technical summaries, progress updates, adverse-trend reports, and recommendations.

12. Coordinates with the Director and coordinating Manager to provide financial oversight support for TRHL technical operations by monitoring supply utilization, reagent use, staining platform costs, equipment maintenance needs, service efficiency, and workflow-related cost drivers that directly affect recharge-based histology services.

13. Assist the Director and administrative/request-management leadership with fiscal planning by identifying technical resource needs, anticipated supply and equipment requirements, staffing constraints, and operational factors that may affect service capacity, turnaround time, and cost recovery.

14. Support accurate billing and recharge documentation by ensuring that technical work performed by the histology team is properly tracked, documented, and aligned with completed services, including processing, embedding, sectioning, H&E staining, special stains, IHC, frozen sections, digital pathology preparation, and other histology-related deliverables.

15. Prepare and communicate technical productivity updates, quality concerns, adverse trends, equipment issues, supply shortages, staffing bottlenecks, and recommended corrective actions to support operational decision-making and budgetary planning.

16. Provide hands-on team leadership for histology technical personnel by assigning and prioritizing daily technical work, supervising execution of routine and complex histology procedures, monitoring quality and turnaround times, and ensuring that technical staff follow approved SOPs and laboratory standards.

17. Promote a cohesive, accountable, and service-oriented technical team culture by supporting communication among histotechnologists, laboratory staff, the Manager/request coordination role, investigators, pathologists, and the Director.

18. Supports implementation of new histology and digital pathology-enabling services, including new stains, immunohistochemistry panels, tissue-processing protocols, TMA-related workflows, digital slide preparation/scanning quality, and technical improvements that expand TRHL research capacity.

19. Ensures laboratory safety and internal controls; safeguards University assets; supports audits, inspections, and internal reviews; ensures staff follow University policies and procedures; escalates operational risks to the Director.

20. Performs other duties as assigned by the Director.

This list of duties and responsibilities is not intended to be all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties or responsibilities as necessary.

DEPARTMENT PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Bachelor's degree in a biological, biomedical, laboratory science, or related field required. Histology Technology training or degree, clinical laboratory/histology technical training, and supervision or management coursework preferred.

Certification and Licensing:

HT(ASCP), HTL(ASCP), or equivalent histology certification strongly preferred. Florida/state histology technologist license or eligibility preferred where applicable.

Experience:

Minimum 5 years of relevant histology, histotechnology, research laboratory, or clinical pathology laboratory experience required.

Preferred: 10 or more years of progressive histology experience, including hands-on immunohistochemistry/special stains, frozen-section support, quality control, instrument troubleshooting, inventory management, and technical supervision in a research, hospital, or regulated laboratory environment.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Advanced hands-on histotechnology expertise, including processing, embedding, microtomy, cryotomy, H&E, special stains, immunohistochemistry, frozen sections, coverslipping, and slide/block quality control.

• Strong technical troubleshooting skills for histology instruments, staining platforms, tissue-processing failures, sectioning artifacts, staining variability, and workflow bottlenecks.

• Ability to supervise, train, competency-assess, coach, and delegate work to technical staff while maintaining accountability for quality, safety, turnaround time, and service standards.

• Knowledge of histology laboratory safety, good laboratory practices, human- and animal-derived tissue handling, chain-of-custody documentation, CAP/CLIA/state regulatory concepts where applicable, and University policy requirements.

• Experience with automated staining and histology platforms, laboratory information/tracking systems, slide management systems, digital pathology pre-analytics, and general office/database applications.

• Ability to coordinate technical work across multiple projects, prioritize high-volume requests, evaluate technical feasibility, and communicate realistic timelines and constraints to investigators, staff, and leadership.

• Knowledge of supplies, equipment, service contracts, reagent/antibody inventory, quality-control materials, and purchasing needs for a histology laboratory.

• Excellent attention to detail, documentation practices, critical thinking, problem solving, and ability to generate reliable, reproducible, research-quality histology outputs.

• Professional interpersonal and communication skills; ability to work independently and collaboratively with pathologists, investigators, research staff, shared resources, vendors, and other laboratory managers.

• Knowledge of financial operations relevant to a recharge-based histology shared resource, including supply utilization, cost awareness, service documentation, billing support, and operational resource planning.

• Ability to identify technical workflow inefficiencies, supply or equipment-related cost drivers, and staffing constraints that affect productivity, turnaround time, quality, and cost recovery.

• Ability to support budgetary recommendations by translating hands-on laboratory needs into clear operational justifications for supplies, equipment maintenance, staffing support, and technical service expansion.

• Ability to create and maintain a cohesive, productive, and accountable technical histology team environment.

• Ability to lead, motivate, train, mentor, and develop histology technical staff with different levels of experience.

• Ability to plan, delegate, prioritize, and supervise daily technical work while maintaining high-quality standards and meeting investigator-driven deadlines.

• Ability to build positive working relationships and collaborate effectively with laboratory leadership, request-management personnel, investigators, pathologists, vendors, and other shared resources.

• Strong problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills related to technical workflow issues, equipment failures, staining variability, specimen quality concerns, and staff coordination.

• Ability to communicate technical, quality, staffing, and resource needs clearly to laboratory leadership and administrative personnel.

• Commitment to the University's core values and ability to work evenings, weekends, or adjusted schedules as needed to support urgent or time-sensitive research histology workflows.

The University of Miami offers competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, tuition remission and more.

UHealth-University of Miami Health System, South Florida's only university-based health system, provides leading-edge patient care powered by the ground breaking research and medical education at the Miller School of Medicine. As an academic medical center, we are proud to serve South Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean. Our physicians represent more than 100 specialties and sub-specialties, and have more than one million patient encounters each year. Our tradition of excellence has earned worldwide recognition for outstanding teaching, research and patient care. We're the challenge you've been looking for.

The University of Miami is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants and employees are protected from discrimination based on certain categories protected by Federal law.

Job Status:

Full time

Employee Type:

Staff