Job overview
Sterile Services Day Shift Supervisor
Band 4
Hours: 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday 7am – 2:30pm plus participation in the bank holiday rota
Contract: Permanent
Location: Brighton
The Sterile Services Department based at the Royal Sussex County Hospital provides a complete decontamination/distribution service to all theatres, wards and departments within the hospital.
Your role will be to supervise and organise staff within SSD on the Night Shift. This will include allocation of staff and resources within the department as dictated by the workload. You will be required to monitor equipment within SSD to ensure parameters are met as per legislation.
You will have at least 2 years’ experience of working within an SSD department, completion of an SSD related training programme, completion, in progress or willingness to commence the NVQ qualification in decontamination.
Main duties of the job
The Supervisor will be responsible for all aspects of production management within a designated shift within the Sterile Services Department and Endoscope reprocessing. This will include; managing production inputs/outputs and quality (including prioritising/re-organising work as appropriate), responding to ad hoc questions and concerns from technicians and generally ensuring efficient and effective service delivery.
Working for our organisation
At UHSussex (UHSx), diversity is our strength, & we want you to feel included to help us always put the Patient First. Your uniqueness & experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of Staff Networks to help break down barriers, & can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) & a Veteran Aware Trust.
We treat our patients & staff with the same compassion & empathy we expect for ourselves. We’re here for them when they need us, and we go above & beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in our candidate information pack & wellbeing programme, for staff which is extensive & designed to support you when you need it, including where possible, flexible working to support work life balance - because we know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves.
As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching & training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us & throughout your career we will help you to grow & develop. We hope that in choosing UHSx you are choosing a long & happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make & feel valued for all that you do.
We look forward to receiving your application & the start of your journey with UHSx.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Service Delivery and Improvement
The Supervisor will be responsible for:
1. Listening, generating and providing suggestions made by staff on work organisation or service improvement to the Production Manager. This will include assisting the Production Manager in providing a forum for staff to make suggestions for improvement or to update on barriers to effective service provision or general issues affecting morale.
2. Assisting with the review and development of departmental quality assurance initiatives in conjunction with the Production Manager.
3. Assisting the Production Manager with operational aspects of service expansion, redesign, and development plans.
4. Providing regular updates to the Production Manager on NCR’s, customer complaints and other key performance indicators.
5. Promoting good employee relations and morale within the shift. This will include actively co-operating with staff engagement plans, having a zero tolerance policy on discrimination, understanding and engaging with the principles of dignity at work and leading by example.
6. Reviewing and developing departmental policies and procedures in conjunction with the Production Manager and proposing changes and implementing new protocols where appropriate.
The Supervisor will, where possible, be a working member of the shift and will be required to regularly work on the production floor. This will include; disassembling and cleaning contaminated equipment, inspecting, testing, assembling, packing, sterilizing and distributing instruments, scopes and equipment for supply to customers, wards, departments, theatres and external customers.
People Management and Development
7. Develop and maintain strong relationships with the technicians. This will be empirical to the role as open dialogue between shift parties will be required at all times to maintain shift effectiveness. This will include becoming adept at transferring key information quickly whilst managing competing priorities.
8. Carry out appraisals for a cohort of staff and report any development needs to the Production Manager.
9. Providing routine information to clinical users and addressing concerns where appropriate. Although the Production Manager will usually hold the ‘quick turnaround phone’ and manage the bulk of the clinical relationships, the Supervisor will be expected to build relationships with clinical users and be able to answer ad hoc questions and resolve ad hoc issues.
Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria
10. Minimum 2 years SSD experience
11. GCSE or equivalent in English and maths
Desirable criteria
12. NVQ or Technical certificate in Decontamination.
13. Member of IDSC.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
Essential criteria
14. Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues
15. Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (as appropriate to role).
Important information for applicants:
A Note on AI Use in Applications
We value the individuality and authenticity that each candidate brings to the application process. While AI tools are increasingly accessible, we strongly discourage their use in completing your application. Your responses should reflect your own voice, experiences, and motivations—elements that are essential to a fair and accurate evaluation.
Applications that rely heavily on AI-generated content may misrepresent your abilities and could result in your application being rejected. We encourage you to take the time to present your genuine self, as this helps us better understand your potential and ensures a transparent selection process.
Closing Adverts Early: In the event of exceptional interest, we may close adverts earlier than specified.
Some of our adverts are capped for a limited number of applications; therefore, the advert will close once the cap has been reached. We therefore encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible if you are interested in the position to prevent you from missing out on applying for the opportunity.
Flexible Working: If you would like to explore potential options regarding flexible working please speak with the appropriate recruiting/line manager.
DBS Checks: As part of our commitment to a safe working environment, we undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check on all new employees where the role is eligible for a criminal record check. We make offers in line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975.
Skilled Worker Visa: Applications for Skilled Worker sponsorship are welcome for the roles that meet the Visa and Immigrations eligibility criteria. For further information please visit the gov.uk website searching for Skilled Worker. It is your responsibility as the applicant to ensure that you meet this criteria.
UHSussex reserves the right to close the role early if we receive a high volume of applications