The VA Health Care Systems San Diego is seeking to hire three Purchasing Agents to become a member of the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service. The Purchasing Agent is a member of a team providing patient care, services and support to an adult veteran population with specialized needs.

Duties

This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed below represent the full performance level of GS-7. At the GS-5 grade level, the employee performs assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-7. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher level work, and availability of funds. Duties include, but may not be limited to the following: Perform technical level purchasing support adhering to the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), Veteran Affairs Acquisition Regulations (VAAR), Veteran Health Administration (VHA), and Prosthetics directives and handbooks, Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISN) policy and station memorandums to acquire Veteran specific medical equipment, supplies and services based on a medical provider's clinical assessment and evaluation of the Veteran's medical condition. Submits Acquisition Plans and Procurement Packages for stock and veteran specific needs to the Network Contracting Office and uploads quotes, bids, invoices, consults, and other important documents to Electronic Contract Management System (eCMS). Verifies Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) and Bradstreet information and ensures each vendor is in System for Award Management (SAM) and in good standing with the government to do business with. Verifies accountability of all prosthetics expenditures in both the purchase menu and the prosthetics program and associate all obligations to the individual veteran. Ensure the services provides are documented not only as the type of service, but the duration. Complex purchasing: requires irregular research, analysis, collaboration and many other steps to ensure both best value and the most appropriate devices are purchased for the Veterans. Routine purchasing: includes routine purchase orders on established contracts or through established vendor resources using regular significant research, analysis or collaboration. Performs other duties as assigned. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Full Time, Monday - Friday 8;00 am - 4:30 pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Applicable Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Purchasing Agent/PD12465A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/31/2023. 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.For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06.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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-05: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Acquiring supplies and services to meet the needs of patients under micro-purchasing threshold for a wide variety of prosthetic and orthotic devices, medical supplies and durable medical equipment. Receiving and analyzing specialized Consults, and prescriptions for items, services, and home medical equipment from physicians, therapists, medical center personnel, patients or their representatives. Reviewing requests for completeness, comparing disability or diagnosis to equipment and/or services normally provided for the requested condition issuing proper documentation to justify the issuance; Planning, executing , and managing various workload tasks; Examining clinical health records and claims folders to determine eligibility and entitlement; and Processing frequently purchased items under established contracts or agreements, reconciling invoices for certification of payment . 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 above the high school level leading to a bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education which is qualifying at the GS-05 level. (For GS-05 level positions, only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. Two full academic year of study (60 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 1 year of specialized experience). GS-06: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Performing clerical or assistant duties in support of purchasing and procurement; procuring supplies and services to meet the purchase, rental, or lease needs of an organization; working with medical staff to determine procurement needs and priorities; Utilizing government credit cards or similar purchasing methods; Receiving and analyzing specialized Consults, and prescriptions for items, services, and home medical equipment from physicians, therapists, medical center personnel, patients or their representatives. Resolving a variety of shipment, payment, or other discrepancies in support of procurement programs and operations; purchasing various equipment, supplies, and services using a purchase card. Applying knowledge of supply inventory and prosthetic regulations, policies, procedures, and instructions applicable to the specific inventory point assigned. GS-07: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: authorizing and preparing complex purchase orders for a wide variety of prosthetics and orthotic devices, medical supplies, and durable medical equipment. Interpreting and applying purchase card management related policies and to investigate non-payment complaint from vendors and resolve complaints. Utilizing knowledge of Medical Center and PSAS policies and procedures as they pertain to prosthetic purchasing following government regulations. Applying knowledge of contracts, purchasing policies, equipment sources, trade policies, shipping procedures, and the corresponding terminology. Assigning workload related to surgical implants, artificial limbs, custom bracing, and wheelchair using knowledge guidance beyond non-specialized medical equipment. Utilizing government credit cards or similar purchasing methods; Receiving and analyzing specialized Consults, and prescriptions for items, services, and home medical equipment from physicians, therapists, medical center personnel, patients, or their representatives. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to DetailCritical ThinkingCustomer Service (Clerical/Technical)Manages ResourcesReasoning (Clerical/Technical) 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 agent functions, 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. 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/.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address San Diego VA Medical Center 3350 La Jolla Village Drive San Diego, CA 92161 US
• Name: Maria Quiles
• Phone: (352) 278 - 0482
• Email: [email protected]