Chief Pharmacy Service

Clarification from the agency

This position is open to current, permanent VHA employees only. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below

The Chief, Pharmacy Service will have prime responsibility for providing pharmaceutical services to the veteran patients served by this level 1a medical center and for the professional and administrative activities supporting these services. Supervises activities of all pharmacy staff including supervisors, pharmacists, technicians and clerical staff. Formulates long and short term goals for the section and coordinates these with the goals of the medical center. Develops an action plan to accomplish these goals within the resources available. Prioritizes goals on a yearly, monthly and daily basis to produce the desired results. Prepares, estimates and justifies the annual budget requirements based on quarterly monetary needs for medications, supplies, equipment and personnel.

• Responsible for all aspects of pharmacy services at a medical facility by maintaining effective interdepartmental relationships demonstrating active problem resolution skills and close cooperation with other programs and services.
• Responsible for budget management, determining resource needs, allocating resources, ensuring proper utilization in productivity, efficiency, and cost effectiveness of the operation.
• Formulates objectives and priorities and implements plans consistent with the long term interest of the organization, capitalizing on opportunities and managing risks.
• Responsible for compliance with all safety, regulatory, and accrediting body requirements.
• Delegates authority to several supervisory and program levels to meet the goals of the service and staff.
• Ensures orientation and training programs are established to ensure staff development, oversees academic affiliations, and participates in medical facility, VISN, National, other external governmental agencies, and professional associations.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Hours may change based on the needs of the Medical Facility.
Telework: Ad-hoc as per local policy.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Required

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.
• 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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Education. Graduate of an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredited College or School of Pharmacy with a baccalaureate degree in pharmacy (BS Pharmacy) and/or a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree. (NOTE: Prior to 2005 ACPE accredited both baccalaureate and Doctor of Pharmacy terminal degree programs; today the sole degree is Doctor of Pharmacy)Graduates of foreign pharmacy degree programs meet the educational requirement if the graduate is able to provide proof of achieving the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Commission (FPGEC) Certification, which includes passing the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination (FPGEE) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test (TOEF iBT).
• Licensure. Hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States (i.e., Puerto Rico), or the District of Columbia.
• English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) and 7407(d).

Candidates 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).

Grade Requirements:

Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates:

GS-15
(a) Experience. In addition to the GS-14 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. Responsible for all aspects of pharmacy services at a medical facility by maintaining effective interdepartmental relationships demonstrating active problem resolution skills and close cooperation with other programs and services in accomplishing the medical facility mission and goals. Responsible for budget management, determining resource needs, allocating resources, ensuring proper utilization in productivity, efficiency, and cost effectiveness of the operation. Formulates objectives and priorities and implements plans consistent with the long term interest of the organization, capitalizing on opportunities and managing risks. Responsible for compliance with all safety, regulatory, and accrediting body requirements. Delegates authority to several supervisory and program levels to meet the goals of the service and staff. Ensures orientation and training programs are established to ensure staff development, oversees academic affiliations, and participates in medical facility, VISN, National, other external governmental agencies, and professional associations.

(b) Grade Level Criteria. At the GS-15 level, Chiefs of Pharmacy must meet the following:1. Individuals are assigned as Chiefs of Pharmacy at Complexity Level 1a, 1b or 1c VHA facilities; or2. Individuals are assigned as Chief of Pharmacy at Complexity Levels 2 or 3 and must meet the criteria noted in 2a and b below.

a. Must meet all of the following requirements:

(1) Manages a complex medical center based pharmacy program that is defined as having multiple practice settings (e.g. hospital ambulatory care, long-term care, behavior health care) that require Joint Commission review as separate standards.
(2) In addition to the medical center pharmacy, has responsibility for pharmacy services at one or more of the following: CBOCs, Rural Health Program, domiciliary, or provides dispensing and/or clinical services to State Veterans Home.
(3) Presence of advanced clinical pharmacy programs that include pharmacist(s) that have approved scopes of practice with prescriptive privileges.
(4) Pharmacy provides clinical pharmacist services to three (3) or more specialty areas such as, but not limited to, hemodialysis, oncology, operating room or an emergency department.

b. In addition to the requirements listed in 2a above, must meet at least two of the following:

(1) An ASHP Accredited Pharmacy Residency Program.
(2) A Research Program that is accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP).
(3) Actively involved in committees or advisory/work groups at the VISN and/or National level.
(4) An ongoing pharmacy student rotation in both the intermediate and advanced practice experience settings.

(d) Demonstrated KSAs. The KSAs shown below apply to all assignments at this grade level, and the specific KSAs designated by an asterisk (*) apply to assignment 1 and 2.
1. Skill in persuading others and gaining cooperation to accomplish goals.
2. Ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing regarding complex clinical and technical issues.
3. Skill in utilizing regulatory and quality standards to develop and implement operational programs.
4. Skill in managing multiple and diverse people or programs.
*5. Skill in utilizing available resources to support the missions and goals of the organization.
*6. Ability to plan, organize and direct the functions of the pharmacy staff.

References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/55, PART II APPENDIX G15, LICENSED PHARMACIST QUALIFICATION STANDARD

Physical Requirements: The work requires some walking but work is mainly sedentary.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• License
• Other (1)
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

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