System Sterile Processing Department Coordinator

Overview

The System Sterile Processing Department (SPD) Coordinator is responsible for supporting and coordinating sterile processing operations across the multi-hospital Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) system to ensure safe, efficient, and standardized instrument reprocessing practices for the perioperative setting. This role provides system-wide leadership and oversight, working under the direction of the General Surgery Service Line Director to promote best practices, enhance quality, and ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory and accreditation standards.

The System SPD Coordinator facilitates compliance with infection prevention requirements, assists with staff education and competency validation, and serves as a liaison between sterile processing, surgical services, and other clinical departments. This position plays a key role in ensuring consistency and standardization in workflows, equipment maintenance, quality monitoring, and policy adherence across all sites.

In addition, the SPD Coordinator participates in the development and implementation of standardized initiatives across ARH, leads change efforts to improve sterile processing and central sterile staff practices, and promotes professional development. This role fosters a positive image of the SPD, maintaining strong relationships with internal and external customers, and requires regular travel to ARH facilities to work directly with the system director of surgical quality assurance, service line director(s), operating room leaders, surgeons, SPD supervisors, frontline team members, and others as needed.

• System-Level Leadership & Coordination
  • Serve as the central point of contact for sterile processing services across all facilities.
• Coordinate with SPD managers and perioperative leadership to standardize workflows, processes, and policies.
• Lead system-wide initiatives to improve instrument availability, turnaround times, and quality metrics.
• Regulatory & Compliance Oversight
  • Ensure that policies, procedures, and practices comply with the standards established by all regulatory agencies.
• Develop and maintain policies and procedures taking into account particular equipment and responsibilities unique to each facility.
• Conduct regular audits of SPD practices across all facilities and provide action plans for compliance gaps.
• Maintain knowledge of regulatory requirements, reprocessing standards, emerging best practices, techniques, instrumentation, new technology, and equipment relevant to sterile processing through participation in professional organizations and attendance at relevant continuing education programs and conferences.
• Quality Improvement & Performance Management
  • Develop, track, and analyze system-level KPIs for SPD operations.
• Facilitate root cause analysis for quality and safety events related to instrument processing and implement corrective actions.
• Partner with infection prevention and surgical services to reduce surgical site infection risk through optimal sterile processing practices.
• Training & Education
  • Develop and deliver standardized training and competency validation programs for SPD staff across all facilities.
• Support onboarding and continuing education for SPD leaders and technicians.
• Promote certification (CRCST, CIS, CER, CHL) and professional development for SPD team members.
• Collaborate with system perioperative educator to develop and implement initiatives as needed.
• Assist in the implementation of new technologies that are used in the reprocessing area as well as new instrumentation used for many types of procedures.
• Inventory & Resource Optimization
  • Collaborate with supply chain and surgical services to standardize instrument sets and optimize inventory levels.
• Assists in establishing and updating standards of supplies, chemicals and materials. This includes sterile preparation, autoclaving, and operating room materials, preparing and submitting requisitions for non-inventory and inventory items, developing inventory standards and maintaining stock at the established levels, identifying items that are to be stored and withdrawn from the distribution area, and maintaining…