Lead Pharmacy Technician

Lead Pharmacy Technician

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Los Angeles, California

Salary Range: $80677 - $104876 Per Year

Job Summary: The lead pharmacy technician performs duties independently which consist of significant scope, complexity and leads at least three GS-07 or more technicians. This position may be in Inpatient, Outpatient, or other specialized areas of the pharmacy at the facility level. The pharmacy technician lead is responsible for the guidance, training, and technical direction of all pharmacy non-pharmacist technical staff and volunteers under the direction of the Pharmacy Supervisor.

Major Duties:

• Duties include but are not limited to: Assess workload volume throughout the day, identify backlogs, and makes staffing adjustments as needed to meet organizational goals. Identify areas of duplication of efforts and develop solutions to streamline processes, reduce waste, cost savings, and improve patient care. Responsible for organizing and assisting the pharmacy technician team to ensure assigned tasks are timely and accurately completed for their program area. Coordinate day-to-day maintenance and operation of pharmacy area equipment and automation. Listens to informal complaints of employees and other customers in a helpful and timely fashion. If not able to remedy a situation, the lead will notify the pharmacy supervisor. Assists in training and orientating new and existing pharmacy technicians and students on policy and procedures. Performs duties of all lower grade 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 optimal 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 from pharmacy procurement section and identifies and reconciles any discrepancies to assure correct items have been received. Has strong understanding and utilizes automation dispensing equipment (e.g., Omnicell) available to the pharmacy staff following all safety and QA procedures. Reports and triages automation malfunctions in a timely manner with the vendor and notifies the area manager as appropriate. Enters expiration dates in the automatic prescription dispensing system upon receipt when appropriate. Perform monthly inspections to assigned areas to ensure proper storage of medications and soon to expired drugs are removed. Completes inspection reports in compliance with regulatory requirements. Reconstitutes oral or external medications (non-sterile). This includes measuring the right amount of solution to be used for final pharmacist verification. Answers questions from pharmacy and non-pharmacy personnel regarding drug distribution. Identifies basic therapeutic problems, such as duplicate therapy with drugs in the same class and alerts the pharmacist to the possible need for clinical intervention. Accurately interpret, fills, and readies prescriptions with appropriate medications for pharmacist verification. Appropriately restocks controlled substances items in automated secured cabinets (i.e., Omnicell) in pharmacy or throughout medical center, as assigned. Documents all controlled substance related transactions as indicated by VA and DEA guidelines. Assures that inventory counts are correct at the time of restocking. Ensures that proper handoff occurs when receiving or delivering controlled substances, always assuring that these medications are never left unsecured. Reports unresolvable discrepancies to immediate area supervisor for resolution. Assist in investigating, witnessing, and resolving discrepancies. Correctly inventories, assesses, and determines the need for floor or clinic stock and external medication. Follows established policies and procedures, schedules, inventory levels, and usage rate reports to determine appropriate stock levels for specific areas of use. Accurately performs and adheres to aseptic technique procedures in compliance with USP <797> and <800>. Prepares complicated and uncomplicated parenteral admixtures in the form of large volume, small volume, infusion syringes, ophthalmic and other complex sterile compounded preparations. Work Schedule: Monday-Sunday; weekend & Holidays; variable shifts which may include days, evenings, or overnight shifts; tours may be adjusted to meet medical center and patient care needs. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000/Lead Pharmacy Technician.

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. 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). OR National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT). 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). Pharmacy technicians employed in VHA on 11/7/2023, 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-8 Experience: Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-07). AND Certification: Must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either: PTCB as a CPhT. OR NHA as a ExCPT. AND Applicant must meet the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed below: 1. 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.) Note: See Specialized Area.in the Definitions Section. 2. Skill in training and orienting new and existing pharmacy facility employees and students on proper policies and procedures. 3. 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/ Part II Appendix G28 Pharmacy Technician Qualification Standard GS-0661-8. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-08. 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 to Apply: All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 05/15/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12944390. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

Application Deadline: 2026-05-15