Pharmacist - Pharmacy Supervisor (Procurement and Inventory Management)

Clarification from the agency

NOTE: THE 2-PAGE RESUME REQUIREMENT DOES NOT APPLY TO THIS OCCUPATIONAL SERIES. FOR MORE INFORMATION, REFER TO REQUIRED DOCUMENTS BELOW. The area of consideration will be referred in the following order: 1. Current permanent VA Puget Sound Health Care System facility employees 2. Current permanent Agency (Department of Veterans Affairs) employees

This job is also open in another announcement to:

The public

Federal employees - Competitive service

Federal employees - Excepted service

Veterans

NOTE: THE 2-PAGE RESUME REQUIREMENT DOES NOT APPLY TO THIS OCCUPATIONAL SERIES. FOR MORE INFORMATION, REFER TO REQUIRED DOCUMENTS BELOW.

Responsible for daily accountability of records and program requirements and assists pharmacy management with the responsibility for planning, organizing, and directing the workflow of the stock management area of pharmacy. The pharmacist works closely with and provides cross-coverage for the Pharmacy Informaticists, Formulary Program Manager, and Pharmacoeconomist.

Functions

• Supervises the Pharmacy Procurement program at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, a large Level 1a VA Medical Center. Leads a team of pharmacy professionals by providing strategic guidance, HR actions, performance appraisals, time and attendance, recruitment actions, and training of staff.
• Drafts policies and procedures to enhance productivity, improve medication security and accountability, regulatory compliance, Joint Commission accreditation and VHA compliance, and operational performance.
• Oversee daily fund control management for pharmacy service, serving as the fund control point official for obligations, purchases, reconciliations, budgetary trends, and formulates the annual pharmaceutical budget.
• Serves as purchase card approving official for pharmacy service, maintaining compliance with all Federal, VHA, and local acquisition regulations, budget limits, and proper documentation for purchases.
• Manages all pharmaceutical inventory for the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, including purchasing, receipt, storage, distribution, formulary adherence, reverse distribution, and inventory optimization using technology and best practices.
• Ensures the integrity of pharmaceuticals through adherence to the Drug Supply Chain Security Act and ensures proper storage and security of medications throughout the hospital.
• Monitors and ensures compliance with DEA regulatory guidelines to include ordering, storage, distribution, reporting, and destruction of controlled substances. Oversees DEA biennial inventories and annual wall-to-wall inventories with strict adherence to regulatory and VHA requirements.
• Monitors inventory levels using Pharmaceutical Prime Vendor (PPV) software and account manager collaboration to ensure compliance with VA pharmaceutical contracts.
• Develop inventory management procedures to reduce overstock and stock-outs and streamlines pharmacy drug and pharmaceutical supply storage areas.
• Reviews CMOP backorders and adapts local inventory to meet patient needs, collaborating with operations supervisors for effective inventory management.
• Integrates medication safety initiatives into inventory management through procurement of unit-of-use products and ISMP best practices to reduce the risk of medication errors; and oversees medication recalls for the health-system.
• Proactively identifies medication shortages, formulates mitigation strategies, and communicates shortages to staff to ensure uninterrupted patient care.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8am-4:30pm
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation 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 identification 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

NOTE: THE 2-PAGE RESUME REQUIREMENT DOES NOT APPLY TO THIS OCCUPATIONAL SERIES. FOR MORE INFORMATION, REFER TO REQUIRED DOCUMENTS BELOW.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

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

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:

Pharmacy Supervisor, GS-13

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.

Pharmacy Supervisor: Responsible for the professional and administrative management of an assigned area in pharmacy service, to include budgetary execution. Such individuals have responsibilities for supervising multiple pharmacists and technicians. Manages people, maintains effective interdepartmental relations, and cooperates with other services to accomplish the medical facility's mission and goals. Develops performance standards, assures that the program area is compliant with all regulatory and accrediting body requirements, designs and implements orientation and training programs for staff, and develops and maintains systems to monitor the performance of staff activities. Develops policies and procedures relative to their assigned area. Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following KSAs:

1. Ability to effectively supervise subordinate staff.
2. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions.
3. Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards pertaining to pharmacy.
4. Skill in managing people or programs.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience leading a pharmacy procurement, pharmacy logistics, or pharmacy supply program at a large hospital or national pharmaceutical procurement office.
• Expertise in MS Excel and assessing large data. Preferred experience in SQL and Pyramid analytics tools.
• Demonstrated experience in developing pharmaceutical budgets, pharmaceutical inventory management, including optimization of inventory levels, drug shortage mitigation, regulatory compliance, and use of the federal Prime Vendor system in a high-complexity healthcare environment.
• Experience serving as a fund control point official or government purchase card approving official, with a strong understanding of VA, DEA, Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), contracting, documentation standards, and fiscal stewardship in a pharmacy operation.
• Hands-on involvement with large-scale medication procurement, storage, recall response, and DEA controlled substances management, including biannual DEA inventory completion, DEA Controlled Substance Ordering System (CSOS), and Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) compliance.
• Effective collaboration with pharmacy operations, logistics, and clinical teams to implement medication safety initiatives, cost-containment strategies, and best practices in a highly complex medical center.
• Experience implementing pharmacy automation and software systems to streamline pharmacy procurement (Pharmaceutical Prime Vendor software, Omnicell, Pyxis, ScriptPro Inventory Management system); optimal experience with integrating pharmacy procurement or pharmacy supply operations with the new Federal Electronic Healthcare Records (Oracle, Cerner, or MHS Genesis) in pharmacy ordering, replenishment, and inventory management.

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-13.

Physical Requirements: This work requires heaving lifting (45lbs and over), moderate lifting and carrying (15-44lbs), light lifting (under 15lbs), reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, both hands required, standing, repeated bending, near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, depth perception, ability to distinguish basic colors, ability to distinguish shades of colors, hearing (aid may be permitted), mental and emotional stability.

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.

NOTE: THE 2-PAGE RESUME REQUIREMENT DOES NOT APPLY TO THIS OCCUPATIONAL SERIES. FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE BELOW.

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

• License
• Full resume with no page limits
• 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
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Full resume with no page limits
• Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Commission Certification
• Other (3)
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• 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.

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

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