Supervisory Medical Supply Technician-Sterile Processing

Veterans Health Administration • Salt Lake City, UT

7d • Onsite

About The Position

The Supervisory Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing) is a first-line supervisor for assigned Medical Supply Technician (MST) staff. The position reports to the Assistant Chief or Chief, Sterile Processing Service (SPS), and is responsible for the safe daily execution of reprocessing work and formal personnel supervision. Specialty program owners and higher-level management retain responsibility for independent QA program management, reusable medical device (RMD) lifecycle governance, education-system ownership, strategic budget and resource decisions, and executive policy.

The supervisor assigns and directs staff according to current competency and workload, oversees daily workflow and area readiness, and provides technical supervision of reprocessing activities. The role leads immediate response to unsafe conditions and process failures, ensures required records and traceability are maintained, coordinates competency remediation and revalidation with Education, and executes approved downtime and emergency procedures. The supervisor also provides structured shift handoffs and reports workload, staffing, quality events, equipment or environmental concerns, shortages, overdue actions, and unfinished priority work.

The position is a GS-08 supervisory assignment. Work may take place in contaminated and clean reprocessing environments. The listed work schedules are Monday 6:00 a.m.–Friday 2:30 p.m., Monday 10:00 p.m.–Saturday 6:30 a.m., or Monday 2:00 p.m.–Friday 10:30 p.m. Telework is not authorized, and the position is not virtual.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated VA policy exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• At least six months of experience demonstrating the ability to perform the work or understand it; alternatively, one year of education above high school including at least six semester hours in health-care-related courses; or an equivalent combination of qualifying education and experience.
• For the GS-08 grade, one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-07.
• Demonstrated ability to manage, interact with, and deal with individuals of varying backgrounds.
• Demonstrated ability to direct staff and manage tasks to completion.
• Demonstrated ability to oversee decontamination, preparation, sterilization, monitoring, and distribution of RME.
• Demonstrated ability to perform the full range of supervisory duties, including assigning, planning, and evaluating work; recommending awards; approving leave; identifying training needs; and resolving staff issues.
• Meet applicable pre-employment conditions, including any required drug screening, Selective Service registration for applicable individuals, background/security investigation, onboarding, and identification requirements.
• Participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program as required for VA Health Care Personnel.
• Serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to written certification for continued employment upon its completion.
• Any education used to qualify must be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and from an accredited institution; foreign education must meet the stated equivalency documentation requirements.

Nice To Haves

• Three years of sterile processing experience.
• VA Sterile Processing Level 2 certification, HSPA Certified Registered Central Service Technician certification, or CBSPD certification.

Responsibilities

• Perform first-line supervisory duties, including work assignment, attendance and leave management, scheduling, performance feedback and appraisal, recognition, training-needs identification, corrective interviews, informal complaint resolution, labor and employee-relations coordination, and personnel recommendations within delegated authority.
• Conduct shift huddles; assign staff according to current competency and workload; balance priorities; anticipate workflow changes; and report unresolved staffing or capacity risks.
• Verify daily equipment and process checks, environmental status, supplies, and operational readiness; stop or limit affected work and initiate work orders or escalation when requirements are not met.
• Provide technical supervision, direct observation, spot checks, and immediate correction of decontamination, assembly, packaging, sterilization or high-level disinfection, storage and distribution, and documentation work within scope.
• Lead immediate stop, contain, notify, and document actions for failed controls, equipment alarms, traceability gaps, damaged or incorrect RMD, compromised packaging, environmental excursions, and other unsafe conditions; ensure affected RMD is not released until authorized criteria are met.
• Ensure staff are assigned only to authorized tasks; coordinate remediation and revalidation with Education; track supervisory certification requirements and maintain VA-recognized certification as required by current VHA policy.
• Respond to QA findings, quality feedback, and assigned corrective actions; verify frontline implementation and report barriers or repeat issues.
• Ensure accurate completion of required traceability, process records, count sheets, logs, and ITS data, and correct or escalate unresolved documentation exceptions.
• Provide structured end-of-shift and status reports covering workload, staffing, quality events, equipment and environmental issues, shortages, overdue actions, and unfinished priority work.
• Direct staff under approved downtime, emergency, and continuity procedures; ensure alternate documentation, segregation, traceability, and recovery actions are followed.
• Plan and direct the work of an assigned group of MSTs; oversee attendance and leave, including approval of sick and annual leave and vacation schedules.
• Inform higher-level management of anticipated vacancies or workload increases; recommend promotions, reassignments, recognition, retention or release of probationary employees, or other personnel changes; refer disciplinary problems to higher management and address personnel matters with union representatives.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, including 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to request and approval.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment in connection with birth, adoption, or foster-care placement of a child.
• Potential childcare subsidy for eligible full-time employees after 60 days of employment, subject to income and other eligibility criteria; up to 25% of eligible childcare costs, with a monthly maximum of $416.66.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting.
• Federal 401(k) with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs may be carried into retirement.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: High school or GED