Sr. Training Specialist

Job description

The name Sotera Health was inspired by Soteria, the Greek goddess of safety, and reflects the Company’s unwavering commitment to its mission, Safeguarding Global Health®. Sotera Health Company is a leading global provider of mission-critical sterilization and lab testing and advisory services for the healthcare industry. With a combined tenure across our businesses of nearly 200 years and our industry recognized scientific and technological expertise, we help to ensure the safety of millions of patients and healthcare practitioners around the world every year. Across our 64 facilities worldwide, we have over 3,000 employees who are dedicated to safety and quality. We are a trusted partner to more than 5,800 customers in over 50 countries, including more than 40 of the top 50 medical device companies and 9 of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies. The Senior Training Specialist functions as a company‑wide training leader, responsible for training strategy, standardization, and alignment across multiple departments. This role provides oversight of training frameworks, mentors Training Specialists I and II, and partners with leadership to ensure training systems support long‑term business, quality, and regulatory needs. The Senior Training Specialist drives consistency, scalability, and continuous improvement of training programs across the organization. Collaborates with functional teams to assess ongoing and future training and development needs and the effectiveness of established programs. Researches new training techniques and suggests enhancements to existing training programs to meet the organization's changing needs. Essential Duties: •Identify areas for improvement within department processes and training. Assess department training needs and identify gaps or improvement opportunities •For New Employe Orientation (NEO), assist with preparing and executing on new employee orientation lab focused training. •Coordinate with training coordinators and subject matter experts to standardize laboratory training •Publish training modules in Master Control •Design, implement, and maintain department training programs and materials •Oversee training matrices, training schedules, job code structures, and training scrums •Coach and mentor hands‑on trainers and support trainer development •Partner with management and SMEs to improve and standardize training •Support onboarding, retraining, and quality‑driven training initiatives •Provides technical training to help employees gain proficiency within assigned tests and to build expertise that preserves business continuity •Perform hands on training as needed. •Manage the various training projects identified for your department and meet necessary deadlines. • Complete training for all levels of trainers at Nelson Labs and guide these roles within their assigned department(s). •Continually develop training skills by attending external or internal training sessions on training and development methods. •Stay current with regulatory, technical, and scientific information required for your department training. •Conduct train-the-trainer and mentoring sessions for hands on trainers. •Assist with quality investigations to identify, design, develop, and implement training to improve quality, address department quality trends and regulatory findings, and CAPA training needs. •Know and follow applicable regulatory requirements, company policies and procedures. •Know, follow, and instruct on section best practices. •Complete required training on time. •Attend work regularly and reliably. •Adhere to all policies and procedures. •Own and manage Section Training Programs across one or more departments. •Create, maintain, and continuously improve training frameworks (task lists, job codes, matrices, breakdown sheets, schedules, scrums, and materials). •Audit section training programs for compliance, effectiveness, and consistency. •Coordinate with lab managers, trainers, and SMEs to standardize training practices. •Lead training updates in response to process changes, audits, QE trends, and CAPAs. •Manage department‑level training projects across multiple sections. •Partner with management on employee progression planning and execution. •Support short‑term assignments, including travel, for company‑wide training initiatives as needed. •Serve as a subject matter resource for training systems and best practices. •Ensure training programs meet internal quality standards and regulatory requirements. •Make recommendations for and participate in process improvement projects •Collects feedback from attendees of training to use for future improvements to content and presentation. •Lead training standardization and alignment across departments and laboratories. •Develop, enhance and maintain enterprise‑level training frameworks, governance, and best practices. •Partner with Directors of Lab Operations and Lab Managers on long‑term workforce and training strategy. •Act as the primary training liaison between PDD, lab leadership, and training teams. •Mentor and coach