The Director is responsible for the strategic direction and leadership of operational, financial, programmatic and employee related activities for Central Sterile Processing Department within all University Hospitals and Clinics locations. The Director collaborates with the interdisciplinary team to translate and implement organizational and division priorities into the department’s operation. This position encompasses a System role across OHSU, AHP, HMC and partner hospitals setting practice standards, conducting quality reviews, and ensuring adherence to established protocols and clinical best practices, and smooth integration into OHSU’s system.

 

The Director plans, organizes, manages and directs the activities of the hospital department(s). This position has continuous operational authority and responsibility for accomplishments of the hospital department goals and objectives.

 

The ideal candidate will possess strong leadership, strategic planning, and communication skills, along with a commitment to elevating sterilizing practices and ensuring quality outcomes across the new system.

 

This position establishes and maintains effective relationships with impacted department Directors, Managers and staff, physicians, administrators, other department and external agencies to identify expectation, determine variance, jointly identify targets, design or modify processes, and monitor and evaluate the results leading to additional improvement.

Strategic Planning:

• Leads the strategic planning and performance of the units.

• Partners with others to develop a department strategic plan that aligns with the organizational strategic plan and perioperative services

• Collaboratively formulates department objectives, goals and specific strategies related to initiatives.

• Distributes leadership to achieve strategic targets.

• Develops short and long-term goals that identify the target conditions.

• Communicates, implements, and evaluates the unit strategic plan.

• Coordinate with stakeholders across departments to ensure the partner hospitals support both patient care and operational efficiency goals.

• Works in collaboration with department leaders and system leaders to develop and implement new business strategies.

Operational Leadership

• Promote professional practice and the long-range goals of the organization.
• Assume operational responsibility for partner hospitals within the Central Sterile Processing Department, facilitating a seamless integration into OHSU’s system and processes.
• Serve as a System leader.
• Leads collaboratively across system hospitals to establish operational and quality standards.
• Partners with others to enhance healthcare and, ultimately patient care through interdisciplinary activities, such as edutain, consultation, management, innovation, technological development, or research opportunities.
• Applies systems theory with an understanding that how parts of a system relate to the overall system.
• Maintains knowledge of sterilizing practices, sterile processing technician roles and the roles and functions of other care team members (e.g. operating room nurses, surgical technicians, GI nurses, GI technicians, clinic nurses).
• Evaluates staff’s competency and intervenes to optimize performance and ensure safe, quality, effective and efficient patient care.
• Leads and practices patient/family advocacy and promotes patient-centered decisions and outcomes.
• Maintains visibility and open communication with the staff and department leadership.
• Communicates plans and decisions to department staff and other stakeholders.
• Asserts view in a non-judgmental manner.
• Ensures the care environmental supports the provision of safe quality care, and a workplace that promotes shared decision-making, accountability, autonomy and engagement.
• Reflects on own method of decision-making and the role of beliefs, values and inferences o develop leadership and performance capacity.
• Practices within professional-governance structures to distribute leadership and promote decision-making appropriate level within the governance structure. 
• Participate as a leader, facilitator, and/or member of leadership meetings/committees, forums and other organization-wide meetings.
• Prepares and delivers reports to operational leadership outlining progress toward meeting annual goals and objectives, to include performance related to finance, clinical activity, quality, safety, and human resources.
• Maintain records related to operations and services that are complete, accurate, available and in compliance with all legal, regulatory, and policy requirements.

Financial Management

• Monitors and presents operational and strategic assessment of department financial performance.
• Leads budgeting and monitors budget performance for department.
• Evaluates sterile processing leaders’ achievement toward financial performance targets. Develops leaders in managing all aspects of unit financial performance, including productive, non-productive and premium pay to optimize performance goals. Ensures sterile processing leaders understand and achieve financial and operational efficiency targets and benchmarks.
• Achieves financial targets: Manages all aspects of unit financial performance including productive, non-productive and premium pay to optimize performance goals.
• Collaborates with the educator or designee to prioritize and allocate resources for departmental/division level education and practice priorities.
• Develops innovative solutions and applies strategies to obtain appropriate resources for departmental’ initiatives.
• Promotes activities that inform other about cost, risks, and benefits or care, or of the plan and solution.
• Leads collaboratively across system hospitals to establish financial benchmarks.
• Establishes annual financial goals and actively uses benchmarking to high performing systems in similar area of expertise to set annual targets.
• Establishes an annual operating and capital budget, demonstrating fiscal responsibility through meeting budget targets.
• Creates business plan(s), justifying variances and analyzing cost benefit of programs.
• Directs and provides guidance to managers to effectively allocate resources based on patient volume, space availability, budget constraints, and program priorities, goals and objectives.

Other Duties as Assigned

• Master’s degree in nursing and or Administration, Business or healthcare related.
• Relevant clinical experience in a large or other complex health system.
• Relevant clinical experience in a sterile processing setting such as operating room, sterilization, processing, decontamination setting required.
• 7 years of management and leadership experience required.
• Professional certification in healthcare leadership related.

Job Related Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (Competencies):

• Experience in complex organization environments.
• Ability to effectively manage multiple conflicting priorities.
• Proficient with word processing, computational spreadsheet (e.g., Excel), and presentation software.
• Knowledge of IAHCSMM (International Association of Healthcare Central Service Material Management), ANSI/AAMI, AORN, CDC, and OSHA standards and guidelines.
• Demonstrated knowledge of LEAN methodology and ability to provide coaching to staff.
• Demonstrated project management skills.

• IAHCSMM or CBSPD (Certification Board for Sterile Processing and Distribution) Management or HSPA (Healthcare Sterile Processing Association) or CHL (Certified Healthcare Leader or CHMMC (Concepts in Healthcare Material Management).
• RN license in Oregon

• Requires prioritization of multiple projects, activities, and assignments.
• Frequent interruptions in an environment of frequent change and fluctuations.
• May be exposed to excessive auditory and visual stimulation.
• Accepts 24/7 accountability and responsibility to include possibility of stepping into sterile processing workstation or clerical role, as needed.
• May be required to attend out of town conferences according to hospital travel and reimbursement policies.
• May be exposed to body fluids, tissue, radiation, and infectious processes.
• Subject to computer work for several hours, as needed.
• Able to utilize all patient care equipment and office equipment within work area.
• Exercises the ability to implement a flexible work schedule to meet the unit needs and to create a work-life balance

Oregon Health & Science University values a diverse and culturally competent workforce. We are proud of our commitment to being an equal opportunity, affirmative action organization that does not discriminate against applicants on the basis of any protected class status, including disability status and protected veteran status. Individuals with diverse backgrounds and those who promote diversity and a culture of inclusion are encouraged to apply. To request reasonable accommodation contact the Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Department at 503-494-5148 or aaeo@ohsu.edu.