Pharmacist - Facility Program Manager - Formulary - ADPAC

Veterans Health Administration • Salt Lake City, UT

5h • Onsite

About The Position

The Pharmacist serves as the Facility Program Manager for Formulary and ADPAC functions. The role oversees local implementation of the VA National Formulary and compliance with VHA directives, medical center policy, and other regulatory requirements to support timely, uniform, safe, and cost-effective medication access. It coordinates formulary management, drug protocols, decision-analysis tools, and outcome instruments, and designs and completes drug utilization and medication use evaluations.

The position partners with the ADPAC to maintain the local EHR drug file and build, test, and maintain clinical order sets. It ensures that drug files and order sets align with VA national PBM updates, VISN and local P&T decisions, formulary status, approved criteria for use, and evidence-based prescribing pathways. The pharmacist reviews patient-specific prior authorization and non-formulary requests, provides clinical consultation and education, troubleshoots discrepancies, supports specialty-drug regulatory and documentation requirements, and communicates drug and formulary updates to stakeholders.

The role also supports drug-shortage response, pharmacoeconomic initiatives, procurement coordination, cost and waste reduction, and quality monitoring through routine reports. It precepts formulary-related rotations and mentors pharmacy students and residents, while maintaining current clinical knowledge and promoting ongoing learning and professional development among pharmacy staff and trainees.

The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Ad hoc telework may be available depending on service needs; this is not a virtual position. Recruitment or relocation incentives are authorized. The position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program, subject to program eligibility and approval; former EDRP participants are ineligible. Permanent Change of Station is not authorized.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, except that non-citizens may be appointed when qualified citizens cannot be recruited in accordance with VA policy.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Graduation from an ACPE-accredited College or School of Pharmacy with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and/or Doctor of Pharmacy degree, or qualifying foreign pharmacy education with FPGEC certification, including FPGEE and TOEFL iBT.
• Full, current, and unrestricted pharmacist license in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia; required registration must be maintained where applicable.
• For GS-12 qualification, either one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade or completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program, in addition to basic requirements.
• For GS-13 qualification, one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade in addition to GS-12 requirements.
• Knowledge of professional pharmacy practice; ability to communicate orally and in writing with patients and health care staff; knowledge of relevant drug distribution, control, and security laws and standards; and skill in monitoring drug-therapy outcomes, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and diagnostic parameters.
• For the Facility Program Manager level: ability to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions; expert understanding of applicable regulatory and quality standards; ability to solve problems and coordinate and organize responsibilities; expert knowledge of a specialized clinical or pharmacy area; and advanced skill in monitoring and assessing drug-therapy outcomes.
• Ability to perform the position's activities without restriction, including lifting 25 pounds or less, visually confirming drug-order correctness, and standing or sitting for periods of 30 minutes or greater.
• Must pass a pre-employment physical examination and meet applicable background, security, onboarding, identification, and seasonal influenza vaccination requirements.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period if appointed.

Nice To Haves

• Formulary experience.
• Informatics/ADPAC experience.

Responsibilities

• Oversee local implementation of the VA National Formulary and compliance with VHA directives, facility policy, and other regulatory requirements.
• Coordinate formulary management, drug protocols, decision-analysis tools, and outcome instruments; design and complete drug utilization and medication use evaluations.
• Develop routine reports on PADR and non-formulary request activity to monitor review quality, workload equity, and compliance with national metrics.
• Support the CITC Program Manager and VISN staff with community PADR requests as needed.
• Collaborate with Pharmacoeconomics and Procurement on drug shortages, pharmacoeconomic initiatives, and emerging safety concerns; serve as a facility liaison on substitution during shortages.
• Identify opportunities to reduce costs, eliminate waste, and optimize resource use.
• Partner with the ADPAC to maintain and update the local EHR drug file and synchronize it with VA national PBM updates and VISN/local P&T decisions.
• Collaborate with the ADPAC to build, test, and maintain clinical order sets; coordinate system changes and validate their downstream effects on order sets and PADR workflows.
• Review PADRs and non-formulary drug requests by evaluating patient-specific clinical information against evidence-based criteria, monographs, guidelines, and P&T-approved restrictions.
• Assist with resolution of higher-level prior authorization and non-formulary requests.
• Provide evidence-based clinical consultation and education to prescribers and pharmacy staff on drug monographs, therapeutic alternatives, dosing, and criteria for use.
• Troubleshoot drug-file or order-set discrepancies identified through clinical review, adverse events, or staff feedback, and coordinate corrective action.
• Support compliance with specialty-drug regulations, clinical documentation accuracy, and prescription reconciliation in the EHR.
• Communicate drug and formulary updates, safety alerts, and therapeutic-interchange guidance to relevant stakeholders.
• Maintain current clinical knowledge of drug therapies, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, and emerging evidence to inform reviews, order-set design, and formulary recommendations.
• Precept formulary-related rotations and mentor pharmacy students and residents on medication use evaluations and projects.
• Provide ongoing clinical and operational learning for pharmacy trainees, residents, and employees, and promote lifelong learning and professional development.
• Review current literature and integrate knowledge of new drugs, therapies, and practice innovations into practice, training, and quality improvement.

Benefits

• Eligibility for the Education Debt Reduction Program, with a potential award of up to $200,000, subject to eligibility, application, and program approval.
• Recruitment or relocation incentives are authorized.
• Federal employee benefits package; specific benefit eligibility depends on position type and applicable rules.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree