ORGAN RECOVERY COORDINATOR II

CENTER FOR ORGAN RECOVERY AND EDUCA•Pittsburgh, PA

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Organ Recovery Coordinator II (ORC II) is an advanced clinical recovery role within the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), responsible for coordinating and supporting the surgical recovery, preservation, packaging, labeling, and transport of organs and tissues from post-mortem donors. This position functions in both the brain death and donation after circulatory death (DCD) pathways and supports advanced recovery techniques including normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) and rapid recovery with extended ultra-oxygenated preservation (REUP) procedures when applicable. The ORC II performs all responsibilities of the Organ Recovery Coordinator I and demonstrates advanced competency in organ recovery operations, sterile technique, donor case coordination, and transplant center communication. This role provides increased technical support during recoveries including liver and kidney frozen section biopsy specimen preparation slides (embedding, cutting, staining, and plating), kidney perfusion (Organ Recovery Systems Kidney Transporter), and coordination of organ packaging and transport readiness in accordance with OPTN standards and CORE policies and procedures. They provide intraoperative and back-table support upon recovering surgeon requests including anatomical dissection assistance, biopsy retrieval, site closure support, organ preparation for preservation and cannulation, and kidney preparation (including fat removal). The ORC II may provide relief coverage for the Organ Machine Perfusion Specialist during perfusion cases by performing assigned perfusion-related responsibilities device set up, ensuring organs are prepared, cannulated, supported, monitored, packaged, labeled, and transported in mechanical preservation devices (OrganOx, Bridge to Life VitaSmart, and future perfusion technologies adopted by CORE); however, the Organ Machine Perfusion Specialist remains the primary subject matter expert responsible for advanced troubleshooting, program oversight, and perfusion innovation initiatives. The ORC II is also responsible for recovery of tissues for transplant including, but not limited to, corneas, heart valves, and vertebral bodies, as well as recovery of organs and tissues for research in accordance with FDA current Good Tissue Practices (cGTP) and applicable AATB standards. They support post-mortem donor care and maintains accurate documentation and compliance throughout the donation process. The Organ Recovery Coordinator II is responsible for professional collaboration with donor hospitals, operating room teams, recovering surgeons, transplant centers, and CORE leadership. The incumbent must demonstrate advanced clinical judgment, strong attention to detail, and the ability to perform under significant time constraints in high-stress clinical environments. The ORC II is responsible for maintaining working knowledge of CORE policies and procedures, OPTN requirements, and FDA current Good Tissue Practices (cGTP), and must ensure recovery activities are performed in compliance with all applicable regulatory standards. The incumbent is responsible for maintaining the integrity and sterility of preservation solutions, equipment, and supplies required for recovery operations. They must ensure accurate packaging, labeling, verification, and chain-of-custody of organs and tissues recovered for transplant or research. This includes use of electronic documentation systems and the OPTN electronic bar-coding and labeling system (TransNet). The ORC II must demonstrate strong communication skills and effectively coordinate logistics and recovery operations with transplant center teams. The ORC II participates in training and mentorship of Organ Recovery Coordinator I staff as assigned and may assist leadership in ensuring operational readiness and compliance with established competencies. An Organ Recovery Coordinator II in Casual status is responsible for providing current availability to CORE leadership and maintaining up-to-date contact information. The incumbent must remain current with CORE policies, procedures, and required competency validations

Requirements

The incumbent must have a healthcare-related background with a minimum of two (2) years of experience in a health-related field, organ procurement organization, surgical services environment, tissue recovery, or related clinical setting.
Candidates graduating from a formal education program related to Surgical Technology, Forensic Autopsy, Mortuary Sciences, or similar disciplines will also be considered.
The ORC II must demonstrate strong verbal and written communication skills, sound judgment, and the ability to function independently in high-stress and time-sensitive environments.
The incumbent must demonstrate professionalism, strong interpersonal skills, and respectful conduct toward donor families, donors, transplant recipients, and CORE partners.
They must demonstrate strong clinical skillset as ORC I to proficiently train in 6 months and remain competent in advanced clinical skills in frozen section plating, kidney perfusion device operation, intraoperative recovery support tasks, and operation of machine perfusion devices utilized by CORE.
They must have the physical stamina to work long and unpredictable hours and must be able to lift up to sixty (60) pounds.
Manual dexterity and visual acuity are required.
A valid Pennsylvania driver’s license is required.
A passport must be secured within six (6) months of employment.
Travel by ground and air is required.