Job Purpose 

To lead, manage and ensure an effective and efficient operational delivery of key services within the Forensic Pathology department. You will be responsible for delivering continuous improvements, implementing standardised processes and practises to create a flexible and responsive service. Working closely with senior Pathologists and the Business Operations Manager, you will contribute to the efficient operational elements of the department ensuring all departmental and contractual requirements are met.

As part of the Forensic Pathology leadership team, you will be recognised as leading on all matters related to management of the Histology laboratories, IT functions, security procedures and estates requirements across the department. You will provide operational and policy related advice/support to the Head of Department and other key stakeholders as appropriate to ensure the efficient running of the labs and site. You will deputise for the Business Operations Manager on key decision making and high level contractual and financial matters.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1.    To lead the laboratory team to ensure an effective service delivery is provided across all support services including contributing to the strategic direction of the department and provision of specialist training and advice to Histology staff. You will undertake the efficient management and deployment of staff resources and ensure these are well-utilised. This includes supporting the pathology team with meeting target dates set by Crown Office.

2.     To oversee and lead on the operational lab management arrangements to deliver, implement and achieve the high-quality provision of the Histology service, as well as providing an effective, flexible, and responsive technical and administrative support. This will include ensuring full compliance of best practice, legislative requirements and policy.

3.     To review and lead on the provision, development and management of security, IT and information systems. This includes ensuring the accuracy and integrity of data is maintained in line with appropriate policies and procedures and communication channels are monitored and updated (e.g., handbooks, webpages etc).

4.     To oversee the assessment of incoming tissue samples and use knowledge and experience to trim these to highlight pathological features as per pathology requirements. To monitor and improve these techniques to ensure best laboratory practice.

5.     To lead on financial management predominantly in relation to the laboratory, in terms of tendering, purchasing, ordering, and managing the consumables to meet the workload demands and economic throughput of histology slides and financial forecasting.

6.     To deputise and support the Business Operations Manager in ensuring the timely and professional preparation and presentation of statistical information. This includes the presentation of all statistical and management information collected as per the requirements of the Crown Office Contract to internal and external bodies. This includes understanding the departmental financial records/budgets, tracking and authorisation in line with appropriate financial guidelines.

7.    Keep up to date with developments in Histology and utilise specialist knowledge to enhance and improve the overall service provision. This includes establishing and maintaining an effective network of contacts within the Crown Office, Procurator Fiscal Service, Police and NHS trust.

8.    Overall operational responsibility for estates issues and the day-to-day smooth running of the department. This includes deputising for the Business Operations Manager and making management decisions, taking responsibility for daily critical issues across both technical and administrative aspects.

9.    Where required, actively engage, and contribute to department activities including attending meetings, liaising with colleagues and stakeholders with enquiries, preparing reports and statistical information and providing guidance on operational processes across the unit.

10.   Working closely with the Head of Department to review, maintain and continuously improve Quality Assurance and Evaluation to ensure the effective management of quality assurance processes providing specialist advice to internal and external stakeholders on related practices to support and safeguard the department.

11.   To provide leadership and support to team members and ensure they are trained and developed and have the required knowledge, skills and understanding to provide an excellent service and produce accurate documentation, information, support, advice, and guidance to key stakeholders.

12.   Be responsible for the day-to-day management of and compliance with relevant Health and Safety and/or other specialist legal requirements. Maintain all necessary records in accordance with set requirements, keep up to date with developments or legal changes relevant to the work of the department and advise and train group members as appropriate. This will include being an active member of the H&S committee and acting as a local safety co-ordinator.

13.   To be responsible for ensuring the day-to-day maintenance and housekeeping issues around the building are managed, both in the laboratories and the premises as a whole.  Liaising with Estates and Buildings department and external contractors commissioned by the University.

14.   Engage in reasonable professional development activities as appropriate.

15.   Undertake any other reasonable duties as required by the team.

Knowledge, Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Knowledge/Qualifications

Essential

A1.   Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework level 9 (Ordinary Degree, Scottish Vocational Qualification level 4) or equivalent (including professional accreditation with relevant formal training), and experience of personal development in a similar or related role(s).

OR

Ability to demonstrate the competencies required to undertake the duties associated with this level of post having acquired the necessary professional knowledge and management skills in a similar or number of different specialist roles.

A2.   Knowledge of all operations required in the running of a Forensic Histology lab, preferably gained from experience in a similar role.  This should include legislation on Tissue Retention, Best Practice in Histology Lab procedures in relation to governance and Health & Safety legislation.

A3.   A working knowledge of Human Anatomy including tissue identification, post-mortem and disease related changes

A4.   Significant breadth and depth of specialist technical knowledge in Histological techniques and problem-solving.

A5.   Demonstrable knowledge of relevant legislative requirements applicable to the role, including but not limited to Health and Safety

Desirable

B1.   Knowledge of the mechanisms of providing a digital pathology service

Skills

Essential

C1.   Ability to demonstrate delivering a high-quality service providing specialist advice, and guidance to internal and external stakeholders on governance, compliance, and service delivery matters.

C2.   Excellent people leadership and management skills

C3.   Excellent planning and organisational skills, with ability to multi-task and work under pressure to manage conflicting and tight deadlines.

