Environmental Services Team Leader

St. Luke’s University Health Network; Bethlehem (Northampton County); On-site; USD 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

St. Luke's University Health Network seeks a Team Leader to coordinate, plan and implement the Environmental Services shift, serving as the primary daily contact between the department and patients on assigned units.

You will conduct patient rounding, address concerns in real time using the AIDET framework, and coach staff to uphold cleanliness and safety standards hospital-wide.

Qualifications

• High School diploma or GED required; healthcare environment preferred.
• CHESP or CHEST certification preferred; CHEST Trainer designation a plus.
• Three years of hospital housekeeping or equivalent supervisory experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Conduct daily patient rounding on assigned units and verify cleanliness.
• Provide real-time coaching and address patient concerns using AIDET framework.
• Coordinate shift opening, staff assignments, and supply management.
• Monitor bed turnover, infection prevention standards, and safety compliance.
• Collaborate with nursing leadership on unit priorities and discharge turnover.

Skills

Patient rounding

Coaching

Staff supervision

Safety awareness

Education

High School Diploma or GED

CHESP or CHEST preferred

CHEST Train-the-Trainer preferred

Tools

EPIC bed tracking

Job description

St. Luke's is proud of the skills, experience and compassion of its employees. The employees of St. Luke's are our most valuable asset! Individually and together, our employees are dedicated to satisfying the mission of our organization which is an unwavering commitment to excellence as we care for the sick and injured; educate physicians, nurses and other health care providers; and improve access to care in the communities we serve, regardless of a patient's ability to pay for health care. The Team Leader will coordinate, plan and implement the scheduled work activities of the Environmental Services staff while serving as the primary daily point of contact between the department and patients on assigned units. Conducts structured patient rounding to assess cleanliness satisfaction, resolve patient concerns in real time, and translate patient feedback into frontline coaching. Monitors assigned areas throughout the shift and observes the quality and effectiveness of departmental employees, providing for the general cleaning of the hospital environment in order to achieve quality results set forth in the hospital’s cleaning and disinfection requirements.

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Conducts daily patient rounding on assigned units, completing rounds on a minimum of 60% of occupied rooms per shift.
• Introduces self and the Environmental Services department to the patient using the AIDET framework, confirms room and bathroom cleanliness, and asks directly whether anything needs attention.
• Resolves patient concerns during the round when possible; initiates service recovery and escalates unresolved issues to the charge nurse and Environmental Services management prior to the end of shift.
• Documents rounding volume, patient comments, and corrective actions in the designated tracking tool; reviews trends with staff and department leadership.
• Delivers real-time coaching to Environmental Services staff based on rounding observations, reinforcing correct technique at the point of care rather than solely reporting deficiencies.
• Partners with nursing leadership through scheduled joint rounds to align on unit‑specific priorities, discharge turnover expectations, and isolation room requirements.
• Maintains a regular rounding schedule with assigned staff, peer Team Leaders, and other hospital departments to support engagement, retention, and cooperative working relationships.
• Reviews unit‑level patient experience cleanliness scores with assigned staff and adjusts assignment focus based on trends; develops and implements a documented action plan for any assigned unit performing below the departmental threshold.
• Coordinates the opening of the shift, assigning staff to work schedules and issuing keys and pagers in the absence of the supervisor or operational team leader.
• Coordinates work assignments and delegates work to Environmental Services staff as assigned.
• Actively responds to issues concerning policies and procedures as they relate to Environmental Services staff.
• Monitors the EPIC bed tracking system throughout the shift, ensures departmental turnaround time targets are achieved, and reports response time performance to management.
• Ensures all discharges and transfers are completed in a timely manner, verifying turnover quality prior to release of the bed.
• Assists in the orientation of new employees through training and working with them in assigned area(s).
• Assists in the planning, monitoring and implementation of the Environmental Services daily functions.
• Revises work assignments to offset absences or achieve workload demands as needed.
• Coordinates, tracks, and evaluates team cleaning functions, documenting activities and performance as needed.
• Responds to emergency calls and shifting priorities as needed to coordinate staffing changes and minimize disruption to patient care areas.
• Assists in performing housekeeping duties during critical staff shortages.
• Completes quality control inspections and monitors follow‑up on results to meet hospital acceptable standards.
• Monitors and documents hazardous waste areas, inventory and usage of consumable supplies, notifies management of ordering needs, and reports equipment repair requirements.
• Adheres to all organizational safety, risk management, and infection prevention and control standards; promotes a culture of patient safety through observation and education.
• Coaches team members on the chain of infection and the core principles of transmission of infectious pathogens.
• Ensures proper segregation, packaging, labeling, and disposal of regulated medical, hazardous, and general waste in accordance with all applicable regulations and network policy.
• Monitors correct selection, dilution, contact time, and safe handling of cleaning and disinfecting chemicals; verifies proper use of personal protective equipment.
• Verifies compliance with cleaning standards in isolation and precaution rooms, including terminal cleaning requirements.
• Other related duties as assigned.

