Lead Pharmacy Technician

Veterans Health Administration • Lubbock, TX

12d • Onsite

About The Position

The Lead Pharmacy Technician for Outpatient Pharmacy is an advanced technical expert who coordinates, oversees, and supports complex outpatient pharmacy operations and sterile compounding. The position applies expert knowledge of DEA regulations, VA and VHA policies, USP <797> and <800>, automated dispensing technologies, outpatient workflows, and controlled-substance accountability. It serves as a subject matter resource for technicians, provides designated backup for controlled-substance operations, and helps ensure compliance, accuracy, and diversion prevention.

The lead provides day-to-day operational direction, monitors workload, assigns tasks, adjusts technician rotations, and ensures equipment, automation, and inventory systems are functional. The role supports prescription triage and internal communications, trains and mentors staff, identifies development needs, contributes to quality improvement, and promotes effective communication across outpatient pharmacy teams. It provides operational coverage when needed, including dispensing, prescription preparation, call-center log coverage, inventory management, ADC stocking, and daily production.

The role performs quality assurance activities, including inspections, inventories, medication-room audits, automation QA, and workflow checkpoints. It serves as Lubbock Pharmacy’s designated timekeeper and VATAS/GovTA subject matter expert, maintaining accurate employee payroll records. It also completes monthly sterile-compounding surface samples and related documentation, and ensures environmental-monitoring documentation is completed daily and maintained for audit readiness.

The position serves as work leader for the assigned area, coordinates training and workflow, analyzes operational data, resolves routine concerns, supports audits and accreditation preparation, and performs the duties of outpatient pharmacy technicians as needed. It oversees controlled-substance accountability and distribution, including inventory, reconciliation, secure storage, documentation, reporting, inspections, returns, destruction, and compliance with applicable VA, VHA, DEA, federal, state, and facility requirements.

Work schedule: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Telework is not available; this is not a virtual position. The position is permanent, in the Excepted Service, and the actual grade is GS-08. Recruitment/relocation incentives and permanent change-of-station assistance are not authorized.

Requirements

• At least one year of experience equivalent to the GS-07 level.
• The qualifying experience must have been earned while holding an active CPhT or ExCPT certification.
• An active national pharmacy technician certification is required above the full-performance level: PTCB Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) or NHA Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT).
• Demonstrated comprehensive knowledge of concepts, principles, methodology, and policies in a specialized pharmacy area, such as sterile compounding, controlled substances, automation, clinical pharmacy, or contact center operations.
• Skill in training and orienting new and existing pharmacy employees and students on policies and procedures.
• Ability to evaluate, analyze, and coordinate workflow and work activities within a specialized pharmacy area.
• Must be proficient in spoken and written English.
• Must be a U.S. citizen, subject to the stated exception under VA policy for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Must meet applicable background/security investigation, onboarding, identification, and seasonal influenza vaccination requirements; selected applicants may be subject to preappointment urinalysis.
• Must complete a 1- or 2-year trial period as a condition of employment.

Nice To Haves

• VA experience.
• Experience with pharmacy automation, including ScriptPro and Pyxis.
• Experience working in an outpatient pharmacy environment.
• Leadership or management experience.
• Controlled-substance management experience.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate, oversee, and support outpatient pharmacy operations and sterile compounding as a technical expert and subject matter resource.
• Provide day-to-day operational direction, monitor workload, assign tasks, adjust technician rotations, and redistribute staff to address backlogs and meet operational targets.
• Support prescription triage and internal telephone or chat communications, and direct inquiries to appropriate staff.
• Train, orient, mentor, and evaluate pharmacy employees and students in specialized tasks, outpatient workflows, controlled-substance procedures, automation, and regulatory compliance; identify developmental needs and develop training schedules.
• Facilitate communication across outpatient teams, conduct technician meetings, and disseminate departmental updates and policy changes.
• Provide operational coverage as needed, including medication dispensing, prescription preparation, call-center log coverage, inventory management, ADC stocking and restocking, and daily production.
• Perform quality assurance activities, including monthly inspections and inventories, medication-room audits, automation QA, workflow checkpoints, and accurate collection of QA samples.
• Serve as designated Lubbock Pharmacy timekeeper and VATAS/GovTA subject matter expert; maintain accurate employee payroll records in accordance with timekeeping rules.
• Complete monthly surface samples for the sterile compounding suite and required processing-lab documentation; ensure environmental-monitoring software documentation and automated tasks are completed and audit-ready.
• Monitor work for compliance with policies, procedures, departmental instructions, and controlled-substance requirements; seek supervisory assistance for major or complex issues.
• Gather, evaluate, and analyze operational data; prepare reports, identify trends, support audits, and complete management-assigned projects.
• Respond to and resolve routine outpatient pharmacy concerns and escalate more complex or formal issues to the Associate Chief of Pharmacy or Chief of Pharmacy.
• Operate, maintain, refill, and troubleshoot specialized or automated pharmacy equipment; support safe, accurate, and uninterrupted operations.
• Support quality improvement initiatives, policy development, accreditation preparation, and process improvements to reduce duplication and waste and enhance patient safety.
• Handle hazardous medications in compliance with USP <800> and facility procedures, and follow applicable USPS and DOT HAZMAT shipping requirements.
• Perform all outpatient pharmacy technician duties and duties of lower-graded technicians when needed to maintain operations.
• Prepare, fill, dispense, and manage controlled-substance orders according to VA, VHA, DEA, and facility policies; coordinate timely and secure outpatient processing and delivery.
• Conduct required controlled-substance inventories and daily reconciliations of substances received, stored, dispensed, wasted, transferred, or destroyed.
• Coordinate monthly controlled-substance inspections, assist compliance inspectors, and prepare audit documentation; execute the annual inventory for Master and Outpatient Vaults.
• Maintain accurate electronic controlled-substance inventory, perpetual records, and on-hand balances across storage areas; manage receiving, transfers, vault dispensing, returns, destruction, and inventory rotation.
• Maintain adequate but minimal scheduled-medication stock, assess inventory, barcode and prepack items, communicate procurement needs, and remove outdated stock.
• Analyze controlled-substance usage reports, investigate discrepancies, report abnormalities, and identify vulnerabilities or deviations in the accountability and distribution program.
• Ensure controlled substances are securely stored, locked, segregated, sealed, and maintained within working stock limits.
• Manage VA Form 10-2638 processes during Pyxis/VistA outages, including collecting and reconciling forms, reviewing discrepancies, auditing records, conducting spot checks, and notifying leadership of deviations.
• Provide controlled-substance education to pharmacists, physicians, inspectors, technicians, and students, and communicate policy updates to facility personnel.
• Ensure compliance with VISN, OIG, TJC, VACO, DEA, federal and state law, VA directives, and facility requirements.

Benefits

• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, including 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment, in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster-care placement of a child.
• Eligible full-time employees may qualify for a childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to family-income, child-eligibility, and monthly-maximum limits.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and federal 401(k), with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed