Purchasing Agent

The primary purpose of this position is to provide direct medical supply Purchasing and Inventory Management support to the administrative and clinical services of the VA to initiate the obligation for all related requirements necessary to provide prosthetic and sensory aids services, to include durable medical equipment and supplies directly to Veterans.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/10/2025. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-04. For a GS-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. For the GS 5 Level: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Performs clerical or assistant duties in support of purchasing and procurement; Utilizes computer software to carry out the duties of the assignment; Assists in resolving shipment, payment, or other discrepancies in support of programs and operations; Interprets oral and written instructions from staff Provides excellent customer service to internal/external customers resolves issues in an expeditious manner to ensure requests are processed in a timely and accurate manner. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed 4 years of education above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite (Transcripts required). OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must possess the equivalent combinations of successfully completed post high-school education beyond two (2) years and specialized experience as described above that demonstrates the ability to perform the duties of this Purchasing Agent position. (Transcripts required). For the GS 6 Level: You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Performs clerical or assistance duties in support of purchasing and procurement in a medical environment; Utilizes computerized systems such as MS Word and Excel to assemble/summarize supply/inventory management systems; Resolves shipment, payment, or other discrepancies in support of procurement programs and operations; Communicates both written and orally and independently follows-up on work assignments. Provides excellent customer service to internal/external customers resolves issues in an expeditious manner to ensure requests are processed in a timely and accurate manner. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Acquisition Strategy Analytical Reasoning Computer Skills Oral Communication Technical Credibility Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentary when conducing purchasing functions for PSAS, however while conducting inventory management functions, the incumbent may work comfortably in a warehouse environment, sitting, standing, walking, bending, lifting, carrying, retrieving and managing inventory. Prolonged periods of working at a computer terminal is required. Ability to retrieve equipment from a storage room is required. Climbing associated with stocking of equipment and other items in storage areas is necessary. Incumbent may carry/lift items weighing up to twenty-five (25) pounds. Normal safety precautions are adequate. The work involves moderate discomfort when visiting sites away from the office. At times the employee may be required to wear protective clothing when visiting the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Fabrication Laboratory. Often, walking between the main medical center and other parts of Prosthetics to conduct professional duties. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.