Organ Preservationist Specialist

About the role

As an Organ Preservation Specialist, you will play a critical role in the success of life-saving transplant procedures by independently managing the preservation, evaluation and transport of donor organs. This position requires advanced sterile technique, technical expertise and sound judgment in high-pressure, time-sensitive environments. You will collaborate closely with transplant surgeons, operating room teams, organ procurement organizations (OPOs) and external partners to maximize organ viability and improve transplant outcomes. This role supports all abdominal transplant service lines and includes participation in lung, liver and kidney perfusion. It is an opportunity to work in one of the most specialized areas of transplant medicine and play a direct role in the organ’s journey to transplantation.

Responsibilities

• Perform aseptic preparation, flushing, packaging, labeling, and preservation of donor organs for transplantation and research.
• Support surgical teams during organ recovery procedures, including bench preparation.
• Evaluate organ condition during preservation and transport, documenting key observations to support transplant decision-making.
• Carefully coordinate organ transport logistics, including required documentation, compliance, and communication with transplant centers and OPO partners.
• Ensure readiness, sterility, and availability of preservation solutions, equipment, and supplies for scheduled and emergent cases.
• Maintain strict adherence to sterile technique, safety standards, regulatory requirements (OPTN/UNOS), and institutional policies.
• Accurately document preservation activities, equipment performance, and quality metrics in designated systems.
• Participate in quality improvement initiatives, audits, and performance reporting to support continuous program improvement.
• Serve as a subject matter resource for operating room and clinical staff regarding organ preservation practices and protocols.
• Assist in training new staff.
• Occasionally travel via ground and air to provide on-call support for donor recovery and transplant operations.

Requirements

• Ace’s degree in Allied Health, Biomedical Science, Surgical Technology, or related field
• Certified Transplant Preservationist (CTP) or Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) within two years of hire
• Basic Life Support (BLS) through American Heart Association (AHA) or American Red Cross within new hire period
• Demonstrated experience in a clinical, surgical, laboratory, or technical environment

Preferred qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Experience in operating room support, organ preservation, perfusion, or transplant services
• Operating Room experience
• Familiarity with organ preservation devices and machine perfusion technology
• Knowledge of transplant regulatory policies and protocols

Physical Requirements

• Manual dexterity to use surgical equipment and to assist with surgical procedures.
• Normal or corrected vision.
• Must be able to be on call on a regular basis on weekends and during the week.

Benefits

• We offer the following choices to cover your health, dental and vision care as well as life insurance.
• Health Plan Options – You have the choice between two comprehensive Cleveland Clinic Employee Health Plan options: EHP and EHP Plus. Both plans are administered by Aetna and feature minimal copays for in-network care. Although the benefit designs of EHP and EHP Plus are identical, they differ in their provider network size, with EHP offering a narrow network and EHP Plus providing access to the wide Aetna Open Access Select network. Both plans include access to Cleveland Clinic providers. The health plan also offers Healthy Choice, a voluntary program where participants earn premium discounts for achieving wellness goals.
• Dental Care – Four plan options administered by Cigna are available.
• Vision Care – Two plan options administered by EyeMed are available.
• Flexible Spending Accounts – Healthcare and Dependent Care FSAs are available to help you pay for eligible expenses with pre-tax dollars.
• Life Insurance – Employer-paid life insurance equals 1x your annual salary with an option to purchase supplemental life insurance up to 10x your salary. You may also purchase dependent life insurance for a spouse and dependent children
• Short- and Long-term Disability Coverage – Short-term disability is available after one continuous year of regular full-time service; long-term disability begins after 90 days.

Pay Range

• Minimum hourly: $30.41
• Maximum hourly: $46.38