PHYSICAL AND SENSORY REQUIREMENTS:

• Standing and walking, in combination, for a minimum of 80% of the shift; approximately 6.5 hours or more of an 8-hour shift, 2-4 hours at a time.
• Sitting for no more than 1.5 hours per day, 30 minutes at a time.
• Fingering and handling frequently.
• Twisting and turning of hands occasionally.
• Occasional lifting up to 35 lbs.
• Occasional carrying up to 25 lbs., rarely up to 35 lbs.
• Occasional pushing and pulling up to 35 lbs., rarely up to 35 lbs.
• Occasionally stoops, bends, squats, kneels and reaches above shoulder level.
• Rarely climbs ladder up to 10 feet.
• Hearing as it relates to normal conversation and seeing as it relates to general and near vision.

EDUCATION:

• High School Diploma or G.E.D., college preferred.
• Certified Environmental Services Healthcare Professional (CHESP) or Certified Health Care Environmental Services Technician (CHEST) preferred.
• CHEST Train-the-Trainer (T-CHEST) designation preferred, or willingness to obtain within a defined period following hire, to support in‑house training and certification of departmental staff.

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:

• Three years of experience in housekeeping in either a hospital or institutional setting preferred.
• Prior patient‑facing healthcare experience, or experience supporting patient experience or HCAHPS cleanliness improvement, preferred.
• Prior lead or supervisory experience preferred.

Thank you for your interest in St. Luke's!!

St. Luke's University Health Network is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Founded in 1872, St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non‑profit network of more than 23,000 employees providing services at 16 campuses and 350+ outpatient sites. With annual net revenue in excess of $4 billion, the Network’s service area includes 11 counties in two states: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. St. Luke’s hospitals operate the largest network of trauma centers in Pennsylvania, with the Bethlehem Campus being home to St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital. SLUHN is the only Lehigh Valley‑based health care system to earn Medicare’s five‑star ratings (the highest) for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction. It is both a Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades Top Hospital and a Newsweek World’s Best Hospital. The Network’s flagship University Hospital has earned the 100 Top Major Teaching Hospital designation from Premier 13 times total and eleven years in a row, including in 2023 when it was identified as THE #4 TEACHING HOSPITAL IN THE COUNTRY. In 2021, St. Luke’s was identified as one of the 15 Top Health Systems nationally. St. Luke’s is the ONLY health care institution in the Lehigh Valley to be named a Top Workplace regionally repeating the exclusive honor for the third year in a row. Also, for the third straight year, St. Luke’s has been a Top Workplaces in the Philadelphia Region by the Philadelphia Inquirer, ranking 9th in the large employer category for 2025 and the only health care system in PA to receive this award. In 2025, St. Luke’s was recognized as a national Top Workplaces by USA Today, three years in a row, including the 3rd best health care system in the nation in 2023 and 2024. Lastly, in 2025, St. Luke’s was named a Top Workplace in New Jersey for the third year in a row.