Pharmacy Technician (Procurement/Inventory)

Veterans Health Administration•Johnson City, TN

4d•Onsite

About The Position

This highly specialized position supports patient care throughout the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center and associated outpatient clinics by purchasing and managing pharmaceutical and medical supply inventories. The Pharmacy Technician Procurement/Inventory role requires thorough working knowledge of pharmacy purchasing and inventory practices, and compliance with applicable VHA, DEA, FDA, and federal rules governing receipt, storage, distribution, handling, contracts, purchase cards, reconciliation, controlled-substance purchasing, documentation, and inventory control. The incumbent serves as the pharmacy’s ordering officer, delegated by the VA National Acquisition Center (NAC), and maintains required annual training. The position procures pharmaceuticals, specialty items, and supplies through pharmacy prime vendors, mandatory sources, national contracts, federal supply schedules, blanket purchase agreements, and open-market purchases, following federal acquisition requirements and VA policy. The incumbent evaluates inventory and adjusts ordering intervals and stock levels in response to formulary and contract changes, generic conversions, new indications, backorders, seasonal patterns, and patient-care needs. The role also includes downloading invoices daily for drug accountability or other inventory-management processes, maintaining pharmacy fund-control records, verifying and reconciling budget information, monitoring cash flow, and adjusting purchasing and inventory activity to available resources while maintaining sufficient medication supplies. The incumbent independently resolves procurement and budget discrepancies among Fiscal, Logistics, and Pharmacy services, compiles information from inventory, procurement, financial, and other sources, and communicates findings and recommendations to management. Work schedule: Monday to Friday, 7:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Telework is not eligible; this is not a virtual position. Relocation, recruitment incentives, and permanent change of station are not authorized.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated VA policy exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
High school diploma or at least 3 months of experience.
Active national certification from the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), unless qualifying under the applicable grandfathering provision for current VHA employees.
For GS-08: at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-07.
Comprehensive knowledge of concepts, principles, methodology, and policies in a specialized pharmacy area.
Skill in training and orienting pharmacy facility employees and students on policies and procedures.
Ability to evaluate, analyze, and coordinate workflow and work activities in a specialized pharmacy area.
Basic knowledge of pharmacy procurement, distribution, and storage requirements, including applicable OSHA, FDA, USP, and DEA requirements and regulations.
Ability to assist in determining and modifying ordering intervals, inventory levels, and cost-effective order quantities based on financial conditions, seasonal drug usage, medical-practice changes, delivery times, and urgency of medical need.
Proficiency in written and spoken English.
Ability to meet applicable background and security investigation requirements and complete VA onboarding and pre-employment requirements.
Compliance with the VA seasonal influenza vaccination program.
Ability to perform regular physical exertion, including walking, bending, prolonged standing, stooping, lifting, and carrying packages weighing up to 40 pounds; dexterity to operate pharmacy equipment.
Applicants using foreign education to meet qualification requirements must provide a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with their transcript; qualifying education must be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Nice To Haves

Current VHA employees in this occupation may qualify under the applicable grandfathering provision if they meet its criteria.

Responsibilities

Serve as the pharmacy ordering officer under delegation from the VA National Acquisition Center and maintain annual training requirements.
Initiate orders for pharmaceuticals, specialty items, and supplies through pharmacy prime vendors, complex accounts, and other mandatory sources.
Ensure compliance with federal contracts and regulations for open-market purchases and maintain inventory control through ongoing evaluation.
Determine or assist in adjusting ordering intervals, stock levels, and cost-effective order quantities in response to formulary, contract, generic-drug, seasonal, delivery, and patient-care changes.
Procure controlled and non-controlled pharmaceuticals within VA ordering guidelines, policies, and procedures, while using pharmacy budgets appropriately.
Purchase through national contracts, Federal Supply Schedules, Blanket Purchase Agreements, open-market sources, and other applicable sources in accordance with federal acquisition regulations and purchasing hierarchy.
Download invoices daily for drug accountability or other inventory-management processes.
Maintain pharmacy fund-control records, verify information, and reconcile budget problems, questions, or discrepancies with the Pharmacy Service Budget Analyst.
Monitor cash flow and adjust inventory and procurement activity where possible to stay within allocated financial resources while maintaining medication inventories sufficient for patient care.
Independently resolve budget discrepancies among Fiscal, Logistics, and Pharmacy services arising during procurement, obligation, and delivery.
Compile information from inventories, procurement records, financial expenditures, and other sources, and communicate findings, control recommendations, and actions to management.
Train and orient new and existing pharmacy employees and students on applicable policies and procedures.
Evaluate, analyze, and coordinate workflow and work activities within the specialized pharmacy area.