| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Allied Health |
| Level | Senior management |
| Reports to | Managing Director |
| Direct reports | Lab Manager, Pathologist, Microbiologist (Clinical) |
| Experience | 10+ years in diagnostic pathology, with 4 years heading an accredited laboratory |
Laboratory Director job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Laboratory Director
Department: Allied Health
Reports to: Managing Director
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
The Laboratory Director is the medical and technical head of a diagnostic laboratory, usually a pathologist with an MD. They are accountable for every report the lab releases: the test menu and methods, quality control, the critical value policy, NABL accreditation and report sign-off. In a diagnostics chain the director also plans capacity, approves new tests and reagent contracts, and represents the lab to referring doctors, assessors and health authorities.
Key responsibilities
- Decide the test menu, methods and analysers, and approve method validation or verification data before any new test goes live.
- Approve the quality manual, SOPs and document control system, and act as the accountable person for ISO 15189 accreditation with NABL.
- Review internal quality control trends and EQAS results every month, and sign off corrective action whenever an analyte falls outside limits.
- Set the critical value list and call-out rules, and audit that critical results reach the treating doctor within the agreed time.
- Sign reports or delegate sign-off by section, and personally review amended reports and clinician complaints.
- Plan capacity for the monsoon fever season, when dengue, malaria and typhoid testing surges, and decide which tests to send to reference labs.
- Approve reagent rental and equipment contracts with finance, and review cost per test for the highest-volume panels.
- Chair the management review meeting covering audits, non-conformities, turnaround time, complaints and staff competency.
- Meet referring doctors and hospitals, answer technical queries on test choice and interpretation, and speak at CME sessions.
- Hire and assess pathologists, microbiologists and the lab manager, and approve the training and competency plan for technical staff.
Requirements
- MBBS with MD or DNB in Pathology; MD Microbiology or Biochemistry for section-led labs
- Registration with the National Medical Commission or a State Medical Council
- ISO 15189 lab management or internal auditor training is an advantage
- 10+ years in diagnostic pathology, with 4 years heading an accredited laboratory
KRAs and KPIs for a Laboratory Director
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Report accuracy | Reports amended because of lab error below 0.1 percent of reports each month |
| Accreditation | NABL surveillance and reassessment cleared, with every non-conformity closed before the deadline in the assessment report |
| External quality | Satisfactory EQAS results for at least 95 percent of analytes in each cycle |
| Turnaround time | Routine reports meeting the committed turnaround for 95 percent of samples, reviewed monthly by section |
| Critical results | Critical values communicated to the treating doctor within 30 minutes of validation in every case |
| Cost per test | Reagent cost per reportable test within budget for the top 20 tests by volume |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Laboratory information system (LIS), Biochemistry, haematology and immunoassay analysers, QC software with Levey-Jennings charts, Research microscope, EQAS provider portals, MS Excel.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Chief Medical Officer, Medical Director
Interview questions for a Laboratory Director
- Walk me through how you verify a new HbA1c method before releasing patient results.
- Your EQAS result for creatinine is unsatisfactory but internal QC passed all month. What do you check?
- A clinician calls to say a potassium result does not fit the patient. How do you handle the call?
- How do you decide whether to run a low-volume test in-house or send it to a reference lab?
- What goes on the agenda of your management review meeting under ISO 15189?
- Tell me about a time you stopped reporting from an analyser. What made you decide?
Managing a Laboratory Director in ZeniaHR
Hire and manage your allied health team in one place
Post the role, onboard the new hire, and track attendance, leave and KRAs in ZeniaHR. Free for your first 50 employees.
Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
What is the role of a laboratory director?
A laboratory director holds final responsibility for the quality and validity of every test the lab reports. They approve methods, quality control rules, the quality manual and critical value policy, lead NABL accreditation, handle clinician queries and manage the senior technical team. In many Indian labs the director is also the pathologist who signs reports.
What is the difference between a laboratory director and a lab manager?
The laboratory director is the medical and technical authority: methods, result validity, reporting and accreditation. The lab manager runs daily operations such as rosters, the movement of samples, reagent orders, analyser upkeep and turnaround. The manager reports to the director and escalates technical and clinical questions for a decision.
What qualification is required to become a laboratory director in India?
Most diagnostic labs appoint a doctor with an MD or DNB in pathology as director, and some section heads hold an MD in microbiology or biochemistry. Medical council registration is expected, and accredited labs look for years of reporting experience and working knowledge of ISO 15189.