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Summary This position is located at VA Montana Health Care | Veterans Affairs. This is the Chief, Sterile Processing Service (SPS) position for Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in the Sterile Processing Service of the Montana VA Healthcare System that include Fort Harrison and Billings locations. Responsibilities VA offers a Comprehensive Total Rewards package: Total Reward$ | VA Careers. This position is located at VA Montana Health Care | Veterans Affairs. The critical and semi-critical reusable (RMD) medical devices and oversight for non-critical RMD with supervisory responsibilities for personnel in the Sterile Processing Service (SPS). The duties include but are not limited to the following: Serves as a Subject Matter Expert for RMD and has oversight in all aspects of Sterile Processing Services to include planning and scheduling processing and decontamination work based on available staffing resources and the workload in the main operating room (MOR), Gastrointestinal Services, Surgical Outpatient Clinics, Dental and any other departments requiring the same service. Takes a leadership role on the standardization pertaining to the receipt, processing, storage, and utilization of surgical instruments and endoscopes. Collaborates with medical, nursing, and administrative staff to provide effective sterile processing to include decontamination, processing, sterilizing, high level disinfecting, etc. Meets the needs of customers while supporting VA missions. Employee consistently communicates and treats customers (veterans, their representatives, visitors, and all VA staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner. Participates and is accountable for quality assurance program including investigating and resolving quality improvement issues and implements process changes. Responsible for the efficient and effective organizational SPS structure. This includes implementing ways to enhance production, promote team building, and improve business practices. Hears and resolves complaints from employees and can initiate disciplinary measures to more serious complaints. Recruits and hires qualified medical supply technicians (MST). S/he guides and evaluates MST performance. Identifies problems and facilitates solutions with the MSTs. Identifies training needs and facilitates career opportunities. Establishes and maintains employee orientation, training, and certification in accordance with standards set by applicable VA Directives, the International Association of Healthcare Central Service Material Management (IAHCSMM/HSPA), and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI). Carries out Equal Employment Opportunity policies and program activities. Develop measures, track and report on sterile processing trends. Review equipment, and supply needs to ensure the facility is keeping up with new trends/requirements and processes in the field of sterile processing. Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm. Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year). Parental Leave: 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. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA. Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement). Telework: Ad-hoc, as determined by the agency policy. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 436-51036-0. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Qualifications Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. BASIC REQUIREMENTS Citizenship. Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency. MSTs must be proficient in spoken and written English. Experience and Education. 1) Six (6) months of experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work or provides an understanding of the work. OR 2) Education. One (1) year above high school that included at least 6 semester hours in health care related courses such as sterile processing, nursing assistant, hospital corpsman, and operating room and surgical technician courses or other courses related to the position. OR 3) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). GRADE DETERMINATION - GS-10 Experience. One (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Ability to implement and incorporate regulations, policies, and procedures to manage SPS operations. Ability to evaluate new products and equipment, develop options, and make recommendations. Ability to integrate SPS managerial duties, which includes strategic planning of facility organizational goals and integration of SPS vision and values within the organizational mission. Ability to perform a full range of supervisory duties, including assigning, planning and evaluating work, recommending awards, approving leave, identifying training needs, and resolving staff issues. Skill to initiate and lead interdisciplinary groups in order to facilitate daily SPS functions. Ability to analyze and interpret fiscal data in order to forecast resource and equipment needs. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit: https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-10. Physical Requirements: This work is performed in various settings: decontamination, preparation, clean sterile supply (preparation), and in other services and departments throughout the medical facility/campus. The incumbent may be required to work in areas that are hot, cold, drafty and poorly lighted. The employee is subject to the possibility of falls, scrapes, cuts, bruises, and other injuries from material handling equipment. The work requires standing and walking during the entire workday and frequent bending and lifting of packages (occasionally weighing as much as 50 pounds). The work requires dexterity and visual acuity for manipulating, disassembly and assembly of instrumentation. On a regular and recurring basis, the employee alternates between a contaminated environment and a carefully controlled clean environment. The employee wears special clothing, hair covers, personal protective equipment and shoe covers that can be uncomfortably warm. The employee uses insulated gloves to remove carts from sterilizers. The employee is subject to burns from accidentally touching hot items. The employee often works around body fluids, mucous, excretions, and bits of tissue, some of which may be foul smelling. Strong, unpleasant odors are encountered while decontaminating bloody or grossly contaminated instrumentation or reusable medical equipment. The work area is noisy due to the clatter of metal instruments, rumbling of carts and operation of sterilizing equipment. Education Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.