Biomedical Scientist Non-Gynae Cytology

Senior Biomedical Scientist Non-Gynae Cytology

Band 7

Main area

Histopathology

Grade

Band 7

Contract

Permanent

Hours

Full time - 37.5 hours per week (This department operates extended day over 7 days.)

Job ref

287-DTC-7-26

Department name

LUH - 1 General Staffing (AFC posts)

Site

Liverpool Clinical Laboratories

Town

Liverpool

Salary

£47,810 - £54,710 per annum

Salary period

Yearly

Closing

05/02/2026 23:59

Job Overview

Liverpool Clinical Laboratories is seeking an experienced and motivated Cytology Laboratory Manager to help lead one of the largest and most progressive cytology services in the region. The service delivers a high volume of diagnostic cytology across multiple hospital sites, with demand continuing to grow and opportunities emerging for service expansion and restructure.

This role offers the opportunity to shape the future of a high-impact diagnostic service recognised for innovation, quality, and patient-centred care. Working alongside an experienced and established Cellular Pathology team, you will play a key role in delivering safe, efficient, and accredited cytology services, supporting clinic adequacy provision, turnaround times, and service resilience, while leading service improvement, workforce development, and structural change.

We are seeking a collab

orative and forward-thinking leader who thrives in complex environments and is motivated by transformation and continuous improvement. Service structure is being reviewed and the scope of the role might change.

In return, we offer the opportunity to influence strategic direction, support service expansion, and make a meaningful difference to patient outcomes within a supportive and ambitious organisation.

For further information or to arrange an informal visit, please contact Mr Robert Lee, Cytology Manager, Cellular Pathology ().

Main duties of the job

The post holder will provide operational and professional leadership for the Cytology service, ensuring safe, high-quality, and timely diagnostic delivery across multiple sites. The role involves overseeing day-to-day laboratory and clinic support activity, maintaining compliance with UKAS ISO 15189 standards, and supporting performance against turnaround time targets. You will lead and develop a specialist workforce, promote staff wellbeing, and build resilience within a small, high-pressure team.

The role also includes driving service improvement, supporting service expansion and restructure, and working collaboratively with clinical, managerial, and cellular pathology colleagues to adopt new technologies and improve patient outcomes.

Working for our organisation

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust comprises Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital &

; Royal Liverpool University Hospital.

We are part of NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, formed on 1 Nov 2024 from the coming together of LUHFT and Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust. The Group was born from a shared aim to improve the care we provide our patients.

UHLG is one of the largest employers in the region, with over 16,800 colleagues dedicated to caring for our communities - from birth and beyond.

For the 630,000 people across Merseyside, we are their local NHS. We provide general and emergency hospital care, alongside highly specialised regional services for more than two million people in the North West.

Aintree University Hospital is the single receiving site for adult major trauma patients in Cheshire and Merseyside and hosts a number of regional services including an award-winning stroke facility. Broadgreen Hospital is home to elective surgical, diagnostic and treatment services, together with specialist patient rehabilitation. Liverpool Women's Hospital specialises in the health of women and babies, delivering over 7,200 babies in the UK's largest single site maternity hospital each year. The Royal Liverpool University Hospital is the largest hospital in the country to provide inpatients with 100% single bedrooms and focuses on complex planned care and specialist services.

For roles at Liverpool Women's, visit their careers page.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

• . Service Leadership and Operational Accountability
  
  

Provide senior operational and professional leadership for the Cytology service, ensuring safe, timely, and high-quality diagnostic delivery from sample receipt through to reporting support and archiving.

Take delegated day-to-day responsibility for service performance, workflow management, capacity planning, and escalation of operational issues within the Cytology service.

Work collaboratively with Cellular Pathology management, Laboratory Managers, Team Leaders, and clinical colleagues to support service resilience and continuity.

• Quality Management, Governance and Accreditation
  
  

Support the implementation and maintenance of compliance with UKAS ISO 15189, Trust policies, and relevant national standards within the Cytology service.

Ensure effective quality control, quality assurance, internal audit participation, non-conformance management, and CAPA implementation within managed areas.

Participate in the investigation of incidents, complaints, and service risks, ensuring learning is shared and improvements embedded.

Ensure SOPs, validation records, and document control systems are maintained, accessible, and adhered to.

• Workforce Management, Training and Development
  
  

Provide line management and professional supervision for Team Leaders and senior cytology staff, ensuring appropriate delegation and support.

Support workforce planning, recruitment, induction, appraisal, performance management, and absence management in line with Trust policies.

Ensure staff are trained, competent, and authorised for their roles, with clear competency assessment and training frameworks in place.

Promote staff wellbeing, CPD, equality, and a positive team culture within a specialist service environment.

• Technical Oversight and Specialist Practice
  
  

Maintain specialist oversight of cytology laboratory processes, including sample preparation, screening support, reporting workflows, archiving, and to take an active role in clinic adequacy services.

Provide senior technical advice and problem-solving support in complex or specialist situations, escalating issues as appropriate.

Support validation, verification, and implementation of new techniques, equipment, and workflows, including digital cytology developments.

