Pharmacy Technician (Procurement/Inventory)
What you'd do
Highly specialized GS-8 Pharmacy Technician (Procurement/Inventory) responsible for managing procurement and inventory of all medications and supplies. Performs advanced technical duties independently while ensuring full compliance with VHA, DEA, FDA, and federal requirements. Manages purchasing, storage, reconciliation processes, and supports pharmacy operations to maintain optimal pharmaceutical care.
Major duties
VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Major duties include, but are not limited to: Serves as the ordering officer for Pharmacy Service, delegated by the VA National Acquisition Center; maintains required annual training. Initiates orders for pharmaceuticals, specialty items, DME, and supplies through prime vendor multi-account systems and mandatory sources. Ensures adherence to federal contracts, VA policy, and regulations governing open-market purchasing and inventory control. Determines appropriate ordering intervals and stock levels based on formulary changes, generic conversions, biosimilars, contract updates, backorders, seasonal needs, and new drug indications. Uses VA-approved inventory systems, such as ScriptPro Inventory Manager, to support perpetual inventory accuracy. Works directly with patients, vendors, and interdisciplinary VA staff to address procurement needs and product inquiries. Utilizes VistA and CPRS to support pharmacy operations and patient care activities. Downloads invoices daily and maintains accurate drug accountability records. May obtain certification to order controlled substances through the pharmacy prime vendor. Makes micro-purchase transactions using government purchase cards; maintains required documentation and reconciles receipts for audit compliance. Reconciles all purchase card transactions promptly and accurately. Removes expired medications and processes them according to VHA directives and standard operating procedures. Conducts advanced planning and forecasting for pharmaceutical and supply expenditures. Maintains a clean work environment and updates shelf labels to reflect contract requirements. Trains and orients new employees, volunteers, and students in technical pharmacy operations. Applies technical knowledge of drug nomenclature and characteristics, including dosage forms, weights/measures, drug codes, AB-rating equivalence, generics, brand products, and biosimilars. Receives shipments, unpacks orders, shelves items, ensures proper storage, and verifies bar code readiness for dispensing and inventory systems. Supports drug recall processes by reviewing recall notices, identifying affected lots, securing product, and coordinating returns per recall specifications. Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Position is eligible for Situational (ad hoc) Telework with supervisory approval on an occasional, non-routine basis. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 51667F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
What you need to qualify
Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: Citizenship: You must be a citizen of the United States English Language Proficiency - You must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). 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: 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). Grandfathering Provision. A Pharmacy Technician employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (11/7/2023) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level or changed to lower grade within the occupation but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. Employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification/ registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/ certification/registration requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Employees who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. Grade Determinations: Pharmacy Technician (Procurement/Inventory), GS-08 In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-08 you must possess at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-07). 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: Comprehensive knowledge of concepts, principles, methodology and policies in a specialized area or section of pharmacy (such as sterile compounding, controlled substances, automation, clinical pharmacy, contact center, etc.). Skill in training and orienting new and existing pharmacy facility employees and students on proper policies and procedures. Ability to evaluate, analyze and coordinate workflow and work activities within a specialized area or section of the pharmacy. Basic knowledge of pharmacy procurement, distribution and storage requirements to maintain a safe working environment. This includes not limited to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and DEA requirements and regulations. Ability to assist in determining and modifying as necessary: ordering intervals, inventory levels and cost-effective ordering quantities from required sources based on current financial conditions in pharmacy, seasonal variations in drug usage, changing patterns in medical practice, delivery time requirements and urgency of medical need. Preferred Experience: Prior VA pharmacy procurement experience. Extensive knowledge of Federal procurement regulations. 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-08. 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 45 pounds) of pharmaceutical supplies, straight pulling (up to 1 hour), pushing (up to 1 hour), reaching above shoulders, use of fingers/hands, and bending/stooping/stretching.
Before you apply
Federal applications are different: your resume should be 3–5 pages and mirror the language of this announcement. Read our federal resume guide first — it's the #1 reason qualified people get screened out.
Don't miss the next one.
Get an email the moment a similar federal job opens — postings can close in as little as 5 days.