Manager, Sterile Processing

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

Job summary

Kaiser Permanente is seeking a Sterile Processing Manager to lead operations, training, and regulatory compliance for instrument processing, decontamination, and sterilization. You will develop policies, manage inventories, and partner with leaders to ensure safe, efficient availability of equipment.

The role requires strong leadership, strategic thinking, and a track record in sterile processing. You will drive performance, oversee audits, and implement corrective actions to meet regulatory

Qualifications

• Minimum three (3) years of experience in a leadership role with or without direct reports.
• Minimum four (4) years of experience in sterile processing and/or processing reusable medical/surgical equipment/instruments.
• Bachelor's degree in Health Care Administration, Public Health, Health Sciences, Business, or related field OR seven (7) years of experience in sterile processing, health care operations, or related field.

Responsibilities

• Leads audits and ensures compliance with regulatory requirements across the department.
• Oversees training, coaching, and development to enhance team competencies.
• Manages inventory, budgets, and procurement to maintain optimal operations.
• Develops and implements sterile processing policies and procedures.
• Collaborates with other departments to ensure instrument availability and cost efficiency.
• Monitors performance, identifies gaps, and implements corrective action plans.

Skills

Ambiguity/Uncertainty Management

Attention to Detail

Leadership

Communication

Critical Thinking

Decision Making

Team Building

Strategic Thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Health Care Administration, Public Health, Health Sciences, Business, or related field

Sterile Processing Certification

Job description

Job Summary:

Delegates work and monitors operations of the collection, decontamination, assembly, sterilization, and disinfection of instruments and equipment. Ensures preparation of surgical trays and case carts. Develops and implements sterile processing policies and procedures and leads audits of sterile processing performance. Manages inventory for the department or site, overseeing record keeping of instruments and equipment. Identifies opportunities to prevent waste and reduce costs. Identifies training needs and leads staff trainings, developing and implementing new trainings to develop team competencies. Serves as a resource for the department or site on sterile processing activities. Partners with leaders of other departments and units to ensure efficient, safe, and effective instrument and equipment availability. Oversees activities across the department or site to ensure compliance with applicable regulations and requirements. Contributes to regular audits for compliance with relevant regulations and policies, developing solutions and ensuring the implementation of corrective action plans for compliance concerns.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Provides developmental opportunities for others; builds collaborative, cross-functional relationships. Solicits and acts on performance feedback; works closely with employees to set goals and provide open feedback and coaching to drive performance improvement. Pursues professional growth; develops and provides training and development to talent for growth opportunities; supports execution of performance management guidelines and expectations. Leads, adapts, implements, and stays up to date with organizational change, challenges, feedback, best practices, processes, and industry trends. Fosters open dialogue amongst team members, engages, motivates, and promotes collaboration within and across teams. Delegates tasks and decisions as appropriate; provides appropriate support, guidance, and scope; encourages development and consideration of options in decision making.
• Manages designated work unit or team by translating business plans into tactical action items; oversees the completion of work assignments and identifies opportunities for improvement; ensures all policies and procedures are followed. Aligns team efforts; builds accountability for and measuring progress in achieving results; determines and ensures processes and methodologies are implemented; resolves escalated issues as appropriate; sets standards and measures progress. Fosters the development of work plans to meet business priorities and deadlines; obtains and distributes resources. Removes obstacles that impact performance; identifies and addresses improvement opportunities; guides performance and develops contingency plans accordingly; influences teams to execute in alignment with operational objectives.
• Develops teams sterile processing knowledge by: identifying training needs and leading staff trainings on sterile processing techniques and procedures within the department, ensuring staff receive appropriate training; developing and implementing new trainings to further develop team competencies; and serving as a resource for the department or site for sterile processing activities.
• Manages equipment inventory by: managing inventory levels to ensure adequate supplies for the department or site, overseeing the maintenance and record keeping of instruments and equipment; identifying opportunities to prevent wasted supplies/resources and reduce costs within the department or a site; and working with leaders to establish and review department budgets, purchasing and/or approving purchases of additional supplies as needed to maintain inventory.
• Manages the sterilization and processing of equipment by: delegating tasks across team members and monitoring operations across the department or site to safely and efficiently collect, decontaminate, assemble, sterilize, and disinfect all instruments and equipment; ensuring surgical trays and case carts are prepared with appropriate instruments and equipment and recommending opportunities for optimization/operational efficiency; developing and implementing sterile processing policies and procedures to meet organizational needs; and leading audits to identify gaps between sterile processing performance standards and actual performance, analyzing complex audit results and designing corrective action plans to improve processes.
• Ensures regulatory compliance by: overseeing work activities across the department or a site to ensure compliance with applicable regulations and requirements; contributing to regular audits for compliance with relevant regulations and policies, analyzing results of audits to assess compliance; developing solutions and overseeing the resolution of identified problems of non-compliance, ensuring the implementation of corrective action plans; and guiding teams to maintain required regulatory records and reports.

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
• Cleaning Policies and Procedures
• 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
• Preventative Maintenance
• Quality Assurance Process
• Resource Management
• Safety Management
• Safety and Environmental Health Knowledge
• Sterile Processing
• Talent Management
• Vendor Management

Minimum Qualifications:

• Minimum three (3) years of experience in a leadership role with or without direct reports.
• Minimum four (4) 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 four (4) years of experience in sterile processing, health care operations, health care administration, materials management, supply distribution, inventory control, or directly related field OR Minimum seven (7) 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).