Operations Manager - Laboratory (B2B)

2. Job Purpose

The Lab Operations Manager will be responsible for the overall management of laboratory operations, ensuring timely and accurate diagnostic reporting, efficient sample processing, quality assurance, staff productivity, equipment uptime, and compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and company SOPs.

The role requires strong operational leadership, effective coordination among laboratory departments, logistics, IT/LIS, and reporting teams, and a commitment to delivering reliable diagnostic services to patients, doctors, hospitals, and referral partners.

3. Key Roles and Responsibilities

A. Laboratory Operations Management

• Manage the day-to-day operations of all laboratory departments, including Biochemistry, Hematology, Clinical Pathology, Immunoassay, Microbiology, Molecular Diagnostics, and other applicable sections.
• Ensure smooth workflow from sample receipt, accessioning, barcode generation, centrifugation, testing, validation, and report dispatch.
• Ensure adequate manpower deployment, shift planning, duty rosters, and workload distribution.
• Monitor laboratory productivity and ensure optimal utilization of instruments, manpower, and resources.
• Maintain coordination among technical teams, sample collection centres, logistics, customer service, and management.

B. Turnaround Time (TAT) Management

• Monitor sample processing and report release against defined TAT standards.
• Ensure adherence to the following internal workflow targets, subject to test-specific requirements:
• Sample accessioning and initial processing: within 1 hour.
• Testing and processing: within 2 hours.
• Reporting and dispatch: within 1 hour after completion of testing, where applicable.
• Ensure a minimum of 95% of reports are delivered within the defined TAT.
• Prepare and review daily TAT reports covering sample receipt, processing, completion, validation, report release, delayed cases, and reasons for deviation.
• Immediately escalate critical delays, pending reports, repeat testing, and operational bottlenecks.
• Implement corrective measures to reduce delays and improve turnaround time.

C. Quality Assurance and NABL Compliance

• Ensure compliance with applicable NABL requirements, quality management systems, laboratory SOPs, and relevant statutory requirements.
• Monitor internal quality control (IQC), external quality assurance programmes (EQAS/PT), calibration, and maintenance records.
• Ensure proper documentation, traceability, sample integrity, and confidentiality of patient information.
• Coordinate internal audits, external assessments, non-conformity reporting, root-cause analysis, and corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).
• Ensure that reports are released only after appropriate technical verification and authorization by authorized personnel.
• Monitor complaints, sample rejection, repeat testing, amended reports, and errors, and take preventive action.

D. Instrument and Equipment Management

• Ensure the availability and operational readiness of all laboratory instruments and equipment.
• Coordinate preventive maintenance, calibration, breakdown reporting, service visits, and timely equipment restoration.
• Maintain instrument downtime records and escalate unresolved breakdowns to the concerned service provider and management.
• Ensure availability of backup arrangements or approved referral testing wherever necessary.
• Monitor reagent consumption, equipment utilization, and avoidable wastage.

E. Manpower Management and Training

• Supervise laboratory technicians, section in-charges, sample processing personnel, and other assigned staff.
• Monitor staff attendance, punctuality, productivity, discipline, and adherence to assigned responsibilities.
• Conduct regular training on SOPs, quality control, biosafety, sample handling, instrument operation, and error prevention.
• Evaluate staff performance against defined KPIs and recommend training or corrective action wherever required.
• Ensure adequate staffing during peak workload, emergency requirements, and shift transitions.

F. Inventory and Cost Control

• Monitor the availability and consumption of reagents, calibrators, controls, consumables, and other laboratory supplies.
• Prevent stock-outs, expiry-related losses, excessive consumption, and unnecessary wastage.
• Maintain minimum and maximum stock levels and coordinate timely procurement.
• Monitor operational costs, reagent utilization, repeat-test costs, and laboratory productivity.
• Support management in improving operational efficiency without compromising quality.

G. LIS, Reporting and Data Management

• Ensure smooth functioning of the Laboratory Information System (LIS), patient registration, barcode systems, analyzer interfaces, and report generation workflows.
• Coordinate with IT and LIS teams to resolve interface failures, registration errors, result transmission issues, and reporting delays.
• Ensure accurate sample identification, result entry, report verification, and electronic report dispatch.
• Monitor pending samples, unprocessed worklists, unvalidated results, and undelivered reports.
• Submit accurate daily operational MIS reports to management.

4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

The performance of the Lab Operations Manager will be evaluated against the following measurable parameters:

1. TAT Compliance: Minimum 95% of reports released within the defined TAT.
2. Sample Processing: Timely accessioning, barcoding, centrifugation, and testing.
3. Report Accuracy: Reduction in registration errors, analytical errors, amended reports, and avoidable repeat testing.
4. Instrument Uptime: Timely breakdown escalation and minimum avoidable downtime.
5. Quality Compliance: Adherence to SOPs, internal QC, EQAS/PT, documentation, and audit requirements.
6. Staff Productivity: Effective manpower utilization, attendance monitoring, and timely completion of assigned work.
7. Inventory Management: Reduced stock-outs, wastage, and expiry-related losses.
8. MIS and Reporting: Submission of complete and accurate daily operational reports within prescribed deadlines.
9. Complaint Resolution: Timely investigation and closure of operational and reporting complaints.
10. Cost Efficiency: Improvement in productivity and operational cost control without compromising diagnostic quality.

5. Educational Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Bio-Chemistry, Biology, Micro-Biology or Medical Laboratory Technology (BMLT/MMLT), Medical Laboratory Science, or a relevant life-science discipline.

6. Experience

• Preferably 5–8 years of experience in diagnostic laboratory operations, including supervisory or managerial responsibilities.
• Experience in a high-volume referral laboratory or multi-department diagnostic setup will be preferred.
• Practical experience in TAT monitoring, quality assurance, staff management, inventory control, and LIS operations is required.

7. Required Skills and Competencies

• Strong leadership and team management skills.
• Excellent knowledge of laboratory workflow and quality control.
• Ability to analyse operational data and prepare MIS reports.
• Problem-solving and decision-making capabilities.
• Proficiency in laboratory software, LIS, MS Excel, and operational dashboards.
• Strong communication, coordination, and escalation management skills.
• High standards of integrity, accountability, discipline, and patient confidentiality.

8. Authority and Accountability

The Lab Operations Manager will be accountable for the effective functioning of the assigned laboratory operations and will be expected to:

• Take immediate action on operational delays, quality deviations, and equipment breakdowns.
• Ensure compliance with management-approved SOPs and operational policies.
• Escalate critical quality, safety, staffing, and service issues to management without delay.
• Recommend process improvements, manpower requirements, training needs, and resource optimization measures.

9. General Conditions

• The employee must comply with all company policies, confidentiality requirements, and professional conduct standards.
• All activities must be performed in accordance with approved SOPs and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Performance will be reviewed periodically against the defined KPIs.
• Any other laboratory operations responsibility assigned by management, consistent with the position, shall form part of the role.

     CTC: 6 – 8 Lakhs / Annum

     Joining: 1st November 2026

    Send your updated CV : ray@cpl.net.in