Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open only to current employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs, current Federal employees AND past, current and upcoming participants of the VA Health Professions Training (HPT) Graduates. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Videos

The Program Manager for Pain Management, Opioid Safety, and Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PMOP) Coordinator will support the coordination of pain management, opioid safety, and prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP)-related initiatives and implementation of VHA and the Joint Commission standards. The PMOP Coordinator will work in close collaboration with the local pharmacy service, VISN PMOP Coordinator, Facility Pain POC/Clinical Lead(s), Facility Primary Care (PACT) Pain Champion(s), Academic Detailing pharmacists and other facility stakeholders to ensure implementation of PMOP initiatives in compliance with national policy, clinical practice guidelines, and regulatory requirements. The PMOP Coordinator will also support review of community provider opioid prescribing practices as required by the MISSION Act Section 131. The Program Manager promotes and manages drug therapy based on current clinical knowledge that is consistent with policies and guidelines established at the national, VISN, and local levels. The Program Manager is an employee of their Medical Center's Pharmacy Service, to ensure they receive all professional guidance, policy, and communications regarding department missions and goals, the VA National Formulary, VISN, and local Medical Center Pharmacy and Therapeutic Committee objectives for formulary management activities and patient safety updates. The incumbent will be responsible for maintaining effective intra-department and inter-department relations to meet established goals and priorities.

The Facility PMOP Coordinator leads and supports a wide range of activities designed to enhance pain management, opioid safety, and the appropriate use of medications throughout the facility. Key responsibilities include:

Administrative and Quality Assurance

• Collaborates with pharmacy, clinical leaders, and pain champions to support cohesive pain management.
• Leads and supports the Pain Committee and related workgroups.
• Ensures compliance with national pain, opioid safety, OEND, and OUD policies.
• Reviews community provider opioid prescribing practices.
• Conducts data-driven opioid risk reviews (including STORM) and tracks key facility pain and safety metrics.
• Implements and maintains the Stepped Care Models for pain and OUD.
• Facilitates veteran outreach, including women's pain-related initiatives.
• Drives opioid safety improvements, including PDMP compliance and risk-mitigation processes.
• Evaluates acute pain prescribing and leads quality improvement.
• Partners with Academic Detailing and participates in VISN Pain Committee activities.
• Responds to sensitive inquiries from leadership, VISN, Congressional offices, and Patient Advocacy.
• Prepares formal PMOP office responses; performs other assigned duties.

Clinical Responsibilities

• Provides advanced practice CMM for pain and related conditions.
• Prescribes, monitors, and adjusts pain medications.
• Obtains medical and pain histories; orders and interprets labs and toxicology screens.
• Conducts and documents pain and functional assessments.
• Reviews PDMP data; provides overdose education and prescribes naloxone.
• Educates patients and caregivers on safe medication use.
• Uses population health tools for risk mitigation.
• Performs suicide risk assessments and brief SUD interventions.
• Refers complex patients to higher-level care and coordinates interdisciplinary services.
• Performs limited physical assessments and medication reconciliation.
• Provides CMM for complex chronic conditions within scope.
• Handles urgent and same-day visits, including polypharmacy and post-discharge reviews.
• Provides follow-up through face-to-face visits, telehealth, eConsults, phone, and secure messaging.

Formulary & Administrative Support

• Supports safe, cost-effective use of the VA National Formulary.
• Assists with drug-use policy and disease-management strategies.
• Supports local and VISN P&T committees.
• Reviews non-formulary and prior authorization requests.

Education & Training

• Trains pharmacists, technicians, students, residents, and staff.
• Serves as a preceptor and completes required teaching and accreditation documentation.
• Assists with new employee and trainee orientation.

Communication

• Develops and maintains effective working relationships with providers, nursing, and other departments.
• Serves as a resource to resolve questions and problems affecting staff and patients.
• Communicates clearly with internal and external customers to ensure positive interactions and outcomes.

VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday between hours of 7:30am - 4:00pm or 8:00am - 4:30pm (8 hour work schedule). Tour may be adjusted or extended as appropriate to meet patient care needs.
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 55467F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

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.

