Summary The Procurement and Inventory Pharmacy Technician is responsible for all prescription/non-prescription medications and supply purchasing/inventory in a highly complex area of Pharmacy Service at Phoenix VA Health Care System (PVAHCS). This responsibility mandates compliance with all Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Food and Drug Agency (FDA), and all federal rules and regulations regarding contract compliance, and purchase card procedures. Responsibilities The duties and responsibilities of the Pharmacy Technician Procurement/Inventory include but are not limited to the following: A. Pharmaceutical Purchasing and Distribution 1. Serves as ordering officer for Pharmacy Service, delegated by the VA National Acquisition Center (NAC) while maintaining annual training requirements. 2. Initiates ordering requirements of pharmaceuticals, specialty, and supply items through pharmacy prime vendors, multiple complex accounts, or other mandatory sources. Responsible for adherence to federal contracts and compliance with federal regulations regarding open market, ensuring inventory control through perpetual evaluation. 3. Assists in determining ordering intervals and stock levels appropriate to meet changes in formulary, brand to AB rated generic drugs, contract changes, conversions, and new drug indications including backorders and seasonal changes. 4. Procures 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. 5. 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, understanding the contracting hierarchy of all purchases. 6. Incumbent will download invoices daily as part of the drug accountability process or other inventory management system. 7. Incumbent may be required to obtain necessary certification to order narcotic medications through pharmacy prime vendor. 8. Purchases using government issued credit cards for micro purchase limits with understanding of when to use; maintains required proper documentation, and reconciliation of receipt of all orders for auditing and accountability purposes, training, etc. 9. Reconciles all credit card purchases in a timely manner. 10. Possesses 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. 11. Maintains knowledge of principles, policies, and state and federal laws and regulations related to controlled substances. 12. Utilizes proper inventory management to ensure sufficient stock of medications and supply are available to meet the needs of the pharmacy and patient care. 13. Removes expired medications from stock and processes them for safe removal, according to VHA Directives and standard operating procedures. 14. Maintains a clean working environment and updates shelf labels as contracts dictate. 15. Assists in training and orienting new personnel, volunteers, students, etc., in the technical phases of operations. 16. Possesses technical working knowledge and follows established policies and procedures of usage rates, stock levels, inventory maintenance concepts including just-in-time inventory and assist in annual pharmacy wall-to-wall inventory. 17. Possesses technical knowledge of all aspects of drug characteristics and nomenclature for procurement and stock maintenance including: (1) Generic and brand names (2) Dosage forms (3) Various systems of weights and measures (4) Drug product codes (5) Drug AB rating equivalence 18. Ensures adherence to facility and national policy and directives when interacting with representatives from various drug and supply companies. 19. Incumbent must maintain training requirements, national pharmacy technician certification, and meet annual competencies required for this position. 20. Incumbent helps the pharmacy with all other duties as assigned by supervisor. This may include any functions of lower-level technicians within the pharmacy department. Work Schedule: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm; Monday-Friday Telework: N/A Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required 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. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. 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: Citizen of the United States. Education or Experience: Applicants must have a high school diploma ore equivalent; or at least 3 months of experience. Certification: Applicants must be certified by the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Board. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements above, applicants must possess the following grade requirements. GS-8 Pharmacy Technician: Applicants must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level and must fully meet the KSAs at the next lower level. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical KSAs and the potential to acquire the assignment specific KSAs designated by an asterisk (*): *Ability to evaluate, analyze workflow, and coordinate work activities. Ability to independently gather, evaluate, and analyze data to generate reports and/or for other projects/statistical purposes. Knowledge of pharmacy policies and procedures sufficient to train and orient new employees and other staff. Comprehensive knowledge of the operation and care of specialized pharmaceutical equipment. Comprehensive knowledge of the procurement and formulary process. Comprehensive knowledge of investigational drug policies and procedures. Comprehensive knowledge of controlled substance policies and procedures, and the ability to identify and investigate discrepancies in these policies and procedures. Comprehensive knowledge of, and ability to, analyze data in VA information systems. Assignment: For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and range of variety, and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Pharmacy technicians at this grade level may be assigned as a supervisor; lead technician in a particular area of the pharmacy; a controlled substance technician; an investigational drug technician; a procurement/inventory management technician; a clinical pharmacy technician; or similar assignment with this level of complexity. The GS-8 level is for select, complex pharmacy technician positions, as established by the health care facility. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G28 - Pharmacy Technician Qualification Standards. 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 (45 pounds and greater) of pharmaceutical supplies, and pushing/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 Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. 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. 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.