Summary This position will provide procurement support to the Pharmacy at the Durham VAHCS. Performs daily inventories of all products and purchases the necessary items to assure on demand fills of medication and pharmacy supply orders. The incumbent will monitor purchases and changes in contracts, prices, and availability of medications and pharmacy supplies, and communicate with management, clinical staff, and other procurement staff to promote and coordinate best procurement practice. Responsibilities Major duties include but not limited to: Procurement Creates purchase orders through Prime Vendor, Government Purchase Card, and VISTA IFCAP requests. Maintains accurate records of purchases. Upon request, provides all supporting documentation for audits to Fiscal Service. Checks in daily medication and supply orders for accuracy, insuring quantity received corresponds to the quantity ordered. Maintains accurate records and initiates credit procedure if necessary and indicated. Identifies sources for purchase according to active contracts and specific ordering protocols and regulations. Conducts market research considering competitive pricing, quality, availability, and other issues to locate appropriate vendor to determine best value and relays findings to other procurement personnel. Control Point/Purchase Card Management Incumbent is a purchase card holder and complies with all the acquisition regulation, both Federal, and local to include 8A, small businesses, and mandatory sources. Incumbent makes individual purchases not exceeding $15,000 unless warranted at a higher level. Card holder strives to have all charges reconciled within the first 5 days of receipt. Resolves disputes of unknown or incorrect charges also within 60 days. Card holders must have all charges reconciled prior to taking annual leave or traveling for more than seven calendar days. Provides approving official with all pertinent purchase card documents for approval by the same and maintains documentation as required for 6 years and 3 months. Inputting purchase card orders into IFCAP Purchase Card Menu, prior to purchase or within one (1) workday of purchase. Ensures that cards are kept in a locked or secure place to prevent unauthorized use. Maintain purchases at an appropriate level to assure availability of funds throughout the fiscal year. Determines correct method of payment from various sources available within Fiscal Service guidelines and requirements for accountability. Manages allocated funds to minimize waste and promote most efficient use of resources. Work Schedule: M-F 8am-4:30pm or as required for pharmacy operations Telework: Ad-hoc at the Supervisor's discretion Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 0000 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. 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 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 2 year 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) Certification: For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either: (a) PTCB as a CPhT. OR (b) NHA as a ExCPT. Pharmacy Technician (Procurement/Inventory). GS-08 Experience: Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level of GS-7 and some examples of the specialized experience includes, but is 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; use independent judgement to perform the full range of duties in the pharmacy; also 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: For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either: (a) PTCB as a CPhT. OR (b) NHA as a ExCPT. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (A) Basic knowledge of pharmacy procurement, distribution and storage requirements to maintain a safe working environment. This includes not limited to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and DEA requirements and regulations. (B) Ability to assist in determining and modifying as necessary: ordering intervals, inventory levels and cost-effective ordering quantities from required sources based on current financial conditions in pharmacy, seasonal variations in drug usage, changing patterns in medical practice, delivery time requirements and urgency of medical need. 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). Preferred Experience: Current or previous experience as a Procurement/Inventory Specialist 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-8. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service. 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/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
