Clarification from the agency

Applicants will be considered based on the following areas of consideration: 1) Facility Employees - Current permanent JDD Medical Center employees; 2) Other VA Employees - current permanent VA employees located at other VA medical centers; 3) U.S. Citizens. *See "How You Will Be Evaluated" for additional information.

VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws
Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

This position is performed above the full performance level. Pharmacy technician is assigned to the automation specialized area as the subject matter expert. The incumbent must have expert understanding of the complexity of the Automation program. The incumbent has work leadership responsibility for the daily maintenance and oversight of all inpatient and outpatient pharmacy automated dispensing equipment in the pharmacy and the automated pharmaceutical dispensing equipment at the local facility level. The incumbent will consistently demonstrate independent technical judgement and comprehensive and thorough working knowledge of associated VA policies and procedures. The incumbent works under the supervision of the Pharmacy Supervisor and Chief, Pharmacy Service. This position performs any duties or special projects deemed necessary by the Chief of Pharmacy, for proper operation of the Pharmacy Service.

Automation:
(1) Coordinates the technical aspects of pharmacy drug distribution activities to ensure standard operating procedures are in alignment with automation capabilities so that efficiencies are maximized. Incumbent is instrumental in recommending changes for the improvement of the workflow, work methods, and priorities involved within the drug distribution system
(2) Evaluates and analyzes workflow and coordinates all work activities involved with Pharmacy automation. This will involve trouble shooting, regularly gathering data, analyzing, and interpreting VA data and formulating action plans.
(3) Ensures that automated dispensing data is archived within established guidelines for each type of equipment.
(4) Ability to participate in process actions teams to improve automation quality and safety, continually seeking ways to improve the service provided to patients and other customers.
(5) Resolves problems and complaints regarding all pharmacy and automated dispensing automation, troubleshoots problems with all automated dispensing equipment when production is compromised and alerts appropriate personnel.
(6) Has oversight responsibility of the user files of all automated dispensing systems.
(7) Has oversight responsibility for the addition of new items and deletion of obsolete items from all automated dispensing systems.
(8) Ensures that equipment is cleaned and maintained to minimize downtime.
(9) Trains and orients pharmacy staff, and other medical center staff involved in operating the automation.
(10) Provides data for workload reports and process improvement projects to appropriate supervisors.
(11) Thoroughly understands VA Pharmacy procurement and formulary and uses this knowledge to appropriately manage Pharmacy automation equipment.
(12) Thoroughly understands investigational drug policies and procedures, if applicable, as they relate to Pharmacy automation equipment
(13) Thoroughly understands controlled substance policies and procedures, including controlled substance inspection process, discrepancies and resolution.
(14) Attends regulatory meetings regarding all Automation and provides learned knowledge to the pharmacy staff.

Other duties as assigned.

Preferred Experience: Experience with Omnicell and Omnicell Analytics Experience with Oracle/Cerner Experience with Scriptpro and procurement Experience with reporting and automation,

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm subject to change based on needs of the service.
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 93501
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.
• 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

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

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: Pharmacy Technician candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized 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).

• Grandfathering Provision. Pharmacy technicians employed in VHA on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:
  • Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level or changed to lower grade within the occupation but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
  • Employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification/ registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/ certification/registration requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels.
  • Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
  • Employees who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation.
  • Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.

Grade Determinations:

• GS-08 Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level equivalent to the next lower grade level. Experience includes but not limited to: work autonomously using independent judgement to perform a full range of duties; mentor and train lower graded pharmacy technicians in the practice setting; assist advanced/specialized pharmacy technicians and participate in performance improvement initiatives; function as staff pharmacy technicians in various locations of the pharmacy, including pharmacy contact centers and other non-traditional pharmacy locations, with minimal oversight.
• Certification: Hold an active national certification through either:
  • Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) as a Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT); OR,
  • National Healthcareer Association (NHA) as a Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT)
• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience described above, must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  • Comprehensive knowledge of concepts, principles, methodology, and policies in a specialized area or section of pharmacy (such as sterile compounding, controlled substances, automation, clinical pharmacy, contact center, etc.)
  • Skill in training and orienting new and existing pharmacy facility employees and students on proper policies and procedures.
  • Ability to evaluate, analyze and coordinate workflow and work activities within a specialized area or section of the pharmacy.

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-08.

Physical Requirements: Light to heavy lifting (under 15 pounds to 45 pounds and over), as needed light to heavy carrying (under 15 pounds to 45 pounds and over), straight pulling (1 hour), pushing (2 hours), reaching over shoulder, use of fingers, both hands required, walking (5 hours), standing (7 hours),sitting (2 hours), repeated bending (2 hours), both legs required, 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, ability to distinguish basic colors, ability to distinguish shades of colors, working alone, protracted or irregular hours of work.

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.

Your resume must include the following information for each job listed:
Company & Job Title
Month & Year of Start/End dates (i.e. June 2007 to April 2008
)Indicate Full-time or Part-time (include hours worked per week) status
Duties (be as detailed as possible) for each job entry
References, to include contact information

Creditable Experience. To be creditable, a candidate must possess the required knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) associated with the scope of pharmacy technician practice. The candidate's experience must be evidenced by active professional practice. (Active professional practice means paid/nonpaid employment as a professional pharmacy technician.)

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.

Applicants will be considered based on the following areas of consideration.

• First Area of Consideration (Facility Employees) - Current, permanent John D. Dingell Medical Center employees (this includes Outpatient Clinics, permanent employees of the Veteran Canteen Service assigned to this facility, Office of Information & Technology employees assigned to this facility, CPAC bargaining unit employees located at the Detroit VAMC, and Virtual bargaining unit employees assigned to the facility).
• Second Area of Consideration (Other VA Employees) - Current, permanent Department of Veterans Affairs Employees (VA employees who are located at other VA medical centers).
• Third Area of Consideration (U.S. Citizens) - all U.S. Citizens.

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

• Professional Certification
  • Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) as a Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT); OR,
  • National Healthcareer Association (NHA) as a Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT)

Certification (must include the following information):

• Name on Certification
• Issuing body
• Complete certification number
• Expiration date

Resume (must include the following information):

• Job Title
• Duties (be as detailed as possible)
• Month and year start/end dates (e.g. June 2024 to April 2025)
• Full-time or part-time (include hours worked per week)
• References, to include contact info

NOTE: Do not include a photograph or video of yourself, or any sensitive information (age, date of birth, marital status, protected health information, religious affiliation, social security number, etc.) on your resume or cover letter. Including any of this information may result in an ineligibility rating.

If you are a current VA employee, an SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action is required for Eligibility:

• Most recent SF-50 if you are a current VA Federal employee
  • GS Employees - most recent SF-50, dated 1/12/2025 or after
  • WG Employees - most recent SF-50, dated 3/23/2025 or after

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

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.

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.

• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Full Resume/CV may be uploaded here
• Other (2)
• Other (3)
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' Preference: Veteran's preference does not apply to the 0661 occupational series per OCHCO Bulletin for the annual determination of staffing shortages as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7412 dated October 2025.

Next steps