Sterile Processing Supervisor - Full Time - Bakersfield - Outpatient Surgery

Kaiser Permanente; Bakersfield, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Kaiser Permanente is seeking a Sterile Processing Supervisor to oversee collection, decontamination, assembly, sterilization and disinfection of instruments. The role coordinates staff, ensures policy adherence and drives audits to improve performance and safety.

Responsibilities include inventory oversight, staff training, and collaboration with departments to ensure instrument availability and regulatory compliance across the facility.

Qualifications

• Minimum one year in a leadership role.
• Minimum two years in sterile processing or related area.
• Bachelor's degree in Health Care Administration or related field with 3+ years of sterile processing/health care ops experience OR 6+ years in sterile processing/health care ops.
• Certification requirements: Registered Central Service Technician or Sterile Processing Distribution Technician at hire.

Responsibilities

• Supervise and coordinate daily activities of the sterile processing team.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and quality standards.
• Train staff and identify opportunities for service improvements.
• Monitor inventory and records for instruments and equipment.
• Oversee audits and implement corrective action plans.

Skills

Ambiguity management

Attention to detail

Leadership

Problem solving

Communication

Team building

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Health Care Administration

Job description

Job Summary:

Supervises and monitors the collection, decontamination, assembly, sterilization, and disinfection of instruments and equipment. Coordinates staff to prepare surgical trays and case carts. Implements sterile processing policies and procedures and guides audits of sterile processing performance. Monitors inventory and maintains records of all relevant instruments and equipment. Trains staff and evaluates training needs to identify opportunities to improve sterile processing services. Serves as a resource for team members on sterile processing activities. Collaborates with other departments and units to ensure efficient, safe, and effective instrument and equipment availability. Oversees technicians and staff to ensure compliance with applicable regulations and requirements in daily work. Conducts regular audits for compliance with relevant regulations and policies, tracking status of non-compliance issues and implementing corrective action plans.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Recommends developmental opportunities for others; builds collaborative, cross-functional relationships. Solicits and acts on performance feedback; provides team members with feedback; and mentors and coaches to drive performance improvement. Pursues professional growth; provides training and development to talent for growth opportunities; supports execution of performance management guidelines and expectations. Implements, adapts, and stays up to date with organizational change, challenges, feedback, best practices and processes. Fosters open dialogue, supports, mentors, engages, and motivates team members on collaboration. Delegates tasks and decisions as appropriate; provides appropriate support, guidance and scope.
• Supervises and coordinates daily activities of designated work team or unit by monitoring the execution and completion of tactical action items and work assignments; ensures all policies and procedures are followed. Aligns team efforts and standards, and measures progress in achieving results; determines and carries out processes and methodologies; resolves escalated issues as appropriate. Develops work plans to meet business priorities and deadlines; coordinates, obtains and distributes resources. Removes obstacles that impact performance; identifies and recommends improvement opportunities; influences teams to execute in alignment with operational objectives.
• Shares sterile processing knowledge with team members by: training staff on sterile processing techniques and procedures; evaluating training needs and identifying opportunities to improve sterile processing services; and serving as a resource for team members for sterile processing questions and issues.
• 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; training technicians and staff and implementing procedures to prevent wasted supplies/resources and reduce costs; and purchasing additional supplies as needed with approval from senior managers.
• Supervises the sterilization and processing of equipment by: supervising operations and monitoring tasks performed by technicians and staff to safely and efficiently collect, decontaminate, assemble, sterilize, and disinfect all 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 guiding audits to identify gaps between sterile processing performance standards and actual performance and implementing corrective action plans based on audit results to improve processes.
• Promotes regulatory compliance by: overseeing technicians and staff to ensure compliance with applicable regulations and requirements in daily work; conducting regular audits for compliance with relevant regulations and policies; tracking status of identified problems of non-compliance and implementation of corrective action plans, escalating as needed; and maintaining 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)

• Bloodborne Pathogen Knowledge
• Compliance Management
• Delegation
• Hazardous Materials and Chemicals
• Instrumentation
• Maintain Files and Records
• Medical Sanitation and Infection Control
• Medical Waste Management
• Mentoring and Coaching
• Safety Management
• Sterile Processing

Minimum Qualifications:

• Minimum one (1) year of experience in a leadership role with or without direct reports.
• 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 three (3) 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 six (6) years of experience in sterile processing, health care operations, health care administration, materials management, supply distribution, inventory control, or a directly related field.

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