Pharmacy Technician

Pharmacy Technician

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Detroit, Michigan

Salary Range: $63708 - $82827 Per Year

Job Summary: The Pharmacy Technician (Automation) position functions as the automation specialist in all the patient care areas of pharmacy service with primary focus in both the inpatient and outpatient pharmacy service. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Major Duties:

• 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

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 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 01/23/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12865288. 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: 2026-01-23