Director, Sterile Processing

Kaiser Permanente; Fontana (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Kaiser Permanente in Fontana, CA seeks a senior leader to direct sterile processing operations, including decontamination, assembly, sterilization, and inventory management. You will define program priorities, review audits, and drive corrective actions to align with corporate strategy.

The role requires coordinating cross-functional teams and ensuring compliant, safe instrument availability across the service area.

Qualifications

• Minimum two years budget-management experience.
• Minimum three years of leadership with direct reports.
• Minimum six years in sterile processing and/or related field.
• Bachelor’s + eight years experience or eleven years total in sterile processing/healthcare ops.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate cross-functional teams across multiple units.
• Align departmental goals with business strategies and audits.
• Define program priorities; review performance audits and drive improvements.
• Oversee inventory standards and cost-reduction initiatives.
• Guide compliance with regulations and partner with operations leadership.
• Coordinate trainings and assess training efficacy; provide consultation.

Skills

Ambiguity Management

Attention to Detail

Business Knowledge

Communication

Constructive Feedback

Critical Thinking

Cross-Group Collaboration

Decision Making

Dependability

DEI Support

Results Orientation

Facilitation

Integrity

Leadership

Learning Agility

Organizational Savvy

Problem Solving

Strategic Thinking

Team Building

Teamwork

Technical Communication

Education

Bachelor’s in Healthcare Administration/Related

8+ years in sterile processing/healthcare operations

Sterile Processing Technician Certificate

Registered Central Service Technician Certificate

Job description

Job Summary

Provides leadership and direction to managers on the collection, decontamination, assembly, sterilization, and disinfection of instruments and equipment. Ensures consistent policies and procedures in the preparation of surgical trays and case carts. Defines sterile processing program priorities and objectives in alignment with business strategies, reviewing audits of sterile processing performance, providing guidance on the design of complex improvement strategies. Establishes standards and best practices for the management of inventory for the service area. Maintains accountability for preventing waste and reducing costs. Coordinates trainings and evaluates efficacy of training and education programs on sterile processing activities. Provides consultation across the service area for complex issues related to sterile processing services. Champions collaboration between sterile processing and partner departments to ensure efficient, safe, and effective instrument and equipment availability. Participates in strategic coordination with executive leaders across the organization to align sterile processing practices with business goals. Monitors and enforces compliance with applicable regulations and requirements. Directs regular audits and reviews results to assess compliance with relevant regulations and policies, guiding corrective action plans and serving as a liaison between operations and leadership to address compliance issues.

Essential Responsibilities

• Prepares individuals for growth opportunities and advancement; builds internal collaborative networks for self and others. Solicits and acts on performance feedback; drives collaboration to set goals and provide open feedback and coaching to foster performance improvement. Demonstrates continuous learning; oversees the recruitment, selection, and development of talent; ensures performance management guidelines and expectations to achieve business needs. Stays up to date with organizational best practices, processes, benchmarks, and industry trends; shares best practices within and across teams. Motivates and empowers teams; maintains a highly skilled and engaged workforce by aligning resource plans with business objectives. Provides guidance when difficult decisions need to be made; creates opportunities for expanded scope of decision making and impact.
• Oversees the operation of multiple units within a department by identifying member and operational needs; ensures the management of work assignment completion; translates business strategy into actionable business requirements; ensures products and/or services meet member requirements and expectations while aligning with organizational strategies. Gains cross-functional support for business plans and priorities; assumes responsibility for decision making; sets standards, measures progress, and fosters resolution of escalated issues. Communicates goals and objectives; analyzes resources, costs, and forecasts and incorporates them into business plans; prioritizes and distributes resources. Removes obstacles that impact performance; guides performance and develops contingency plans accordingly; ensures teams accomplish business objectives.
• Directs sterile processing knowledge development by: coordinating trainings on sterile processing techniques and procedures to ensure staff meet departmental standards; evaluating the efficacy of training and education programs across the service area on sterile processing activities; and providing consultation across the service area for complex issues related to sterile processing services.
• Oversees the management of equipment inventory by: establishing standards and best practices for managing inventory levels and ensuring adequate supplies for the service area; being accountable for preventing wasted supplies/resources and reducing costs across the service area; and working with leaders to establish and review budgets for a service area, purchasing and/or approving purchases of additional supplies as needed to maintain inventory.
• Drives the sterilization and processing of equipment by: providing leadership and direction to department managers on the safe and efficient collection, decontamination, assembly, sterilization, and disinfection of all instruments and equipment; ensuring consistent policies and procedures are implemented across the service area in the preparation of surgical trays and case carts; defining sterile processing program priorities and objectives to align with broader business strategies; and reviewing audit results to assess gaps between sterile processing performance standards and actual performance, providing guidance on the design of corrective action plans for highly complex or widespread process improvement needs.
• Drives regulatory compliance by: monitoring and enforcing compliance with regulations and requirements across a service area; directing regular audits for compliance with relevant regulations and policies and reviewing audit results across a service area; guiding the development and implementation of corrective action plans for issues of non-compliance; and serving as a liaison between operations and leadership to address compliance issues.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: (Core)

• Ambiguity/Uncertainty Management
• Attention to Detail
• Business Knowledge
• Communication
• Constructive Feedback
• Critical Thinking
• Cross-Group Collaboration
• Decision Making
• Dependability
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Support
• Drives Results
• Facilitation Skills
• Health Care Industry
• Influencing Others
• Integrity
• Leadership
• Learning Agility
• Organizational Savvy
• Problem Solving
• Short- and Long-term Learning & Recall
• Strategic Thinking
• Team Building
• Teamwork
• Topic-Specific Communication

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: (Functional)

• Audits
• Bloodborne Pathogen Knowledge
• Business Acumen
• Business Operations
• Cleaning Policies and Procedures
• Company Representation
• Compliance Management
• Consulting
• Cost Optimization
• Delegation
• Facilities Management/Operations
• Hazardous Materials and Chemicals
• Infection Control
• Instrumentation
• Internal Audit Processes
• Inventory Planning
• Maintain Files and Records
• Medical Equipment
• Medical Sanitation and Infection Control
• Medical Waste Management
• Mentoring and Coaching
• Operational Excellence
• Operations Management
• Preventative Maintenance
• Quality Assurance Process
• Resource Management
• Safety Management
• Safety and Environmental Health Knowledge
• Sterile Processing
• Systems Thinking
• Talent Management
• Vendor Management

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum two (2) years of experience managing operational or project budgets.
• Minimum three (3) years of experience in a leadership role with direct reports.
• Minimum six (6) years of experience in sterile processing and/or processing reusable medical/surgical equipment/instruments.
• Bachelors degree in Health Care Administration, Public Health, Health Sciences, Business, or related field AND minimum eight (8) years of experience in sterile processing, health care operations, health care administration, materials management, supply distribution, inventory control, or directly related field OR Minimum eleven (11) years of experience in sterile processing, health care operations, health care administration, materials management, supply distribution, inventory control, or a directly related field.

• Sterile Processing Distribution Technician Certificate required at hire OR Registered Central Service Technician Certificate required at hire

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Flexible Endoscope Reprocessor (CFER) OR Certified Endoscope Reprocessor (CER).
• Certified Healthcare Leader (CHL) OR Management in Sterile Processing (CSPM).