Pharmacy Technician (Procurement)

Summary The Pharmacy Technician – Procurement position is located at the Kernersville Health Care Center. The primary duties consist of pharmaceutical and supply order initiations, receiving shipments of goods, assuring compliance with storage requirements, inventory control through perpetual analysis, fund control, liaison with company representatives and managerial staff, and resource statistician for financial status reports and presentations. Responsibilities The duties of the Pharmacy Technician (Procurement) include, but are not limited to: Has operational responsibility for all ongoing inventories of drug products and pharmaceutical supplies and their procurement. Cost-effective turnover must be consistently identified and maintained. Possesses a thorough knowledge and understanding of procurement sources (i.e., prime vendor, government excess, posted stock, military depot, and local), VA manual and associate circular procedures, and hospital procurement policies. Displays a thorough understanding of policies and procedures, utilizes basic accounting and budgetary skills to assure pharmaceuticals and supplies are maintained in the most cost-effective manner. Possesses a thorough understanding of the multidisciplinary functions in the Logistics-Fiscal-Pharmacy cycle to identify and eliminate bottlenecks relating to the receipt of purchases and maintaining the pharmacy budget. Maintains accountability of daily purchases and coordinates receipt, controls budget ledger, assures consistent delivery schedules are employed and handled in a manner mutually beneficial to Logistics and Pharmacy Service, and appropriately disperses stock into designated storage areas. Familiar with military depot purchasing, catalog utilization, updated bulletin applicability, and prime vendor. Utilizes an excellent working knowledge of all US Pharmacopoeia, JCAHO, and VA manual storage requirements, determines well-defined storage locations and ensures storage conforms to VA and OSHA standards. Is a purchase card holder and complies with all the acquisition regulations, both Federal, VA and local to include 8A, small business, Jarvis Wagner O-Day Act, and mandatory sources. Makes individual purchases no exceeding $3,000 unless specifically authorized to do so by the Director of Contracting at the VISN level. Reconciles purchase card charges within the established time limits. The standard for reconciliations is 75 percent of charges have been reconciled within 104 calendar days after the charge (payment) information is delivered locally to IFCAP, 95 percent of the payments are matched within 18 days and 100 percent within 40 days. It is recommended that cardholder strive to have all charges reconciled within the first ten days. Resolves disputes of unknown or incorrect charges also within the established time limits. Cardholder must leave all charges reconciled prior to taking annual leave or traveling for more than seven calendar days. Maintains an elaborate system of retrieval. Files must be routinely purged to avoid accumulation of obsolete material. Services as the first line between company representatives and pharmacy managers. As a result, the managers rely heavily on the incumbents ability to effectively interpret, screen, and transmit accounting and availability data. Utilizes the prime vendor to order FSS items. This involves direct contact with the prime vendor via computer modem and placement and receipt of drug order after an assessment of the various contracts available and selection of the most cost-effective item. Reviews drug orders on computer screen/printed copy, verifying amount to be ordered and transmitting the order to the prime vendor. If an item is unavailable, decides whether or not to order an equivalent generic substitute, different strength, bottle size, or to wait and reorder the next day. Using the prime vendor database, determines the cost differential to purchase from a different manufacturer, as well as the expected due-in date of the unavailable product at the prime vendor. VA Careers – Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/FnickNBEws Work Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized 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. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) – See “Additional Information” below for details. Qualifications Basic Requirements: Citizenship – You must be a citizen of the United States English Language Proficiency – You must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d) 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 (GS-07 and above): 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). 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). IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Grade Determinations: Pharmacy Technician (Procurement), GS-9 In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-09 you must possess at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-08). 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). National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT). Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical KSAs: 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. Assignments. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Pharmacy technicians at this grade level may be appointed to one of the following assignments. Preferred Experience: Candidate has knowledge of reverse distribution and the Drug Supply Chain Security Act requirements. 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: 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. Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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 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. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. 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 applicants 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.