Pharmacy Technician (ProcurementInventory)

Major duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Procurement: Responsible for assisting in the oversight of all prescription and nonprescription medications and supply purchasing and inventory in the Pharmacy Service at the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System.
  • Utilizes the weekly McKesson prime Vendor financial and reconciliation report (B09) to track invoices credits and pricing corrections payment posting 1358 obligations and reconciliation discrepancies.
  • Trains new procurement staff in department procurement specific standard operating procedures and provides oversight to ensure competencies are met. Provides remediation to staff as assigned.
  • 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.
  • Proactively tracks the ordering payment and delivery of specialty medications that are dispensed by 3rd party pharmacies.
  • In cooperation with the Pharmacy Procurement Program Manager oversees ordering intervals and stock levels to address formulary updates generic substitutions contract adjustments drug conversions new indications backorders and seasonal changes.
  • Incumbent is 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 procurement technician staff 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.
  • Manages the interface between OneScan (LSPedia) and non-McKesson procured products for the purpose of maintaining proper documentation for the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) per the FDA requirements.
  • Provides guidance to procurement technicians in maintaining all records of pharmacy inventory for DSCSA accountability for auditing purposes.
  • Possesses advanced technical knowledge of VA and regulatory agency requirements for drug storage and special requirements for procurement storage distribution and handling of various hazardous and non-hazardous drug classes.
  • Provides guidance and oversight in the removal of expired medications from stock isolates and processes them for safe removal according to VHA Directives and standard operating procedures.
• Program Management: TPerforms a wide variety of administrative management and coordinating duties in support of pharmacy programs.
  • Effectively evaluates pharmacy activities to assist pharmacy managers in obtaining short- and long-range goals and objectives.
  • Assists pharmacy manager 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.
• Pharmacy Dispensing/Distribution Services: Involved in assuring appropriate safe and accurate medications are dispensed to veterans in an efficient manner. They will provide a range of medication management and administrative services.
  • Serving as backup to other pharmacy technicians in the inpatient or outpatient pharmacy setting including but not limited to such areas as aseptic admixture preparation including cytotoxic agents automatic and on-demand ward stock replenishment maintenance and operation of automated prepackaging and dispensing equipment assembly and documentation of controlled substance requests and properly packaging with documentation of single unit of use medications.
  • Assists as deemed necessary by pharmacy management in any patient care area to maintain the consistency of overall pharmacy services.
  • Assists in the quality management of Pharmacy Service by participating in process action teams and continually seeking ways to improve the service provided to patients and other customers.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:00am-3:30pm 7:30am-4:00pm or 8:00am-4:30pm
Telework: Ad-hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

• 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 ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• 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 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.

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

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).

Grade Determinations:

Pharmacy Technician (Procurement/Inventory) GS-09:

• Experience: One year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the lower grade level (GS-8)
  • GS-8 level experience includes:
    • 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 the Definitions Section.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
• Certification: For positions above the full performance level the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either:
  • PTCB as a CPhT. OR
  • NHA as a ExCPT.
• Knowledge Skills and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs and meet any additional KSAs for the assignment if indicated:
  • Expert knowledge serving as a key resource advising others in their particular specialty area or 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.

this qualification standard please visit full performance level of this vacancy is GS-9. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-9.

Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.