• Audit, Research and Service Improvement
  
  

Support service-led audits, quality improvement projects, and innovation within Cytology.

Assist with laboratory support for research or clinical trial activity where applicable, ensuring traceability, documentation, and quality standards are maintained.

Use audit outcomes and performance data to inform service improvement.

• Resources, Equipment and Infrastructure
  
  

Support stock control, procurement processes, and supplier liaison for cytology consumables and equipment.

Ensure laboratory equipment is appropriately maintained, validated, and fit for purpose.

Contribute to planning for service capacity, sustainability, and future development.

• Health, Safety and Risk Management
  
  

Ensure compliance with Health & Safety, COSHH, infection prevention, and local risk management procedures.

Identify and escalate operational and clinical risks, supporting the implementation of control measures.

Promote a positive safety culture within the Cytology service.

• Communication and Service Contribution
  
  

Act as a key operational contact for Cytology-related matters.

Contribute performance information, reports, and assurance to Cellular Pathology management and governance meetings.

Support service change, expansion, and restructure under the direction of senior management.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Approve degree
• HPC registration
• MSc or relevant experience
  
  

Experience

Essential criteria

• Relevant post registration experience in a histopathology laboratory
• In depth specialist knowledge of histology
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Evidence of practical experience in: non-gynae cytology, immunocytochemistry, renal and muscle biopsies.
  
  

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Demonstrate knowledge of patient confidentiality
• Working knowledge of computers
• Understand and implements quality assurance
• Understanding of the need for health and safety in relation to themselves and others
  
  

Skills

Essential criteria

• Evidence of a flexible and adaptable approach to work
• Good time keeping
• Evidence of ability to interact with other groups of staff
• Self confidence
• Evidence of good verbal skills
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Previous supervisory experience
• Managing minor breaches of discipline
• Motivational skills
• Evidence of ability to write documents

Experience of in-house training of staff

Undertake Risk Assessments

Experience in managing health and safety

Other

Essential criteria

• Flexible and adaptable approach to work
• Good time keeping
• Self confidence
  
  

Please ensure you check the email account (including junk/spam boxes) from which you apply regularly as we will use this to contact you regarding your application.

Posts advertised to 'internal staff' are open to employees of hospitals within University Hospitals of Liverpool Group and you should confirm your employment within your application form.

Note: Under current Home Office Immigration Rules we are currently unable to offer right to work visa sponsorship for Band 2 and 3 roles with a salary of less than £25,000 pa as they do not meet the UK Visas & Immigration criteria.

Only those applicants who demonstrate clearly how they meet our person specification will be shortlisted for interview.

We reserve the right to close any vacancies from further applications when we have received a minimum number of applications from which to make a shortlist. Please ensure you apply without delay if you wish to be considered for this role.

Candidates applying for the role of Healthcare Assistant on the

staff bank should note that due to the nature of the role, workers must be aged 18 or above when commencing in post. Applicants are therefore welcome from those aged over 18 or within 3 months' of their 18^th birthday.

The Trust is committed to promoting a healthy work-life balance and achieve fair, equitable and consistent practice. We welcome flexible working requests and will consider a variety of flexible working arrangements from day one of your employment. Not all roles are suitable for every flexible working opportunity all of the time. Flexible working options may include reduced hours, compressed hours, fixed shifts, time back in lieu and home working.

The Trust is committed to promoting equality and diversity; we value the contribution of individual talent, skills, knowledge and experience and aim for a workforce demography representative of the local community. We encourage applicants from the following groups that are currently under-represented in our workforce black, Asian and minority ethnic, lesbian, gay, bisexual and Transgender (LGBTQ+), disabled, male and age 16-24.

Trust policy requires that the cost of submitting & processing the successful applicant/s DBS application be recovered via salary deduction following start in post. The amount of £26.50 (standard disclosure) or £54.50 (enhanced disclosure) will be deducted from salary, in manageable monthly instalments for up to 3 months following commencement of employment. Ba

nk posts require upfront payment.

From April 2017, Skilled visa applicants and their adult dependant(s) will be required to provide a criminal record certificate from each country they have lived in consecutively for 12 months or more in the past ten years.

Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.

This organisation has a zero-tolerance approach to the abuse of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All staff must ensure they adhere to the organisations safeguarding children and adults' policy and comply with the Local Safeguarding Children and Adult Board procedures.

Staff should be mindful of their responsibility to safeguard children and adults in any activity performed on behalf of the organisation in line with the requirements of statutory guidance and legislation.

All employees (and volunteers)are expected maintain their safeguarding knowledge and skills by completing mandatory safeguarding training which includes understanding and recognising the signs of abuse and neglect and taking appropriate action.

As an organisation, we have adopted the Merseyside Domestic abuse workplace scheme which supports our staff who are experiencing Domestic Abuse /any forms of sexual violence.

If you have any personal requirements that will enable you to partici

pate in our recruitment process please contact a member of the Recruitment Services by phone on 0151 706 4666 at the earliest opportunity to ensure that measures can be put in place to enable your application for this post.

Please note: new entrants to the NHS will commence on the first pay point of the relevant band.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. Please complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.

LNKD1_UKTJ