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Supervisory Pharmacy Technician

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The certified Supervisory Pharmacy Technician is responsible for the supervision of all Pharmacy non-pharmacist technical staff and volunteers. The Supervisory Pharmacy Technician evaluates, coordinates, and provides supervisory oversight for all technical aspects of pharmacy operations involved with workflow, including floor stocking, medication delivery, ward inspections, narcotic vault oversight, inventory procurement and maintenance, infusion room support, medication dispensing.



Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
06/10/2025 to 06/25/2025
Salary
$61,111 to - $79,443 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9
Locations
4 vacancies in the following locations:
Little Rock, AR
North Little Rock, AR
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
CBST-12746824-25-AB
Control number
838477600

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is open to current permanent Central Arkansas Veteran Healthcare System Employees including satellites.

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Duties

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Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Duties of the Supervisory Pharmacy Technician include, but are not limited to:

Supervisory Activities:

  • Develops the work schedule, plan and grant leave and rotate duties of the pharmacy technician staff. Assures that personnel are scheduled in such a way as to provide consistency of coverage and to accommodate planned leave and promote employee morale, is responsible for tracking and submitting pharmacy technicians time biweekly.
  • Manages technical staff to assure workflow is optimized within assigned service area. Continuously analyzes and reassesses priorities, redirecting staff to assure that workload demands are accomplished in the most effective, efficient, and economic manner possible.
  • Coordinates day-to-day maintenance and operation of pharmacy area equipment and automation.
  • Oversees the narcotic vault(s) and other specialty areas as required and assigned.
  • Supports with infusion services staffing, ancillary needs, as required and assigned.
  • Assists with the development of performance standards that are realistic, challenging, and supporting the organizational mission, vision, and goals. Responsible for ensuring all employees meet performance standards and competencies. Identify areas for improvement as needed.
  • Assists the Chief of Pharmacy in interviewing and selecting new employees and candidates for promotion and/or reassignment. Make recommendations of employees for performance awards and other forms of recognition.
  • Reviews on annual basis each subordinate's competencies and complete performance evaluations for subordinates. Ensure any deficiencies are properly noted and training/re-training is scheduled in a timely manner.
  • Recommends counseling and disciplinary action based upon conduct under the supervision of the Chief of Pharmacy Supervisor with guidance from Employee Labor Relations.
  • Conducts technician meetings to assure proper updates of departmental and hospital communications.
  • Assists in the development of policies and procedures and participate in departmental goal planning and quality improvement activities.
Technical Duties:
  • Prepares various management reports as delegated to include, but not limited to: High-cost drug inventory, ward stock, automation, competency, and controlled substance reports.
  • Assists pharmacy supervisors and staff to identify areas of duplication of efforts and develops solutions to streamline processes, reduce waste, save costs, and improve patient care.
  • Develops and implement necessary administrative audits such as wait time audits and workflow analysis.
  • Evaluates pharmacy activities to assist management to obtain short and long-range objectives and goals.
Quality and Regulatory Duties:
  • Assists in preparation of national, local, and special accreditations of pharmacy service. (Joint Commission, Inspector General, Controlled Substance Inspections, Drug Enforcement Agency)
  • Evaluates and analyzes data for self-driven (independent) performance improvement projects, workload analysis and statistical reports.

Work Schedule: Various schedules that may include off-tours, weekends and holidays will be discussed during the interview process and are subject to change based on Agency needs.
Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Available
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Available
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: Available (Ad-hoc)
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 598-01185F
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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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.
  • You may be required to serve a probationary period.
  • 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.
  • Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
  • Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

Qualifications

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 - You must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d)
  • 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 (GS-07 and above): 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).

Grandfather 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:
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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, GS-09

(1) Experience. One year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the lower grade level.

(2) Certification. For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either: (a) PTCB as a CPhT. OR (b) NHA as a ExCPT. 13 (3)

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs and meet any additional KSAs for the assignment, if indicated:
(a) Expert knowledge serving as a key resource advising others in their particular specialty area or section of the pharmacy (such as procurement, sterile compounding (USP compounding standards), controlled substances DEA, automation, clinical pharmacy, lead tech, contact center, etc.).
(b) Skill in analyzing data for self-driven (independent) performance improvement projects, workload analysis and statistical reports.
(c) Skill in solving problems and implementing corrective actions to maximize outcomes in their program area.
(d) Ability to maintain special accreditations and prepare for national reviews/inspections (e.g., The Joint Commission, Inspector General, American Society of Health System Pharmacists®, controlled substance inspections).
(e) Ability to develop training programs and material for orientation, competency development and educational needs for regulatory requirements within the specialized pharmacy program area.

Additional Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs).
(A) Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees, team leaders and managers.
(B) Ability to utilize staffing methodology principles to determine adequate staffing to coordinate and manage workflow and work activities within pharmacy.

Preferred Experience: Preferred previous specialty experience within VA

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-09.

Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

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.

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