National Jewish Health is seeking a proactive and quality-driven Quality Assurance Coordinator to join the ADx Laboratories team. This role offers the opportunity to be a key partner in maintaining the highest standards of laboratory excellence, regulatory compliance and continuous improvement across a growing diagnostic environment. The ideal candidate will enjoy collaborating with laboratory leaders, driving quality initiatives and helping ensure world-class laboratory operations.
Key Responsibilities
- Leads and supports quality and compliance efforts related to CLIA, CAP, ISO and other regulatory standards
- Conducts audits, monitors quality metrics and drives corrective and preventive action initiatives
- Partners with laboratory teams to strengthen quality systems, improve processes and support operational excellence
- Assists with regulatory inspections, accreditation activities and client audits
- Serves as a trusted resource for quality, compliance and continuous improvement across multiple laboratory sites
National Jewish Health is the nation’s leading respiratory hospital, recognized for excellence in patient care, research and education. As part of ADx Laboratories, the Quality Assurance Coordinator helps safeguard the quality and integrity of innovative diagnostic testing that supports clinicians, researchers and patients nationwide. This role offers the opportunity to make a visible impact, influence organizational quality initiatives and contribute to a culture of excellence in a highly collaborative laboratory environment.
Position Summary
Assists the Manager of Quality Assurance to monitor and maintain the accreditation and credibility of the clinical laboratories based on industry standards. Serves as a point of contact to laboratories for Quality related issues, ensuring compliance with all regulatory agency requirements. Monitors the Oncology Satellite laboratories to ensure compliance with regulations.
Essential Duties
- Ensure laboratory compliance by serving the laboratories as a resource regarding Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA ’88) regulations.
- Assists in ensuring compliance with CAP accreditation standards, ISO 15189, and various state accreditation standards, CDC guidelines and permits, and applicable licenses for all labs. Assists in auditing to assure all testing facilities/personnel have appropriate licensure and accreditation as deemed by federal, state, and local regulations.
- Performs quality audits. Documents findings, reviews responses, and ensures that corrective action is implemented when non-conformances are found.
- Participates in improvement activities and initiatives for laboratories and implement improvements via partnerships and collaborations. Facilitates quality improvement teams to achieve set objectives and work towards continuous improvement.
- Serves as a resource and facilitator to ensure that the laboratories follow all applicable Quality System requirements as assigned by the Quality Manager: Non-Conforming Events, Change Control, Proficiency Testing, Document Control, Internal Audits, Safety, Training/Competencies, Vendor Management, Reference Lab Management.
- Assists manager in developing appropriate performance and quality metric reports.
- Assists in the preparation and execution of client and regulatory audits.
- Visit the Oncology satellite laboratory sites to monitor and assist in compliance with regulations.
Competencies
- Accountability: Accepts full responsibility for self and contribution as a team member; displays honesty and truthfulness; confronts problems quickly; displays a strong commitment to organizational success and inspires others to commit to goals; demonstrates a commitment to National Jewish Health.
- Adaptability: Maintaining effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work responsibilities or environment; adjusting effectively to work within new work structures, processes, requirements, or cultures.
- Creativity and Innovation: Applies creative problem-solving skills to develop solutions to problems; recognizes and demonstrates the value in taking “smart” risks and learning from mistakes; develops multiple alternatives and understands the feasibility of each; effectively shares and implements his/her ideas. Generates innovative solutions in work situations; tries different and novel ways to deal with work problems and opportunities.
- Decision Making: Identifying and understanding issues, problems, and opportunities; comparing data from different sources to draw conclusions; using effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions; taking action that is consistent with available facts, constraints, and probable consequences.
- Drive for Results: Setting high goals for personal and group accomplishment; using measurement methods to monitor progress toward goals; tenaciously working to meet or exceed goals while deriving satisfaction from that achievement and continuous improvement.
- Informing and Communicating: Clearly conveying information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the audience and helps them understand and retain the message.
- Impact and Influence: Using appropriate interpersonal styles and techniques to gain acceptance of ideas or plans; modifying one’s own behavior to accommodate tasks, situations, and individuals involved. Taking advantage of opportunities to make a difference and have an impact. When used well, the intended outcome of this competency is the creation of goodwill, trust, and respect while motivating people to want to follow you even when they don’t have to.
- Perseverance/Resourcefulness: Works to apply new approaches to existing challenges when delegated; is open-minded and will find new solutions when obvious problem or gap exists; validates accuracy of information collected; uses internal knowledge bases or best practices.
- Continuous Learning and Development: Actively identifying new areas for learning; regularly creating and taking advantage of learning opportunities; using newly gained knowledge and skill to enhance their contribution to the organization.
- Peer Relationships: Interacts with others in a constructive, positive, and respectful manner, regardless of individual differences. Assists team members or co-workers in achieving personal goals and completing assignments.
Supervisory or Managerial Responsibility
None
Travel
Minimal
Core Values
- Be available to work as scheduled and report to work on time.
- Be willing to accept supervision and work well with others.
- Be well groomed, appropriately for your role and wear ID Badge visibly.
- Be in compliance with all departmental and institutional policies, the Employee Handbook, Code of Conduct and completes NetLearning by due date annually.
- Promotes a workplace culture based on mutual respect and merit, where all individuals are treated fairly and provided with equal opportunity to contribute to the mission and goals of the institution.
- Adheres to safe working practices and at all times follows all institutional and departmental safety policies and procedures.
- Wears appropriate PPE as outlined by the infection control policies and procedures.
- Demonstrates compliance with all state, federal and all other regulatory agency requirements.
Minimum Qualifications
- Education: Bachelor’s degree required.
- Work Experience: A minimum of two years working in quality program required, clinical laboratory experience preferred. Experience in participating in preparing for regulatory inspection and accreditation programs is preferred.
- Special Training, Certification or Licensure: Valid Driver’s License required. Certified in quality management and regulatory compliance preferred.
Salary Range: $58,656.00 - $77,572.56
Benefits
At National Jewish Health, we recognize that our outstanding faculty and staff are the essence of our organization. For every aspect of health care, our employees are our greatest asset. With that in mind, we have designed a valuable, comprehensive benefits package to meet the needs of our employees and their families.
- Comprehensive Medical Coverage: Multiple Cigna health plans for Colorado, regional office and remote employees. Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) available to pair with some plans.
- Paid Time Off: Generous PTO accruals to use for vacation and sick days, and six paid holidays, all compliant with Colorado state sick leave regulations.
- Dental & Vision Plans: Coverage effective the first of the month after hire.
- Retirement Savings: 403(b) plan with employer contributions after two years.
- Wellness Incentives: Earn up to $200 annually for preventive health activities.
- Tuition Reimbursement: Up to $5,250 annually for full-time and part-time employees.
- Child Care Assistance: Childcare Flex Spending Account (FSA) with annual employer contribution.
- Loan Forgiveness: Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) eligible employer.
- Disability & Life Insurance: Employer-paid plans and optional buy-up choices.
- Voluntary Benefits: Full suite of coverage options such as Accident, Hospital Indemnity and Legal Plan
- Exclusive Discounts: Savings on local services, insurance, and RTD bus passes.
