Sterile Processing Specialist III

Kaiser Permanente; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 40,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Kaiser Permanente in San Diego seeks a qualified Sterile Processing Technician to manage decontamination, sterilization, and preparation of surgical instruments. You will maintain inventory, train staff, and ensure compliance with regulatory standards to support safe patient care.

Responsibilities include coordinating tray preparation, supporting audits, and collaborating with departments to optimize instrument availability.

Qualifications

• Minimum two years of experience in sterile processing.
• Bachelor's degree in a related field OR five years of experience in sterile processing or related healthcare ops.
• Sterile Processing Distribution Technician Certificate or Registered Central Service Technician Certificate or Surgical Technologist Certificate

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain relationships; provide guidance and resources to team and units.
• Complete autonomous tasks using up-to-date expertise; ensure policies are followed; support data-driven projects.
• Contribute to sterile processing knowledge; train staff and participate in committees.
• Monitor equipment inventory; train staff on procedures and waste prevention; ensure adequate resources.
• Plan and coordinate sterilization and processing of equipment; prepare surgical trays and case carts.
• Promote regulatory compliance; conduct audits and implement corrective actions.

Skills

Attention to Detail

Communication

Teamwork

Integrity

Problem Solving

Learning Agility

Adaptability

Education

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

Sterile Processing Distribution Technician Certificate

Registered Central Service Technician Certificate

Tools

Sterile Processing

Medical Sanitation and Infection Control

Hazardous Materials and Chemicals

Instrumentation

Job description

Job Summary

Plans and organizes the collection, decontamination, assembly, sterilization, and disinfection of instruments and equipment. Coordinates the preparation of surgical trays and case carts. Implements sterile processing policies and procedures and contributes to audits of sterile processing performance. Monitors inventory levels and maintains records of instruments and equipment. Conducts training on sterile processing procedures and waste prevention, recommending opportunities to improve sterile processing services within the department. Partners with other departments and units to ensure efficient, safe, and effective instrument and equipment availability. Promotes compliance with applicable regulations and requirements, conducting regular audits for compliance with relevant regulations and policies and working with supervisors and managers to develop and implement corrective action plans for compliance concerns.

• Pursues effective relationships with others by proactively providing resources, information, advice, and expertise with coworkers and members. Listens to, seeks, and addresses performance feedback; provides mentoring to team members. Pursues self-development; creates plans and takes action to capitalize on strengths and develop weaknesses; influences others through technical explanations and examples. Adapts to and learns from change, challenges, and feedback; demonstrates flexibility in approaches to work; helps others adapt to new tasks and processes. Supports and responds to the needs of others to support a business outcome.
• Completes work assignments autonomously by applying up-to-date expertise in subject area to generate creative solutions; ensures all procedures and policies are followed; leverages an understanding of data and resources to support projects or initiatives. Collaborates cross-functionally to solve business problems; escalates issues or risks as appropriate; communicates progress and information. Supports, identifies, and monitors priorities, deadlines, and expectations. Identifies, speaks up, and implements ways to address improvement opportunities for team.
• Contributes to sterile processing knowledge development for the department by: training staff on sterile processing techniques and procedures; recommending opportunities to improve sterile processing services within the department; and participating in departmental committees to support sterile processing services.
• Supports the management of equipment inventory by: monitoring inventory levels to ensure adequate supplies and maintaining records of the age, use, and availability of all relevant instruments and equipment; conducting trainings with technicians and staff on sterile processing procedures and waste prevention; and ensuring adequate resourcing for equipment and instruments, escalating needs as appropriate.
• Coordinates the sterilization and processing of equipment by: planning and organizing services to ensure the safe and efficient collection, decontamination, assembly, sterilization, and disinfection of instruments and equipment; coordinating staff to prepare surgical trays and case carts with appropriate instruments and equipment; implementing sterile processing policies and procedures to meet organizational needs; and contributing to audits to identify gaps between sterile processing performance standards and actual performance and implementing corrective action plans based on audit results to improve processes.
• Supports regulatory compliance by: promoting standards of practice and regulatory compliance based on industry standards and relevant requirements and policies; conducting regular audits for compliance with relevant regulations and policies; working with supervisors and managers to develop and implement corrective action plans for compliance concerns; and staying informed on developments in regulations/policies and best practices.

Job Summary

Plans and organizes the collection, decontamination, assembly, sterilization, and disinfection of instruments and equipment. Coordinates the preparation of surgical trays and case carts. Implements sterile processing policies and procedures and contributes to audits of sterile processing performance. Monitors inventory levels and maintains records of instruments and equipment. Conducts training on sterile processing procedures and waste prevention, recommending opportunities to improve sterile processing services within the department. Partners with other departments and units to ensure efficient, safe, and effective instrument and equipment availability. Promotes compliance with applicable regulations and requirements, conducting regular audits for compliance with relevant regulations and policies and working with supervisors and managers to develop and implement corrective action plans for compliance concerns.

