Clarification from the agency

Open to current Department of Veteran Affairs employees. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

- Provides oversight, direction, and supervision to assigned pharmacy staff while supporting the Chief of Pharmacy in overall leadership of clinical and operational programs.
- Contributes to development and implementation of strategic plans for the VAPIHCS Pharmacy medication management system.
- Assists the Chief of Pharmacy in budget management, resource utilization, program planning, and maintaining compliance with regulatory and accrediting bodies to ensure high-quality Veteran care.
- Collaborates with Associate Chiefs, service chiefs, and other pharmacy leaders to ensure policy adherence, regulatory compliance, and coordinated interdisciplinary practice.
- Develops and maintains compliance programs, including monitoring of metrics to ensure survey readiness and continuous adherence to standards.
- Plans, coordinates, implements, and evaluates medication-use processes, policies, audits, and compliance initiatives to improve quality, reduce waste, and promote high reliability.
- Coordinates The Joint Commission (TJC) medication-management survey process and supports continuous survey readiness.
- Leads development and oversight of medication-use improvements in line with regulatory and practice standards.
- Provides data analytics oversight and collaborates to design outcome reports that support regulatory compliance and performance improvement.
- Develops and delivers education and consultation for staff on compliance and best practices in medication procurement, storage, ordering, preparation, dispensing, administration, and monitoring.
- Assists in formulary management, including therapeutic substitutions, nonformulary reviews, medication use evaluations, and cost-effective medication strategies.
- Documents and evaluates adverse drug events (ADEs), including JPSR entry when required.
- Assists Veterans with medication-related questions, refill histories, and tracking needs in person or via telephone.
- Utilizes dashboards and reviews medical records to document immunizations and support preventative care initiatives through population-management tools.
- Participates in workshops, in-services, rounds, journal clubs, case presentations, team meetings, and system redesign efforts to maintain professional competency.
- Maintains expert knowledge of regulatory requirements and quality standards including TJC, DEA, ASHP, PBM, VA policies, and local procedures.
- Completes required documentation such as pharmacist notes and medication education notes within established timelines.
- Submits reports, statistics, and required documentation in a timely manner.
- Uses appropriate references to research drug information and maintains current knowledge of therapeutics, disease management, and evidence-based practice.
- Provides timely and accurate responses to drug information inquiries and conducts drug literature evaluations as needed.
- Maintains knowledge and oversight of VISN 21 PBM, national, and local performance measures relevant to assigned program areas.
- Participates in ISMP reviews for pharmacy service areas and contributes to enhancing medication-management programs.
- Leads and supports REMS education, auditing, medication-use monitoring, and compliance activities for Veterans and staff.
- Provides clinical oversight and direction for pharmacists and clinical pharmacy services across all care settings.
- Ensures evidence-based, safe, and effective medication-management practices through policy development, review, and continual refinement.
- Leads clinical decision-support initiatives, ensuring optimal and consistent clinical practice standards across the organization.
- Serves as a clinical authority on medication therapy management, pharmacotherapy guidelines, and disease-state management.
- Oversees medication-use evaluations, therapeutic conversions, and formulary management to support safe, effective, and cost-conscious prescribing.
- Guides clinical pharmacists in managing complex patients, optimizing medication regimens, and preventing adverse drug events.
- Provides expert consultation to interdisciplinary teams on pharmacotherapy, high-risk medications, and complex patient cases.
- Oversees clinical quality-improvement projects targeting medication safety, prescribing trends, adherence, and outcomes.
- Develops and reviews clinical protocols, order sets, and standardized treatment pathways for use in CPRS.
- Monitors and responds to clinical performance metrics, including PBM measures, antimicrobial stewardship indicators, and chronic-disease benchmarks.


