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. This announcement is open to all current, permanent employees of Veterans Affairs Arizona Health Care System

• Functions as the lead ordering officer for pharmacy service including assessing and organizing requirements, training, supporting, and providing guidance to lower-level procurement technicians, and organizing work as needed.
• Maintains operational responsibility, certifications, and knowledge of principles, policies and state and federal laws for procurement and perpetual inventories of drug products, pharmaceutical supplies, supply items and specialty medications through pharmacy prime vendor accounts or other mandatory sources.
• Provides guidance on all types of pharmaceuticals including controlled and non-controlled drugs within established VA ordering guidelines, policies, and procedures within inventory management specialized area with the understanding of proper budget utilization.
• Provides oversight in determining appropriate ordering intervals, inventory levels, ordering quantities, sources of supply, based on current financial conditions, seasonal variations in drug usage, backorders, contract changes, conversions, changing patterns of medical practice, brand to AB-rated generic drugs, and urgency of medical need.
• Coordinates with providers and patients on specialty medications and/or supply items to ensure timely delivery to patients and certify receipt for reconciliation of payment to specialty pharmacy.
• Executes orders to ensure shipping and receipt of products are completed timely according to established practices.
• Maintains accountability of daily purchases and coordinates receipt of invoices as part of drug accountability and inventory management
• Assists ordering officers or resolve difficult issues and recurring problems working with vendors and suppliers.
• Utilizes proper inventory management to ensure sufficient stock of medications and supplies are available to meet the needs of the pharmacy and patient care.
• Ensures proper documentation and record keeping of loaned and borrowed medication.
• Provides oversight of the removal of expired, unusable, and/or excess inventory for return credit using the established reverse distributor, prime vendor, or vendor direct.
• Coordinates and conducts annual pharmacy wall-to-wall inventory in collaboration with Pharmacy Technician Supervisors following established policies and procedures.
• Evaluates medication and supply usage data trends and knowledge of medications to provide PS management analysis and recommendations for adding or substituting various medications and supplies.
• Uses automated systems and electronic inventory management software to manage and assist in ordering-controlled substances.
• Maintains the integrity of all automation databases and systems to ensure accurate inventory information about medications, pharmaceutical supplies, and user access levels to meet all necessary statutes and regulations.
• Identifies, validates and reports irregular patterns of medication usage to the Inventory Program Manager.
• Participates in the drug recall and removal process by informing appropriate personnel, checking for applicable lots and removal from working stock, sequestering recalled product as required, and returning drugs for replacement and/or credit according to specifications of each recall announcement. Closes out recalls online as required and maintains all records of recall actions for follow up including inspecting and removing stock as well as communicating to management the pertinent details to ensure appropriate response is uploaded to National Center for Patient Safety timely.
• Maintains training requirements, professional certification, and meets annual competencies required for this position.
• Ensures all procurement needs are met at all times.
• Analyze and reassess priorities to ensure workload demands are accomplished in the most effective, efficient, and economic matter.
• Trains new procurement and pharmacy staff on department standard operating procedures and provides oversight to ensure competencies are met.
• Provides training and mentorship to new and existing staff and trainees.
• Provides authoritative interpretation of procurement issues to pharmacists, providers, technicians, and pharmacy leadership.
• Participate in quality assurance, process improvement activities, and performance monitors.
• Assists the Contracting Officer Representatives to put together procurement packages, sole source justifications as well as other documents required by regulations.
• Performs various procurement support duties independently, including correlating transactions, dealing with continually changing deadlines and priorities, completing assigned functions that are broad and varied, pre-screening requests for accuracy adequacy, and monitoring of the associated purchase order.

Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:00AM - 4:30 PM
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
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.

• None required.
• 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.

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.

Certification (GS-07 and above). For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either:

• Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT).
• National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT).

Grade Determinations: Pharmacy Technician (Procurement/Inventory), GS-9

Experience: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-9 you must possess at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-8). Pharmacy technicians (procurement/inventory) at this level require independent technical judgement and expertise. They serve as the lead ordering officer for pharmacy service, providing guidance to lower-level procurement ordering officers. These individuals have extensive knowledge of VA policy concerning drug procurement, security and compliance with ordering officer requirements and regulatory areas (including, but not limited to , Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) per FDA regulations, recalls, return goods, open market, drug accountability, etc.). Pharmacy technicians maintain all records of pharmacy inventory for drug accountability, DSCSA per VHA policy and all other Federal regulations. Pharmacy technicians (procurement/inventory) perform a wide range of duties providing oversight on all pharmacy inventory to ensure standard operating procedures are followed and appropriate ordering and stock levels are maintained so patient care is not impaired. They stay within budgetary requirements, comply with contracts while maintaining inventory to meet or exceed the national average performance. They are accountable for pharmacy inventory management in areas such as regulatory and VHA formulary requirements, quality standards and official VA policies/procedures within the inventory management specialized area, conforming pharmacy legal and professional requirements.

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

• Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT).
• National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT).

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience and certification above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs for all GS-9 assignments and meet any additional KSAs for the assignment:

• Expert knowledge serving as a key resource advising others in their particular specialty area of section of the pharmacy (such as procurement, sterile compounding (USP compounding standards), controlled substances DEA, automation, clinical pharmacy, lead tech, contact center, etc.)
• Skill in analyzing data for self-driven (independent) performance improvement projects, workload analysis and statistical reports.
• Skill in solving problems and implementing corrective actions to maximize outcomes in their program area.
• Ability to maintain special accreditations and prepare for national reviews/inspections (e.g., The Joint Commission, Inspector General, American Society of Health System Pharmacists, controlled substance inspections).
• Ability to develop training programs and material for orientation, competency development and educational needs for regulatory requirements within the specialized pharmacy program area.
• Knowledge of pharmaceutical and supply inventory requirements to ensure compliance with regulations and national/audit/inspections (e.g., financial regulations, The Joint Commission, Inspector General, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, DEA, USP 797/800, FDA 503A/B
• Knowledge of clinical specifications, characteristics and ordering processes of a wide variety of soft prosthetics and supply items (e.g., catheters, colostomy, ileostomy and urostomy supply and associated products) that technicians procure to dispense to Veterans in the outpatient pharmacy setting.
• Skill in managing specialized programs related to inventory including, but not limited to, specialty medications and supplies, All Hazards Emergency Cache Program, recalls, reverse distribution and pharmaceutical waste

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


Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion, involving standing or sitting for prolonged periods of time, typing, walking distances within the medical center, lifting/ carrying (up to 40 pounds) of pharmaceutical supplies, and bending/stooping/stretching

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.

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

• License
• Resume | CV
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

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.

• License
• Resume | CV
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

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

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