Scientific Officer, National Metabolic Screening Programme - LabPLUS

·         New Zealand’s leading hospital laboratory

·         National Screening Programme

·         Permanent full time position

Ko wai mātou | Our Organisation

We are Te Whatu Ora Te Toka Tumai Auckland. We provide health and disability services to more than half a million people living in central Auckland, regional services for Northland and greater Auckland, and specialist national services for the whole of New Zealand. Our main sites are Auckland City Hospital, Greenlane Clinical Centre and Starship Children’s Hospital, located in central Auckland.

We are part of Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand, the overarching organisation for New Zealand’s national health service. Te Whatu Ora leads the day-to-day running of the health system, with functions delivered at local, district, regional and national levels.

We are committed to upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi and providing culturally safe care. We value role modelling manaakitanga as demonstrated by Ngāti Whātua in the gifting of their whenua on which our hospitals stand. We aspire to having a workforce reflective of the communities we serve and achieving equitable outcomes for all.

Te whiwhinga mahi | The Opportunity

We are inviting expressions of interest from experienced Medical Laboratory Scientists who are interested in progressing their career. The role is based in the Newborn Screening section (NBS) of the Specialist Chemical Pathology department at LabPlus. The NBS section provides a unique service for the NZ population.

In this role you will be required to work closely with the current Scientific Officer offering technical and clinical support to the NBS. This will include routine running and troubleshooting of the screening assays, including in-house developed expanded screening assays, development of new assays, training and mentoring of staff, taking a lead role in interpreting and reporting of results, liaising with clinical staff and ensuring National Screening Unit (NSU) quality requirements and external accreditation requirements are met. The role will also involve maintenance and development of the in-house developed middleware and review of assay cut-offs and newborn screening protocols.

The position is full time working rostered shifts from Monday to Sunday.

For further details, please refer to the position description here.

Nga Pūkenga Motuhake | Important Skills

The area is busy with strict turnaround time and quality requirements. Applicants will need to possess excellent organisational, computer and communication skills. The role requires a person with a skillset including attention to detail, excellent time management, accuracy and the ability to work closely with others as part of a small team. Applicants will need to have recent demonstrable skills and advanced knowledge of tandem mass spectrometry and knowledge of other methodologies and instrumentation including molecular. Previous experience in newborn screening would be advantageous. The ability to train and supervise staff is essential as is familiarity with the ISO15189 standard.

You must have an MSc, PhD or appropriate higher scientific qualification. You must also have a current annual practicing certificate and be registered (or have qualifications and training which will be recognised and lead to registration) as a Medical Laboratory Scientist with the Medical Sciences Council of New Zealand. For details, visit www.mscouncil.org.nz

For more information about this role please contact Colleen Harvey, Scientist Unit Manager, via colleenh@adhb.govt.nz

He aha ngā painga o tēnei mahi mōu | Why you will enjoy working here

We recognise there is more to life than mahi | work, and we encourage and provide access to all our staff several services and benefits to support themselves whilst they are employed within Te Toka Tumai Auckland.

For more information on what we offer, please click here.

Me pēhea te tuku tono | How to apply

Please submit your application online, outlining your experience and motivation to apply to this role.

If you have any queries about accessibility, or technical issues with the online process, please contact Aaron Chamberlain - Recruitment Consultant at Aaron.chamberlain@tewhatuora.govt.nz to discuss how we can best support your application.

Click here to view details about our recruitment process

For the largest health sector job board in New Zealand, visit www.kiwihealthjobs.com

Immigration/Visa Support

Immigration NZ has introduced a new Accredited Employer Work Visa system from 4 July 2022 that includes a simplified residency process for health workers on the new “Green List” of occupations – and this position is one of those designated critical positions! For successful candidates offered a position with us who require a Work Visa, we will provide support with their Visa application. Here are the links to two key pages of NZ Immigration's official site for more information: Immigration NZ Accredited Employer Work Visa and Immigration NZ Green List Occupations