Pharmacy Technician (Procurement/Inventory)

Pharmacy Technician (Procurement/Inventory)

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Charleston, South Carolina

Salary Range: $76741 - $99762 Per Year

Job Summary: The Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System is actively hiring for one Pharmacy Technician (Procurement/Inventory) position. This position will serve as lead and is responsible for assisting in the oversight for all prescription and nonprescription medications and supply purchasing and inventory in a highly complex area of Pharmacy Service. Primary duties consist of pharmaceutical and supply order initiation, proper receipt of shipments, compliance with product and storage requirements.

Major Duties:

• Total Awards Brochure https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025-Total-Rewards-Allied-Health-Professions-VA-Career.pdf The incumbent has independent purchase responsibilities. Providing guidance and oversight to lower-level procurement staff and assisting the pharmacy management team in providing optimal pharmaceutical care and timely customer service in accordance with the mission, vision and goals of the Pharmacy and the Medical Center. The duties and responsibilities of the lead procurement/Inventory pharmacy technician include but are not limited to the following: Effectively evaluates pharmacy activities to assist pharmacy managers in obtaining short- and long-range goals and objectives. Assists Pharmacy Procurement Supervisor in identifying areas of effort duplication and developing solutions to streamline processes, reduce waste, save costs, and improve patient care. Reports potential and/or actual medication errors. Encourages pharmacy technicians to report actual and/or potential medication errors or adverse events. Assists in quality improvement by participating in service process assessments and action teams and by continually seeking to improve the service. Knowledgeable in and ensures other procurement staff follow all department, pharmacy service, station level, VISN, National and VHA, DEA, policies, and procedures. Demonstrates efforts to improve patient satisfaction, lower cost, and improve quality and timeliness. Works constructively as a team member, assisting co-workers in tasks that support staff, visitors, and other customers in achieving service toward facility and network goals. Maintains continuous oversight on the security of pharmacy inventory and storage areas and reports to management any inconsistencies or concerns. Attends all procurement and pharmacy meetings as required. Serves as lead ordering officer for pharmacy service, delegated by the VA National Acquisition Center while maintaining annual training requirements. Trains new procurement staff on departments standard operating procedures and provides oversight to ensure competencies are met. Re-trains staff as dictated. Initiates ordering requirements and provides guidance to ordering officers for pharmaceuticals, specialty, and supply items through pharmacy prime vendors multi complex accounts or other sources using various methods of payment. Responsible for adherence to federal contracts and compliance with federal regulations regarding open market, ensuring inventory control through perpetual evaluation. Provides oversight in determining ordering intervals and stock levels appropriate to meet changes in formulary, brand to AB rated generic drugs, contract changes, conversions, new drug indications including backorders and seasonal changes. Collaborates with finance to ensure a balanced budget is maintained, utilizing appropriate 1358, 2237 and B09 documentation. Participates in the reconciliation of the financial reports, the weekly pharmacy prime vendor line-item report (B09) to source documents, uploads and enters daily activity entry into the monthly obligation as assigned by fiscal. Ensures timely and accurate completion of the monthly financial report (B09) reconciliation package with a memorandum and supporting documentation. Provides reconciliation results to the Pharmacy Procurement Supervisor. 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. Incumbent may be required to obtain the necessary certification to order narcotic medications through pharmacy prime vendor. Purchases using National contracts (NAT), Federal supply schedules (FSS), Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) and open market etc. to ensure compliance with federal acquisition regulations, and policy, understands and provides guidance to ordering officers on contracting hierarchy of all purchases. Process receipt of inventory for the purpose of drug accountability or other inventory management system. Utilizes government issued credit cards for micro purchase limits with understanding of when to use; while maintaining required proper documentation, and reconciliation of receipt of all orders in a timely manner for auditing and accountability purposes, training, etc. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 55014F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VHAEDRPProgramSupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized

Qualifications: BASIC REQUIREMENTS Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a). 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. 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 Health career 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). 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: (1) 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. (2) 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. (3) 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. (4) 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. (5) 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: Pharmacy Technician (Procurement/Inventory), GS-09. Experience. One year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the lower 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: (a) PTCB as a CPhT. OR (b) NHA as a ExCPT. Pharmacy Technician (Procurement/Inventory). 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 to pharmacy legal and professional requirements. Additional Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). (A) 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). (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. (C) 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/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-9. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service

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 11/21/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12831739. 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: 2025-11-21