Essential Responsibilities

• Pursues effective relationships with others by proactively providing resources, information, advice, and expertise with coworkers and members. Listens to, seeks, and addresses performance feedback; provides mentoring to team members. Pursues self-development; creates plans and takes action to capitalize on strengths and develop weaknesses; influences others through technical explanations and examples. Adapts to and learns from change, challenges, and feedback; demonstrates flexibility in approaches to work; helps others adapt to new tasks and processes. Supports and responds to the needs of others to support a business outcome.
• Completes work assignments autonomously by applying up-to-date expertise in subject area to generate creative solutions; ensures all procedures and policies are followed; leverages an understanding of data and resources to support projects or initiatives. Collaborates cross-functionally to solve business problems; escalates issues or risks as appropriate; communicates progress and information. Supports, identifies, and monitors priorities, deadlines, and expectations. Identifies, speaks up, and implements ways to address improvement opportunities for team.
• Contributes to sterile processing knowledge development for the department by: training staff on sterile processing techniques and procedures; recommending opportunities to improve sterile processing services within the department; and participating in departmental committees to support sterile processing services.
• Supports the management of equipment inventory by: monitoring inventory levels to ensure adequate supplies and maintaining records of the age, use, and availability of all relevant instruments and equipment; conducting trainings with technicians and staff on sterile processing procedures and waste prevention; and ensuring adequate resourcing for equipment and instruments, escalating needs as appropriate.
• Coordinates the sterilization and processing of equipment by: planning and organizing services to ensure the safe and efficient collection, decontamination, assembly, sterilization, and disinfection of instruments and equipment; coordinating staff to prepare surgical trays and case carts with appropriate instruments and equipment; implementing sterile processing policies and procedures to meet organizational needs; and contributing to audits to identify gaps between sterile processing performance standards and actual performance and implementing corrective action plans based on audit results to improve processes.
• Supports regulatory compliance by: promoting standards of practice and regulatory compliance based on industry standards and relevant requirements and policies; conducting regular audits for compliance with relevant regulations and policies; working with supervisors and managers to develop and implement corrective action plans for compliance concerns; and staying informed on developments in regulations/policies and best practices.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: (Core)

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

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: (Functional)

• Compliance Management
• Consulting
• Delegation
• Hazardous Materials and Chemicals
• Instrumentation
• Maintain Files and Records
• Medical Sanitation and Infection Control
• Medical Waste ManagementSafety Management
• Sterile Processing

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum two (2) 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 two (2) years of experience in sterile processing, health care operations, health care administration, materials management, supply distribution, inventory control, or a directly related field OR Minimum five (5) 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 OR Registered Central Service Technician Certificate OR Surgical Technologist Certificate

Preferred Qualifications

• N/A

Kaiser Permanente is an equal opportunity employer committed to fair, respectful, and inclusive workplaces. Applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic or status.

Job Duties

For jobs where work will be performed in unincorporated LA County, the employer provides the following statement in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment:

• Consistently supports compliance and the Principles of Responsibility (Kaiser Permanente's Code of Conduct) by maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of information, protecting the assets of the organization, acting with ethics and integrity, reporting non-compliance, and adhering to applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations, accreditation, and licensure requirements (where applicable), and Kaiser Permanente's policies and procedures.
• Models and reinforces ethical behavior in self and others in accordance with the Principles of Responsibility, adheres to organizational policies and guidelines; supports compliance initiatives; maintains confidences; admits mistakes; conducts business with honesty, shows consistency in words and actions; follows through on commitments.
• Job duties with at least occasional or possible access to: (1) patients, the general public, or other employees; (2) confidential protected health information and other confidential KP information (including employee, proprietary, financial or trade secret information); (3) KP property and assets, for example, electronic assets, medical instruments, or devices; (4) controlled substances regulated by federal law or potentially subject to diversion.

Primary Location: California,San Diego,Zion Medical Center

Scheduled Weekly Hours: 40

Shift: Day

Workdays: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun

Working Hours Start: 09:00 AM

Working Hours End: 05:00 PM

Job Schedule: Full-time

Job Type: Standard

Worker Location: Onsite

Employee Status: Regular

Employee Group/Union Affiliation: NUE-SCAL-01|NUE|Non Union Employee

Job Level: Individual Contributor

Department: ZION MEDICAL CENTER - Nurse Admin-Perioperative Supp - 0801

Pay Range: $29.27 - $37.86 / hour

Kaiser Permanente strives to offer a market competitive total rewards package and is committed to pay equity and transparency. The posted pay range is based on possible base salaries for the role and does not reflect the full value of our total rewards package. Actual base pay determined at offer will be based on labor market data, internal alignment, and a candidate's years of relevant work experience, education, certifications, skills, and geographic location.

Travel: No

Work Setting: Onsite

Worker location must align with Kaiser Permanente's Authorized States policy.

Kaiser Permanente is an equal opportunity employer committed to fair, respectful, and inclusive workplaces. Applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic or status.