C4.   Proven ability to work proactively and independently, setting own priorities and targets, and using initiative to solve problems.

C5.   Excellent oral and written communication skills, with proven interpersonal skills dealing with a variety of stakeholders.

C6.   Excellent attention to detail and accuracy

C7.   Proven ability of delivering tact, confidentiality, diplomacy and discretion.

C8.   Ability to plan and prioritise a technical service to meet long term objectives, whilst delivering a day-to-day service

Experience

Essential

E1.   Significant experience of managing and developing a histology team.

E2.   Significant experience of working in a forensic pathology laboratory and/or environment.

E3.   Significant experience of delivering efficient and high-quality service within a forensic pathology department/environment.

E4.   A track record of successful budget management and presentation and analysis of financial data using varying formats

E5.   In depth understanding of IT issues and ability to manage and ensure a robust IT function involving server management, networking and focus on Cyber Security and security regulations and legislation on the processing and storing of secure sensitive data and material.

E6.   Experience of collating and presenting a large amount of data and statistics from various sources and differing content

Dimensions

The Forensic Pathology Unit sits within the School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing and forms the largest Forensic Pathology Unit in Scotland providing in the region of 2800 postmortem reports to the Crown Office Procurator Fiscal.

The post holder will assist with overseeing the full management of all contract compliance and administrative obligations that align with the Crown Office Forensic Pathology Contract (worth appx £3 million per annum) and will have deputising responsibility for financial management of a major commercial service contract. This will involve invoice and budget holder for large consumable supply contracts authorising all departmental spend in the absence and/or in conjunction with the Business Operations Manager.

The post holder will provide leadership and people management of 2 technical staff with Deputising responsibility for 5 administrative staff and liaising and overseeing work tasked to 2 external IT Contractors.

 Responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of equipment with an appx value of £300k.

Planning and Organising

• Plan, organise and manage a large workload effectively and efficiently in a high-pressured busy lab with stringent timescales

• Effective planning and organisational skills required to ensure the postholder can manage conflicting priorities and demands from key stakeholders.

• Assist in managing administrative activities to ensure that the service delivery requirements of a high-profile unit are met

• Plan, organise and manage the appropriate allocation and use of resources

• Organise laboratory schedules including maintenance of critical equipment and ensuring all health and safety responsibilities are met

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Decision Making

• Draw on and ensure adherence to the interpretation of policies and procedures and their appropriate application.

• Use professional judgement as required to demonstrate effective decision making

• Responsible for daily critical decisions within the Department and resolve matters as they arise

• Specify contracts and accept contract tenders

• Make technical decisions about analytical methodologies

• Quality decisions about acceptability of analytical results

• Ability to make independent decisions and to plan workload to make best use of resources and to use personal discretion within this remit

• To identify working practices or learning improvements that may increase the efficiency of the histology laboratory and the overall running of the department and the Crown Office Contract

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Internal and external relationships

• Liaise with suppliers of consumables and contracts

• Liaison with all internal University Departments to aid the smooth running of the labs and administration of the contract

• Liaison with Consultant Forensic Pathologists exchanging information, ensuring their needs are met from the Histology lab function and to be pro-active in communicating with them on the functioning of the lab and meeting deadlines

• Liaison with other agencies required for the delivery of Forensic Pathology Services which includes NHS colleagues and Mortuary and Crown Office Staff

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Problem Solving

• Use initiative and independent judgement to identify appropriate solutions when dealing with day-to-day issues.

• Ability to crisis manage any issues that hampers the delivery of the service which will encompass not only laboratory issues but also staffing, IT and administrative problems

• Ability to solve issues that have a financial implication with budgets

• Risk manage any problems that would impact on contract performance and subsequently put the University at risk of large financial penalties

• Solves technical and equipment maintenance problems ensuring no or limited downtime in processes

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Terms and Conditions

Salary will be Grade 7, £40,497 - £45,413 per annum.

This post is full time and Open ended with funding end date. This post is subject to external funding which is currently under review.  At present, funding is available until 31 March 2026.

Informal enquiries may be directed to Julie McAdam, Julie.McAdam@glasgow.ac.uk

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The University of Glasgow has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.  If you require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the UK, you will be required to meet the eligibility requirements of the visa route to be assigned a Certificate of Sponsorship.

Please note that this post may be eligible to be sponsored under the Skilled Worker visa route if tradeable points can be used under the Skilled Worker visa rules. For more information please visit: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa.

Closing date: 23:45 on Sunday 13th April 2025

As part of Team UofG you will be a member of a world changing, inclusive community, which values ambition, excellence, integrity and curiosity.

As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

1 A warm welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where your talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared.

2 An excellent employment package with generous terms and conditions including 41 days of leave for full time staff, pension , benefits and discount packages.

3 A flexible approach to working.

4 A commitment to support your health and wellbeing.

We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University. Read more on how the University promotes and embeds all aspects of equality and diversity within our community here.

We endorse the principles of Athena Swan and hold bronze, silver and gold awards across the University.

We are investing in our organisation, and we will invest in you too. Please visit our website https://www.gla.ac.uk/explore/jobs/for more information.