Training Specialists I and II; lead trainer development initiatives. •Facilitate internal and external certification programs. •Lead training development forums and continuous improvement initiatives. •Define project scope, objectives, timelines, deliverables, and success metrics for large‑scale training programs. •Drive continuous improvement by evaluating project outcomes and integrating lessons learned into training governance. •Influence training strategy to support regulatory readiness, scalability, and operational excellence. •Ensure enterprise training programs remain audit‑ready and future‑focused. •May have supervisory responsibilites Job Requirements: •Basic understanding of project management tools (e.g. Gantt Charts, Planner, Trello, Agile, SCRUM, RACI, KPIs). •Excellent organizational, time management, and problem solving skills. •Ability to priortize tasks, manage deadlines, and maintain attention to detail in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. •Self-motivated and works independently •Computer skills: knowledge of Microsoft Office, email and internet usage; knowledge of PowerPoint or other learning technologies •Training and Presentation skills •Strong written and verbal communication skills. •Soft skills – ability to work with people, approachability and provide constructive feedback •Mentoring, hands-on training, materials development, and presentation skills •Knowledge of ADDIE or other training development models •Effectively collaborate with SMEs, leaders, and other staff to meet the training and development needs •Team-orientation and cross-functional work aptitude •Change advocate •Ongoing progressive education and certification in training disciplines •Must be disciplined in holding high training standards •Strong understanding of project management tools (e.g. Gantt Charts, Planner, Trello, Agile, SCRUM, RACI, KPIs, Independing planning, tracking, control). •Advanced strong understanding of project management tools (e.g. Gantt Charts, Planner, Trello, Agile, SCRUM, RACI, KPIs, Independing planning, tracking, control,optimization, governance and strategic use). •Strategic thinking •Talent development and strong desire to develop others Work Environment: • This job operates in a professional office and laboratory environment. • This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, keyboards, computer mouse, telephones, photocopiers, projectors and file cabinets. • Noise level of the training areas may be louder than normal due to lab equipment. Temperatures in various lab spaces visited by trainers may be above 95 degrees and below 32 degrees. • Possibility exists for exposure to biological and chemical hazards, exposure to carcinogenic compounds and other environmental aspects, which may be considered unfavorable. Employees are expected to follow Biosafety and Chemical Hygiene policies, practices and procedures • Trainers will be required to wear lab appropriate attire and (at least) basic lab PPE (lab coat and safety glasses). Additional lab PPE may be required based on testing and materials used during testing (cleanroom gowns, respirators, masks, gloves, etc.). Trainers in laboratory departments will also use general lab equipment such as pipettes, hoods, microscopes, etc. Physical Requirements: • Requirements to stand and traverse to various office and lab locations and sit at a computer workstation will vary. • Occasional push and pull tasks with one or both hands. • Able to use lab equipment (manipulate small hand tools, push heavy carts and cages full of lab supplies). • Bending, stooping, crouching, crawling and climbing. • Ability to have full body movement required. • Ability to lift, carry, push and/or pull, shake or press on a frequent basis. • Must be able to work while wearing personal protective equipment such as safety glasses, goggles, face shields, gloves, lab coats and personal protective equipment deemed necessary to protect testing and to protect employees from various solutions, wastes, etc. • Must be able to lift and/or move up to 45 pounds. Travel may be required for short term training assignments. Education and experience requirements: Bachelor’s degree with 4 years of applicable experience. Or AA/AS or eqiuvalent with 5 years applicable experience • Lab experience strongly preferred. •Demonstrated proficiency with managing and facilitating training programs in at least one department or equivalent experience. •Industry certification or equivalent education in training required Sotera Health goes to market through its three best-in-class businesses – Sterigenics®, Nordion® and Nelson Labs®. Sterigenics is a leading global provider of outsourced terminal sterilization and irradiation services for the medical device, pharmaceutical, food safety and advanced applications markets. Nordion is the leading global provider of Co-60 and gamma irradiators, which are key components to the gamma sterilization process. Nelson Labs is a global leader in outsourced microbiological and analytical chemistry testing and advisory services for the medical device and pharmaceutical industries.