HPTs who are on track to graduate/complete the requirements should respond as if they have met the requirements. Provide details in the narrative sections of the assessment.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency: Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).
• Education: (1) Graduate of an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredited College or School of Pharmacy with a baccalaureate degree in pharmacy (BS Pharmacy) and/or a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree. Verification of approved degree programs may be obtained from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, 20 North Clark Street, Suite 2500, Chicago, Illinois 60602-5109; phone: (312) 664-3575, or through their Web site at: http://www.acpe-accredit.org/. (NOTE: Prior to 2005 ACPE accredited both baccalaureate and Doctor of Pharmacy terminal degree program. Today the sole degree is Doctor of Pharmacy.)
• (2) Graduates of foreign pharmacy degree programs meet the educational requirement if the graduate is able to provide proof of achieving the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Commission (FPGEC) Certification, which includes passing the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination (FPGEE) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT)
• Licensure: Full, current and unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States (i.e., Puerto Rico), or the District of Columbia. The pharmacist must maintain current registration if this is a requirement for maintaining full, current, and unrestricted licensure. A pharmacist who has, or has ever had, any license(s) revoked, suspended, denied, restricted, limited, or issued/placed in a probationary status may be appointed only in accordance with the provisions in VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section B, paragraph 16. (Exception: Non-licensed pharmacists who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment at the entry level as a Graduate Pharmacist under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2)(B). The appointing official may waive the requirement of licensure for a period not to exceed 2 years for a pharmacist that provides care under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist. For grade levels above the GS-11, the candidate must be licensed.)
• Exception: Non-licensed pharmacists who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment at the entry level as a Graduate Pharmacist under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2)(B). The appointing official may waive the requirement of licensure for a period not to exceed 2 years for a pharmacist that provides care under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist. For grade levels above the GS-11, the candidate must be licensed.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

GS-13: Facility Program Manager-
Experience. In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.

Assignments. Candidates at this grade level are to be in one of the assignments listed below. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.

Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following KSAs:
a. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions.
b. Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area.
c. Ability to solve problems, coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise.
d. Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy.
e. Advanced skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.

Facility Program Manager. Manages all aspects of a distinct program to include policy development, quality resources and specialty functions unique to the program to optimize cost effectiveness (budget) and patient outcomes. Coordinates a single program area of a complex pharmacy operation, or multiple program areas within a facility to develop, organize, manage, and control complex pharmacy programs. Develops, organizes, coordinates and manages 6 single or multiple program areas within the medical facility; this may include a single program area at multiple facilities. The Program Manager title is reserved for those individuals who have one or more of the following: supervisory responsibilities for various sections within Pharmacy Service; a complex program requiring coordination of multiple locations such as medical center care facilities, Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs), rural health, telemedicine, etc; specialized areas of a complex nature such as nuclear pharmacy, quality assurance, pharmacy informatics, clinical applications coordinator, Home Based Primary Care, pharmacoeconomist or liaison pharmacist duties requiring the coordination of processes with other medical facilities or VISNs. Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the KSAs identified in subparagraph 3b(3)(b)1 above.

Preferred Experience:

• PGY2 Pharmacy Residency Training: Mental Health or Pain
• Board certification through board of pharmacy specialties (i.e., BCPS, BCPP, BCPMP)
• Active DEA license and experience prescribing and managing controlled substances.
• Experience with quality improvement, facilitation of health care initiatives, and process/procedure development related to pharmacy services.

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-13.

Physical Requirements: Must be physically and mentally able to efficiently perform the duties of the position. Working closely with others. Moderate lifting, 15-44 pounds. Straight pulling (1 hour) and pushing (2 hours). Reaching above shoulder required. Use of fingers and both hands required. Walking (up to 8 hours) and standing (up to 8 hours) required. Near vision correctable at 13' to 16' to Jaeger 1 to 4; far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other permitted. Ability to distinguish basic color and ability to distinguish shades of colors required. Hearing (aid permitted).

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

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.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.