Director of Operations, Central Processing and High-Level Disinfection

About the role

SHIFT: Day (United States of America)

Seeking Breakthrough Makers

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) offers countless ways to change lives. Our diverse community of more than 20,000 Breakthrough Makers will inspire you to pursue passions, develop expertise, and drive innovation.

At CHOP, your experience is valued; your voice is heard; and your contributions make a difference for patients and families. Join us as we build on our promise to advance pediatric care-and your career.

CHOP does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, or any other legally protected categories in any employment, training, or vendor decisions or programs. CHOP recognizes the critical importance of a workforce rich in varied backgrounds and experiences and engages in ongoing efforts to achieve that through equally varied and non-discriminatory means.

A Brief Overview

The Director of Operations, Central Processing and High-Level Disinfection provides operational leadership for all Central Processing and High-Level Disinfection Services (HLDS) functions across the CHOP enterprise, ensuring the safe, efficient, and compliant reprocessing of surgical instruments, medical devices, and equipment. Reports to Senior Director, and partners with management of CPD and HLDS.

Responsible for strategizing and executing system-wide strategies that drive operational excellence, standardization, quality outcomes, regulatory compliance, and customer satisfaction.

This role will lead and manage all aspects of central sterile processing operations, including workforce planning, talent development, budget management, capital planning, productivity optimization, quality assurance, and performance improvement initiatives.

Accountable for upholding enterprise-wide policies, procedures, and best practices for sterilization and high-level disinfection, ensuring alignment with organizational goals, innovation, and industry standards. Collaborates with multiple clinical and non-clinical departments to enhance patient safety under CHOP's collective mission and vision. Consistent and physical site visits are required.

What you will do

• OPERATIONAL ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
• Develops and maintains an operational management team for efficient central processing operations across the enterprise
• Direct and coordinates staff in the sterilization and distribution functions of the sterile processing department across the CHOP enterprise.
• Partners with CPD/HLDS management team to ensure strong clinical relationships, workforce planning, and staffing allocation.
• Maintains departmental policies, procedures, quality assurance, and regulatory standards, while ensuring effective coordination with Supply Chain and service department leaders to deliver excellence.
• Establishes and monitors departmental metrics, helps lead process improvement initiatives, and fosters a culture of safety and continuous quality improvement strategies.
• Collaborates in overseeing inventory management, capital equipment, service contracts, and long-term vendor relations to support operational efficiency and departmental productivity.
• Evaluates current and emerging technologies to remain competitive and innovative in an ever-evolving industry
• Collaborates with CPD and HLDS leaders, responsible for forecasting, developing, and managing CPD/HLDS departmental budget for each site location. Responsible for reporting on departmental variances and response plans (as appropriate) and creating strong partnerships with finance partners.
• Partners closely with Supply Chain leadership for expansion and growth opportunities within the CHOP enterprise.
• Departmental and staff specific goals based on employee engagement scores, continuous quality improvement initiatives, and safety planning.

Strategic Essential Functions

• Assist with the development of departmental strategic plans for the functions within the Central Processing department.
• Remain abreast of industry best practices related to healthcare Supply Chain. Possess knowledge of industry trends related to equipment and instrumentation, product recalls, and sterilization techniques.
• Serve as a Subject Matter Expert on regulatory requirements for sterilization and HLDS, utilizing MIFUs to determine appropriate protocols for instrumentation and equipment.

Programmatic Essential Functions

• Collaborates with clinical and central processing leadership to assess HLDS needs and develop education and action plans to support enterprise-wide process continuous improvement strategies
• Upholds regulatory readiness efforts by developing systems and compliance methodologies that ensure ongoing adherence to regulatory readiness as deemed by state and federal agencies including the Joint Commission, DOH, CDC, CMS, and other industry leaders.
• Partners with HLDS Education and Quality Specialist to create targeted, standardized educational curriculum for CPD/HLDS staff across the organization regardless of clinical or operational setting/site locations.

Personal, Team, & Strategic Growth Essential Functions

• Supports the development and achievement of professional and personal goals for central processing and HLDS staff and self.
• Enables employee professional development and growth by maximizing the team's collective ability to advance defined objectives.
• Benchmarks within healthcare and central processing industries as appropriate.
• Partners effectively with departmental leaders to recruit, orient, develop and retain a talented and varied workforce from a variety of cultural backgrounds and perspectives in CPD/HLDS.
• Partners with Human Resources to ensure interpretation and application of Hospital Policies/Procedures and the Collective Bargaining Agreement are met.
• Models The ICARE Values, and to always hold staff accountable to these values and the larger mission and vision of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Education Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree Healthcare, Supply Chain, Finance, Business or similar field of study Required
• Master's Degree Healthcare, Supply Chain, Finance, Business or similar field of study Preferred

Experience Qualifications

• At least five (5) years Clinical and/or Central Processing work experience in area/portfolio of interest in a complex healthcare setting Required and
• At least five (5) years Leadership experience in a complex healthcare setting Required and
• At least three (3) years Previous experience in program or project management Required and
• At least two (2) years Knowledge of patient safety and quality improvement including safety event analysis, continuous quality improvement methodologies, data collection and analysis Required
• At least five (5) years Pediatric healthcare experience Preferred

Skills and Abilities

• Deep understanding of central processing operations across multi-campus healthcare enterprise. (Required proficiency)
• Strong knowledge of surgical inventory management software and Microsoft Office Suite. (Required proficiency)
• Excellent oral and written communication skills at multiple levels within a large enterprise. Ability to prepare and present presentations and financial analyses to senior leaders. (Required proficiency)
• Ability to motivate and facilitate teams to successful resolution of challenging issues. (Required proficiency)
• Project management skills, knowledge, and experience. Ability to effectively interact and collaborate successfully with employees at all levels. (Required proficiency)
• Strong critical thinking skills, analytical reasoning, detail oriented, and hands-on performer. (Required proficiency)
• Experience leading cross-functional teams in complex operations and activities across departmental and enterprise boundaries. (Required proficiency)
• Change management expertise. (Required proficiency)
• Ability to establish and maintain a high level of stakeholder trust and confidence. (Required proficiency)
• Ability to delegate, monitor, and direct work effort and requirements. (Required proficiency)
• Ability to work under pressure with composure and resilience. (Required proficiency)

Licenses and Certifications

• Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST) - Healthcare Sterile Processing Association - upon hire - Required
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB) - Various agencies - upon hire - Preferred

Additional information

To carry out its mission, CHOP is committed to supporting the health of our patients, families, workforce, and global community. As a condition of employment, CHOP employees who work in patient care buildings or who have patient facing responsibilities must receive an annual influenza vaccine.

Salary Range

$100,000.00 - $375,000.00 Annually

Salary ranges are shown for full-time jobs. If you're working part-time, your pay will be adjusted accordingly.

This job is eligible for an incentive program.

At CHOP, we are committed to fair and transparent pay practices. Factors such as skills and experience could result in an offer above the salary range noted in this job posting. Click here for more information regarding CHOP's Compensation and Benefits.