Clarification from the agency

Open to current permanent Department of Veteran Affairs employees, current permanent Federal employees of other agencies First area of consideration is facility. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Primary duties of this highly complex position include oversite of orders for pharmaceutical and supply items through the Prime Vendor or other mandatory sources, assuring adherence to federal purchase contracts and compliance with federal regulations regarding open market purchases.

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

General

• Performs all duties of lower grade Pharmacy Technicians, particularly lower grade procurement technicians.
• Accurately interpret, fills and prepares prescriptions with appropriate medications and or medical supplies for pharmacist verification.
• Maintains work areas in a clean and orderly condition by assuring that all stock and equipment are in assigned places and all shelves and counters are free of dust and debris in order to create optional work areas.
• Assures drugs and supplies are appropriately stored and secured according to USP and VA guidelines, including the storage of high-risk, look a-like sound a-like, hazardous, controlled substances, corrosive chemical, flammable liquids, and refrigerated items.
• Receives, checks, rotates, and places in stock all items received and identifies and reconciles any discrepancies to assure correct items have been received.
• Utilizes automation dispensing equipment available to the pharmacy staff following all safety and QA procedures. Reports automation malfunctions timely the supervisor as appropriate.
• Records expiration dates in pharmacy automation systems, as needed.
• Perform monthly inspections to assigned areas to ensure proper storage of medications and soon to expired drugs are removed, if assigned.
• Uses standard protocols to determine an accurate expiration date for each batch prepared.
• Proficiently operates equipment including but not limited to balances and mixing machines in the routing of manufacturing pharmaceutical products.
• Answers questions from pharmacy/non-pharmacy personnel regarding drug distribution. Identifies basic therapeutic problems, such as duplicate therapy, and alerts the pharmacist to the possible need for intervention.
• Assists in training and orientation of new staff technicians, interns, and students. Assumes an active role in the overall pharmacy-training program consisting of students, interns, residents, and professional and non-professional staff members.
• Demonstrates the ability to work under a variety of circumstances to maximize group productivity and quality.
• Participate in performance improvement initiatives for pharmacy.
• Assists in quality improvement activities by participating in assessment and action teams that will improve service as assigned.

Procurement

• Has operational responsibility for ongoing inventories of drug products, pharmaceutical supplies, and their various methods of procurement. Cost-effective turnover must be consistently identified and maintained. They are considered a subject matter expert of procurement sources (i.e., prime vendor, open market, government excess, posted stock etc.) VA manual and hospital procurement policies and procedures. Displaying a thorough understanding of policies, procedures, basic accounting and budgetary skills, the incumbent assures that pharmaceuticals and supplies are procured and maintained in the most cost-effective manner.
• Maintains accountability and oversight of daily purchases.
• Monitors the use of National contracts (NAT), Federal supply schedules (FSS), Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) and open market etc. to ensure compliance with federal acquisition regulations, policies, and laws.
• Ensures seamless operation of the Drug Accountability Program with pharmacy stake holders. Maintains records and resolves issues relating to drug accountability.
• Comprehensive knowledge of all aspects of drug characteristics and nomenclature including generic and brand names, various systems of weights and measures, drug product codes, drug interchangeability and equivalence, characteristics of drug packaging, what drugs are used for and how they are used, agency/institutional pharmacy regulations and policies, drug storage requirements, and special requirements for procurement, storage, and handling of various classes of drugs.
• Assists pharmacists in determining high priority or emergency requirements and initiates procurement activity to local wholesale sources. Assists in development and/or execution of procedures to procure "special order" products available only through manufacturer-created specialty programs.

Work Schedule: 8:00-4:30pm,rotating holidays and weekends at the needs of the service
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 82384f
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

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. § 7403(f).

Education or Experience.

(1) None required.

(2) For all grade levels and positions that accept both education and experience to qualify, equivalent combinations of qualifying education and experience that total at least 100% are qualifying. The combined percentage is determined by adding total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level to the education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level.

Certification-Documentation Submitted. For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either:

(1) Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT).

OR

(2) National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT).

Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials.

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 Technician, GS-10: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, one year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the lower grade (GS-09) level.

In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs and meet any additional KSAs for the assignment, if indicated:

• Expert knowledge of budgetary and pharmacy procurement operating procedures such as, but not limited to, budget reconciliation, annual wall to wall inventory, sterile compounding and service contracts.
• Skill in managing supply problems such as back orders, interchangeability of products during shortages or finding suitable replacement products.
• Skill in monitoring the quality of input and output of automated/perpetual medication inventory management systems.
• Ability to write policies and procedures for pharmaceutical procurement, inventory management and contracting processes.
• Ability to develop contracting acquisition packages with all necessary required documents including, but not limited to, market research, independent Government cost estimate, statement of work/performance work statement, quotes, proof of funding, etc.

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

This is above the full performance level.

Physical Requirements: . See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service

How you will be evaluated

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

Area of Consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:

1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility.
2. All other VA employees.
3. All other Federal employees

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, required. - Your resume must include the following information for each job listed: Job title, Grade Level (for Federal positions), Duties (be as detailed as possible and ensure they demonstrate how you meet the specialized experience and/or Knowledge, Skills and Abilities required for the position Month & Year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008), Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week).
• If you Current and/or highest grade held SF-50 - Notification of Personnel Action (Not an award SF50), required.
• Copy of PTCB or ExCPT certification.

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
• License
• Resume/CV
• Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT).
• National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT).
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

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