Work Schedule: 7:30am-4:00pm (variable)
Telework: Ad-Hoc, at Supervisor's Discretion
Functional Statement #: 09644-F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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 dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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:
a. Citizenship. United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

b. Education

• (1) 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. Verification of approved degree programs may be obtained from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, 20 North Clark Street, Suite 2500, Chicago, Illinois 60602-5109; phone: (312) 664-3575, or through their Web site at: http://www.acpe-accredit.org/. (NOTE: Prior to 2005 ACPE accredited both baccalaureate and Doctor of Pharmacy terminal degree program. Today the sole degree is Doctor of Pharmacy.)
• (2) Graduates of foreign pharmacy degree programs meet the educational requirement if the 2 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 (TOEFL iBT).

c. Licensure. Full, current and unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States (i.e., Puerto Rico), or the District of Columbia. The pharmacist must maintain current registration if this is a requirement for maintaining full, current, and unrestricted licensure. A pharmacist who has, or has ever had, any license(s) revoked, suspended, denied, restricted, limited, or issued/placed in a probationary status may be appointed only in accordance with the provisions in VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section B, paragraph 16.

d. English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).

NOTE: Individuals who have or have had multiple licenses and had any such license revoked for professional misconduct, professional incompetence or substandard care, or who surrendered such license after receiving written notice of potential termination of such license by the State for professional misconduct, professional incompetence, or substandard care, are not eligible for appointment to the position unless such revoked or surrendered license is fully restored (38 U.S.C. § 7402(f)). Effective November 30, 1999, this is a requirement for employment. This requirement does not apply to licensed pharmacists on VA rolls as of that date, provided they maintain continuous appointment and are not disqualified for employment by any subsequent revocations or voluntary surrenders of State license, registration or certification.

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 and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations

Creditable Experience
(1) Knowledge of Professional Pharmacy Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with professional pharmacy practice. Professional practice means paid/non-paid employment as a professional or unlicensed graduate pharmacist as defined by the appropriate licensing board.
(2) Residency and Fellowship Training. Residency and fellowship training programs in a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice may be substituted for creditable experience on a year-for- year basis. The pharmacy residency program must be accredited by the American Society of Health- System Pharmacists (ASHP). A fellowship program that is not accredited by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) will need to have comparable standards for experience to be creditable (Professional Standards Board refers to the Deputy Chief Consultant for Professional Practice for the determination).
(3) Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to pharmacy experience at the next lower level. Experience as a Graduate Pharmacist is creditable provided the candidate was used as a professional pharmacist (under supervision) and subsequently passed the appropriate licensure examination.
(4) Part-time Experience. Part-time experience as a professional pharmacist is credited according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, a pharmacist employed 20 4 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service.

Experience. In addition to the GS-13 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.

Demonstrated KSAs. The KSAs shown below apply to all assignments at this grade level.
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 people or programs.
5. Skill in utilizing available resources to support the mission and goals of the organization.
6. Ability to plan, organize and direct the functions of the pharmacy staff.

Preferred Experience: Minimum 3-5 years of progressive clinical pharmacy leadership experience. Includes formal supervisory roles, program management, or oversight of multidisciplinary clinical pharmacy services. Experience leading Clinical Pharmacy Practice Models within ambulatory care or PACT/Primary Care settings Demonstrated ability to develop, implement, or evaluate pharmacist-run clinics or team-based care programs. Advanced training or board certification in a relevant specialty. Examples: BCACP, BCPS, BCPP, BC-ADM, or equivalent clinical certification reflecting advanced practice competency. Experience managing clinical pharmacy metrics, quality programs, and performance improvement initiatives. Familiarity with eQMs, HEDIS-like measures, access and utilization metrics, and data-driven workflow optimization. Demonstrated success working with diverse and rural Veteran populations, including Pacific Island communities Ability to navigate health disparities, limited-resource environments, and culturally-informed care delivery.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-14. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-14.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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:

• Full, current and unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States (i.e., Puerto Rico), or the District of Columbia.
• 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.

• Cover Letter
• Full, current and unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States (i.e., Puerto Rico), or the District of Columbia.
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

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

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