Director of Pathology

Location: Remote / United Kingdom

job type: Permanent / Full-time

Sector and subsector: Medical & Healthcare | Medical diagnostics

Salary: Competitive Salary

Job Benefits:

• Life Assurance
• Private Medical Insurance
• Discount platform (supermarkets, high street, cinema & travel)
• 25 days annual leave (28 days after 3 years of service)
• Enhanced absences (sickness and parental)
• Learning & Development opportunities
• Dog friendly offices

Job Summary:

• Ultimately Responsible for Pathology resource across VPG, including recruitment, retention, training, CPD, expert opinion and adequate staffing to deliver on caseload within TAT and that client support and satisfaction are guaranteed daily. 
• Manage, decide, and allocate pathology training budget 
• Deliver a market leading pathology service to all clients of VPG, including client and student education, business development and marketing activities, projects and research 
• Maintaining professional standards by fulfilling CPD requirements 
• To act as a figurehead for Pathology within VPG and externally nationally and internationally. 
• In this role the employee complies with requirements for line managers as outlined by HR. 
• This role involves Diagnostic Pathology

Duties & Responsibilities:Diagnostic Pathology 

• Responsibilities in line with either a Board Certified Clinical Pathologist” or Board Certified Histopathologist”

Pathology Director 

• Lead recruitment of Pathologists, Residents and Pathology related roles across VPG, ensuring compliance with Resourcing Policy including undertaking all required security checks.  
• Undertake regular onsite meetings and visits to all VPG Laboratories to develop and maintain high levels of collaboration and engagement within the Pathology Department.
• Manage the audit and implementation of Pathology productivity work points, as well as reconciliation and adjustments as required. 
• Responsible for Pathologist Resource and turnaround times (TATs). Work with Pathology Operations Manager, Laboratory Directors, Heads of Pathology, Head of Resident training, and Pathology Support Coordinators to manage systems for group wide pathology resource on a daily basis and distributing work to achieve optimal TATs and ensuring there is adequate pathology staffing at all times at all laboratories 
• Support the training of all residents across the group so that they achieve their residency objectives, progress through the residency academy and pass their ACVP board examinations 
• Decide and allocate pathology training budget for pathology CPD in conjunction with heads of pathology ensuring the budget is shared fairly amongst the pathologist and resident team and that there is adequate staffing around the business to allow staff members to attend conferences. Address all queries from the pathology operation manager. Provide timely and accurate information to support the budgeting process. Communicate conference allocation / budget allocation to the clinical pathologists and residents in a timely fashion allowing good time for bookings and other arrangements to be made. 
• Lead Pathology communication across the group, organise, plan and chair group wide clinical pathology meetings and circulate pathology related information from business projects and the executive team. 
• Be the point of contact for pathologist expertise around the group and delegate throughout the pathologist team as required. 
• Harmonisation of reference intervals for all parameters across the VPG and reporting style for pathology reports ready for sign off by CEO. Setting clinical standards for clinical pathology and ensuring they are maintained. 
• Take part in CPD opportunities and seek out /set up opportunities for the group. Allocate pathologists to speak at upcoming conferences. Have a plan for the year of all the speaking engagements coming up and who is going to speak on them. Work with the BD team to ensure that alongside larger conferenced planned at the beginning of the year, smaller speaking events are also supported by the clinical pathology team. 
• Work with the CEO on future pathology related projects for VPG including Digital Cytology, LIMS implementation, New test development, research and innovation and be effective and timely in the delivery of your integrative and groupwide projects taking a lead role in the complex coordination and project management 
• Contribute constructively, decisively, and consistently to the senior leadership team and play a central role in formulating strategy 
• To ensure that the pathology service achieves the financial targets set within the context of the performance of the whole group and in line with the VPG strategy as directed by the CEO. To work closely with Operations and Chief Financial Officer on financial monitoring and intervention when necessary. 
• Has a long-term personal commitment to achieve objectives, drawing from external ideas and focusing on results and performance. 
• To understand the current and potential client base with active and ongoing engagement and discussion 
• To perceive specific opportunities for long term change and improvement within own function or operation, or for the group. 
• Translate larger corporate objectives or strategy into relevant action plan and functional strategy. 
• Is able to review own experience to provide different solutions, integrating a variety of information. 
• Manages change enthusiastically but sensitively, recognising the necessity of a moving environment. 
• Makes and implements decisions and is able to justify these based on available information regarding effects and risks. 
• Faces into challenging situations and conversations in an open and honest fashion with a high degree of emotional intelligence. 
• Reviews customer and client satisfaction measures and identifies opportunities to improve. Appropriately challenges existing ways of working, empowering employees to meet client needs. All decisions made will consider the impact on the client. 
• Responds to and resolves complaints and queries quickly and to the client’s satisfaction. 
• To ensure compliance with VPG policy and the wider VPG policy on health and safety, employment regulations etc. 
• To ensure compliance with all new policy and procedures for operational and integration issues. 
• Creates long and stable relationships with a network of people within VPG. 
• Keep up to date with all CPD requirements to maintain MRCVS, Board Certified and Specialist status.

Knowledge, Skills, Attributes & ExperienceEssential

• An accepted Veterinary medicine degree from an RCVS approved and accredited institution.
• RCVS membership
• Board Certification and Specialisation in ACVP, ECVP, FRCPath, ACVIM or ECVIM
• A confident and polite telephone manner and ability to communicate with a wide range of levels of staff within the laboratory,
• Ability to work quickly and accurately under pressure
• Excellent computer and keyboard skills including good understanding of applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to deliver the highest level of customer care to all clients.
• Good skills in accuracy and numeracy.
• Well-developed interpersonal and team working abilities.
• Able to concentrate for a prolonged period of time.
• Good time management and organisational skills
• Highly organised and capable of adapting to rapidly changing situations under pressure.
• Openness to feedback and coaching.
• Client oriented mindset

Desirable

• Board Certification in ACVIM, ECVIM, or other internal medicine specialisation/accreditation.
• PhD in a veterinary related field
• Other additional training in clinical pathology, histopathology or internal medicine (i.e.: residencies, internships)
• Experience in teaching, coaching and training (e.g. students, laboratory staff and residents)