The Purchasing Agent serves in VISN Prosthetics Service, Office of the Network Director, Veterans Integrated Services Network (VISN 7), Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, in Montgomery, AL.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** 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 and GS-6 grade level, you will perform 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: Receives and analyzes prosthetic request forms and prescriptions from physician, therapists, patients and patient representatives. Examines clinical health records and claims folders to determine legal eligibility and medical entitlement determinations. Ensures that funding allocations for the Prosthetics and Sensory Aids Service Line reflects correct expenditures and balances Identifies priorities on pending requests to comply with mandated timeliness standards. Authorizes and prepares complex purchase orders for a wide variety of prosthetic and sensory aid devices, medical supplies and durable medical equipment. Conducts quarterly inventory of prosthetics stock in compliance with procedures and regulatory requirements. Maintains continuous liaison with venders, medical center professionals and staff to ensure timely acquisition and provision of items and service to veterans. Explores information on prosthetic appliances, services, and medical equipment from local and national sources. Obtains necessary production information, price information and procedures for written or verbal purchase orders. Interviews veterans reporting to the service and receives phone calls from beneficiaries. Inputs order into Integrated Funds Control, Accounting, and Procurement (IFCAP) within one (1) workday of purchase to include correct control point, cost center, and budget object class for that transaction. Reconciles (i.e., matching) the payments charges from the Purchase Card Program Contractor to the Integrated Funds Control, Accounting, and Procurement (IFCAP) purchase card order promptly. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-5: One (1) year of specialized experience that equipped them with the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) needed to successfully perform the duties of the position and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-4 level in Federal service. Examples of qualifying specialized experience includes knowledge of a body of standardized purchasing regulations, policies and procedures, established commodities and markets, and common business practices to make purchases involving commercial requirements and average complexity; uses regulations, established markers, required sources, the use of mandatory schedules, basic price evaluation techniques and purchase documentation procedures. OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE GS-5: (Transcript Required): Successful completion of four (4) years of education above the high school level. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college, or university. One (1) year of full time-time academic study is defined as thirty (30) semester hours, forty-five (45) quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least twenty (20) hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately thirty-six (36) weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school. OR COMBINING EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE GS-5: (Transcript Required): Combination of successfully completed post high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. or Specialized Experience GS-6: Having one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-5) in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of this position. Specialized experience is that which has equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience includes having in-depth knowledge of a body of Federal Acquisition Regulations, Public Laws, published guides, directives and procedures, purchasing regulations, methods, and business practices to make purchasing involving; Makes purchases involving specialized requirements and/or commercial requirements that have unstable price or product characteristics, hard-to-locate sources, or similar complicating factors; understanding of purchase card regulations and policies, socioeconomic goals, and priority sources of supply; performs contract administration for a variety of procurement transactions, i.e., purchase orders, delivery orders, credit card awards, etc.; verifies the accuracy of the authorizing documents, reconstructs the payment history for the period involved, determines the amount and extent of underpayment or overpayment, ensures payment is disbursed or collected; comprehension of price analysis techniques and various acquisition clauses; and having the familiarity with Microsoft Office to include Microsoft Excel to create, edit and aggregate data necessary for expense, Alpha numeric filing principles. OR Specialized Experience GS-7: Having one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-6) in federal service. Specialized experience is that which has equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience includes having in-depth knowledge of a body of Federal Acquisition Regulations, Public Laws, published guides, directives and procedures, purchasing regulations, methods, and business practices to make purchasing involving; makes purchases involving specialized requirements and/or commercial requirements that have unstable price or product characteristics, hard-to-locate sources, or similar complicating factors; understands budgeting control point maintenance and skills in accounting procedures, including basic math skills necessary to maintain accurate funding, billing and sub-account balances; mathematical aptitude and use of a ten-key calculator to calculate quantity discounts, shipment costs and formulate shipping charges using the metric system, purchase card regulations and policies, socioeconomic goals, and priority sources of supply; performs contract administration for a variety of procurement transactions,( i.e., purchase orders, delivery orders, credit card awards, etc.); verifies the accuracy of the authorizing documents, reconstructs the payment history for the period involved, determines the amount and extent of underpayment or overpayment, ensures payment is disbursed or collected; having skills in analyzing descriptions that have unique aspects and many critical characteristics to identify problem areas; comprehension of price analysis techniques and various acquisition clauses; and having the familiarity with Microsoft Office to include Microsoft Excel to create, edit and aggregate data necessary for expense, Alpha numeric filing principles. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Customer ServicePrinciples of FinanceProblem SolvingStandardsTechnology Awareness IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. Physical Requirements: The work is mostly sedentary but requires some physical efforts such as walking, standing, bending and carrying of books, manuals, vendors' catalogs and prosthetics items to be issued from various stock rooms. Duties involve extended periods of working at a computer terminal. Some climbing is associated with stocking items in the storage areas. The Purchasing Agent may carry or lift items weighing up to forty (40lbs) - fifty (50lbs) pounds. There are no special physical demands. 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

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

There is no educational substitution for grade level GS-6 & GS-7.

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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).

Contacts

• Address Central Alabama VA Medical Center-Montgomery 215 Perry Hill Road Montgomery, AL 36109 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]