Tissue Recovery Specialist I (TRS)

Join our award-winning team and be part of an organization recognized as the Boston Business Journal's #3 Best Places to Work in 2025 and the Boston Globe's Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts from 2018-2025! Our mission to save and heal lives through organ and tissue donation unites our employees and inspires our work every day. New England Donor Services (NEDS) coordinates organ and tissue donation in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, the eastern counties of Vermont and Bermuda. Responsible for one of the largest of the 55 Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) that make up the nation’s donation system, NEDS works with over 200 hospitals and serves nearly 15 million people in our region, screening nearly 55,000 potential donor referrals annually.

About the role

You have the opportunity to advance your healthcare career at New England Donor Services by joining a dynamic, professional team whose mission is to save and heal lives through tissue donation. As a Tissue Recovery Specialist, you will become a member of a professional surgical team where you will receive hands-on paid training to learn to aseptically remove bones, skin, veins, corneas, heart-for-valves, and additional tissues from deceased donors while developing your technical skills. Tissue donations help children requiring heart valve transplants, breast cancer survivors needing mastectomy surgeries, individuals with corneal blindness, and many others.

Your colleagues should describe you as a positive team player, self-motivated, detail-oriented, and mission-driven. You take pride in your work and are motivated by the thought of touching countless lives through our mission. Candidates with EMT, Paramedic, ER Tech, OR Tech, or Surgical Tech backgrounds—along with medical terminology and anatomy experience—are strongly encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

• Aseptically recover bones, skin, veins, corneas, heart-for-valves, and other tissues from deceased donors.
• Work as part of a professional surgical team in a clinical setting.
• Adhere to Standard Operating Procedures while multi-tasking in a fast-paced environment.
• Manage multiple systems and computer applications.
• Travel throughout New England in NEDS vehicles, including possible travel in small aircraft.
• Maintain eligibility as a driver, including a valid driver’s license, acceptable Motor Vehicle Record (MVR), and required personal automobile insurance.

Requirements

• Associate’s degree or minimum 2 years of professional experience as an EMT, Paramedic, ER Tech, OR Tech, or similar hands-on healthcare role.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Valid driver’s license and a safe driving record.
• Ability to lift up to 75 lbs and stand for extended periods.
• Intermediate understanding of medical terminology.
• Ability to thrive in a complex, fast-paced environment and adapt to variable working conditions.
• Must live within a reasonable driving distance from the Waltham, MA location.
• Must be vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19.

Skills

• Self-motivated, disciplined, and detail-oriented.
• Independent, adaptable, and team-oriented.
• Strong critical thinking and multi-tasking abilities.
• Stamina required for an intense and rewarding clinical setting.

Schedule

• Full-time, 3 x 12-hour shifts per week.
• Two shifts running for 12 weeks at a time:
  • Days: 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
  • Evenings: 12:00 pm – 12:00 am
• Every other weekend off.
• Overtime pay (1.5x) for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek.
• Additional mandatory training and meetings required.

Benefits

• Generous paid time off program.
• BCBS Health and Dental Insurance.
• Healthcare Reimbursement Account.
• 2x Annual Salary Life Insurance.
• Pet Insurance.
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA).
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Coverage.
• 403(b) Retirement Contribution.
• Tuition Reimbursement.
• Employee Assistance Program.
• Discounts through Working Advantage.