Lead Med Suply Technician (Sterile Processing)

Veterans Health Administration • San Juan, PR

4d • Onsite

About The Position

The Lead Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing) serves as a key leader in the Sterile Processing Service (SPS), supporting the SPS management team by overseeing daily operations, guiding staff, and ensuring compliance with established protocols and quality standards. The Lead is responsible for activities in their assigned area during their tour of duty and coordinates work to support timely reprocessing and surgical procedures.

The position includes assigning and balancing staff workloads, monitoring work progress and quality, adjusting assignments to meet priorities, reporting completion estimates and production, and maintaining records. The Lead instructs and trains employees, answers procedural questions, checks work in progress and completed work, and corrects or rejects work that does not meet standards. The role also includes participating in Operating Room daily huddles, monitoring workplace conditions, addressing simple informal employee complaints, and reporting employee performance, progress, training needs, and behavior concerns to a supervisor. Competencies for Medical Supply Technicians are completed as delegated.

The position requires the ability to instruct staff in procedures and protocols, communicate directives and rules, maintain effective working relationships, apply sterility principles when instructing staff on decontamination, and lead staff while managing priorities and schedules. Preferred qualifications include SPS Level 1 training in TMS, lead MST experience, endoscope reprocessing experience, experience with surgical and orthopedic instrumentation, and professional sterile processing certification.

This is a permanent, non-virtual position. The schedule includes rotating shifts, weekends, and holidays, with coverage for CBOCs as needed. Telework is not available. The announcement describes a federal trial period of one or two years and requires a pre-employment physical evaluation, among other employment conditions.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• At least six months of experience demonstrating the ability to perform the work or understanding of the work; OR one year of post-high-school education including at least six semester hours in health care-related courses; OR an equivalent combination of experience and education.
• For the GS-07 grade determination, one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
• Ability to instruct staff on correct procedures and protocols for assignments.
• Skill communicating with staff to ensure compliance with written directives, rules, and regulations.
• Interpersonal skills for dealing with employees, team leaders, and managers.
• Knowledge of sterility principles for instructing staff on decontamination procedures.
• Ability to lead individuals, manage priorities, and schedule work assignments.
• Pass a pre-employment physical evaluation or examination.
• Meet the applicable background and security investigation requirements.
• Complete required application and online onboarding requirements.
• Participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program for Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel.
• Serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to written certification for continued employment.
• If using foreign education to qualify, provide a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with transcripts; qualifying education must be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Nice To Haves

• Completion of SPS Level 1 training in TMS; preferred completion within 90 days after hire.
• Previous experience as a lead Medical Supply Technician or covering as a lead MST.
• Experience managing endoscope reprocessing.
• Experience identifying, managing, cleaning, or high-level disinfecting surgical instruments.
• Knowledge of and experience identifying and managing orthopedic instrumentation.
• Certification from an approved professional sterile processing agency.

Responsibilities

• Assign work to Medical Supply Technician staff, redirect or correct staff as needed, and monitor completion of assigned tasks.
• Distribute and balance workload to support timely reprocessing and maintain adequate work for staff.
• Assess the quality and quantity of each employee’s work.
• Track work status and progress and adjust assignments according to established priorities.
• Report expected completion times, maintain records of work accomplishments and time expended, and prepare production reports as requested.
• Instruct employees in specific tasks and techniques and provide written instructions and reference materials as needed.
• Provide on-the-job training to new employees and training on new procedures and project tasks.
• Maintain current procedural and policy knowledge and answer employee questions; seek supervisor guidance for unresolved problems or backlogs.
• Spot-check work in progress and review completed work for compliance with instructions, sequences, procedures, methods, and deadlines.
• Participate in Operating Room daily huddles in coordination with the Program Manager Coordinator to coordinate surgical procedures.
• Amend or reject work that does not meet established standards and refer issues outside the standards or performance requirements to the supervisor.
• Monitor workplace conditions, including ventilation, lighting, and safety.
• Inform employees about available services and employee activities as appropriate.
• Resolve simple, informal employee complaints and refer other situations to the supervisor.
• Report employee performance, progress, training needs, and behavior problems to the supervisor.
• Complete Medical Supply Technician competencies as delegated.
• Cover CBOCs as needed.

Benefits

• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, consisting of 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Eligible employees may receive credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to approval.
• After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
• Eligible full-time employees may qualify for a childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to income and other eligibility limits.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and a federal 401(k), with VA contributions of up to 5%.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.
• Competitive salary and regular salary increases; a higher step rate may be considered based on higher or unique qualifications or VA special needs.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed