Summary
The lnvestigational Pharmacy Program Manager is responsible for all aspects of pharmacy within the Research Program at VA Salt Lake City Health Care System. Independently and is responsible for planning, developing, and managing all Pharmacy research programs and activities. Acts as a partner to pharmacy leadership, residents, students, and other health care professionals. Collaborates with the University of Utah Health Sciences Center Hospitals and other research centers.
Duties
VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws
- Evaluates patients and monitors response to medication therapy with special emphasis on study medications and their interactions. Recommends changes in medication therapy as needed.
- Monitors drug therapy regimes, including routine analysis of patient drug therapy, medical problems, laboratory data, and specialized procedures.
- Analyzes research protocols for potential adverse drug reactions, drug interactions, or contraindications. Identifies any drug-related problems that may affect the patient or contribute to the need for utilization of health care resources (i.e., hospitalization, clinic visits, additional drug therapies).
- Provides drug information and consultation to professional staff; evaluates and synthesizes information from primary and secondary sources of clinical drug literature.
- Provides interpretations and recommendations which have application to specific clinical situations and communicates responses to a wide range of health care professionals.
- Verifies all research medications are ordered in the electronic health record (EHR).
- Verify the prescription orders for study medications as well as other medications included in study protocols ensuring they match protocol directed treatment in addition to patient safety review for individual interactions.
- Prepares, labels, and dispenses research and other protocol medications to patients or study personnel in compliance with VA directives, policy, and research protocols.
- Preparation sterile products accurately and safely
- Assists researchers in preparing investigational drug protocols. This includes preparing a study specific budget to bill for medication cost, dispensing, storage, and other fees as appropriate. also, ensure the protocol meets all VA directives/policies as it relates to medication handling and standards of care.
- Maintains complete and accurate data collection for relevant source documents and reports.
- Assists in preparing and submitting regulatory documents for the Review Board (IRB), Research and Development (R&D) Committee, Office of Research Oversite(ORO), FDA, sponsor, or any other oversite organization.
- Maintains appropriate inventory records based on VHA directive, policy and study protocol.
- Responsible for obtaining a Delegation of Custody and/or Letter of Understanding in compliance with VHA directive, policy, and study protocol.
- Designs or participates in research studies involving drug therapy or pharmacy services, including drug studies.
- Publishes or presents significant results and findings in appropriate professional journals and/or at local, state, or national professional meetings.
- Prepares, presents and coordinates specialized education and training to pharmacy staff, pharmacy residents, pharmacy students, nursing, medical and allied health care professional staff and students in the areas of investigational drug/pharmacy research and other related subjects.
- Oversight of technicians, pharmacy residents and pharmacy students in the provision of research pharmacy services.
- Identifies and resolves problems in the research pharmacy work environment to maintain good employee morale and to meet program objectives by discussing complaints and grievances, getting feedback, and working with all pharmacy personnel.
- Develops and revises policies and procedures for research pharmacy services.
- Develops, participates in, coordinates, and evaluates quality assurance audits and other audits to assure JC, FDA, ORO, NCQA and other regulatory agency compliance by providing feedback to others, monitoring performance indicators and reviewing research pharmacy services.
- Works with medical, pharmacy, nursing, research, and allied health staff to explore, organize, and enhance Pharmacy research activities.
- Serves as Pharmacy Service representative to Medical Center Committees, such as the Research and Development Committee (RDC), to provide pharmacy research support, involvement, and representation.
- Serves in acting supervisory capacities of the Pharmacy Service, to provide effective operation for the service in the absence of other supervisory staff.
- Develops, coordinates, supervises, evaluates, and assumes primary responsibility for all pharmacy research programs and services in order to maintain a superior quality of research services offered by pharmacy personnel.
- Coordinates, precepts, evaluates and supervises College of Pharmacy student research activities that are conducted at the medical center.
- Coordinates Pharmacy Research Center activities with other research activities within the service.
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am-4pm
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 52252O
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Requirements
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.
- You may be required to serve a trial period.
- 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).
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.
- English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).
- 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 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).
- 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.
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:
GS-11 Pharmacist
- (a) Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements.
- (b) Assignment. Pharmacists at this grade level serve in a developmental capacity.
GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist (Full Performance Level)
- (a) Experience or Education. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must meet one of the following:
- 1. 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, or
- 2. Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program.
GS-13 Facility Program Manager. (Above Full Performance Level)
- Experience. In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
- Assignments. Candidates at this grade level are to be in one of the assignments listed below. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.
- Facility Program Manager. Manages all aspects of a distinct program to include policy development, quality resources and specialty functions unique to the program to optimize cost effectiveness (budget) and patient outcomes. Coordinates a single program area of a complex pharmacy operation, or multiple program areas within a facility to develop, organize, manage, and control complex pharmacy programs. Develops, organizes, coordinates and manages single or multiple program areas within the medical facility; this may include a single program area at multiple facilities. The Program Manager title is reserved for those individuals who have one or more of the following: supervisory responsibilities for various sections within Pharmacy Service; a complex program requiring coordination of multiple locations such as medical center care facilities, Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs), rural health, telemedicine, etc; specialized areas of a complex nature such as nuclear pharmacy, quality assurance, pharmacy informatics, clinical applications coordinator, Home Based Primary Care, pharmacoeconomist or liaison pharmacist duties requiring the coordination of processes with other medical facilities or VISNs. Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the KSAs identified in subparagraph 3b(3)(b)1.
- Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following KSAs:
- a. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions.
- b. Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area.
- c. Ability to solve problems, coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise.
- d. Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy.
- e. Advanced skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.
Preferred Experience: The Investigational Pharmacy Program Manager must be a licensed pharmacist, preferably with an accredited residency, or have equivalent experience demonstrating competency in research. Successful completion of CITI Protection of Human Subjects training during probationary period and reassessment periodically. Prior clinical trials experience. Previous experience working with investigational medications or devices preferred. Previous medication compounding and formulation experience preferred. Sterile product preparation experience prior to hire and demonstrated ability to prepare sterile products accurately and safely after hire.
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit
https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
Physical Requirements: The work involves long periods of moving, standing and pushing carts about the work unit. The work requires regular and recurring bending, lifting, stooping, stretching, lifting. The incumbent must be a mature, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, demonstrating cheerfulness, compassion, courtesy and concern for staff and patients. Must possess math skills in order to convert medications to the correct dosing. The incumbent must be able to perform all activities of the position without restriction. This position involves lifting 25 pounds or less, able to visually confirm drug order correctness, and able to stand for periods of 30 minutes or greater.
Education
Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
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.
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
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
- DD-214/ Statement of Service
- Disability Letter (VA)
- License
- Other (1)
- Other (2)
- Professional Certification
- Resume
- SF-15
- 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.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
How to Apply
All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/25/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12803217.
- To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
- Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
Next steps
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.
NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.