This position serves as an Inventory Manager in the Commodity Management Division of the Supply Chain Management Service in a Veteran Affairs Health Care System (VAHCS) and supported catchment area, with responsibility for the inventory management of all expendable supplies and durable medical equipment (DME) in the assigned area(s).

Duties

Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Manage and control assigned class of expendable material for a VA Healthcare System (VAHCS) and supported catchment area. Subject matter expert to all services and service lines for expendable (EX) commodity management. Manage a wide variety of expendable items and durable medical equipment (DME). Central point of contact for the coordination of commodity support and the resolution of logistics problems across organizational lines. Focal point for new EX supply procedures. Make decisions and commitments for the medical center on medical/ surgical supplies that materially affect the VAHCS's ability to provide medical care to Veterans. Research opportunities for and conducts analysis of potential cost savings, efficiencies, and process improvements using quantitative analysis and historical usage patterns. Uses performance measures to conduct forecasting and quantitative analysis. Develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Conduct short, mid and long-term advanced planning for expendable items and DME. Analyze data to include demand history, program requirements, VAHCS operations, procurement lead-time, current stock levels and other factors impacting procurement decisions. Determine need to intervene in the supply system in response to fluctuations in rates of usage, cost, availability for established suppliers, alternative sources of supply and other similar conditions. Engage customers to make recommendations for product changes, substitutions and additions to product lines. Forecast short- and long-range inventory needs considering changes in medical and surgical technologies, clinical scheduling changes and program requirements. Develop acquisition strategies to acquire and purchase DME. Research alternative sources for procurement; determine best purchasing and payment method to utilize. Analyze and advise the customer on supply/ DME purchase recommendations using the "best value" approach. Manage inventory, set initial stock and par levels and reorder points and resolve issues for a complete medical or service category. Authorize significant changes in expenditure and stock levels based on usage requirements and budgeting considerations. Research opportunities for and conducts analysis of potential cost savings, efficiencies, and process improvements using quantitative analysis and historical usage patterns. Review and report to Fiscal on listing of delinquent payments and receipts of purchase orders. Handle highly specialized items which may require any or all of the following: sub-zero temperature controls, delicate care instructions, sterile processing, and refrigeration. Coordinate rotation of emergency caches to prevent expirations and economy of supply while maintaining National Emergency Management stock levels. Conduct wall-to-wall and periodic inventories to identify potential shrinkage issues or other supply chain discrepancies. Use automated inventory management system, such as General Inventory Package (GIP) or other equivalent system to maintain current inventory data. Prepare submissions to VA Central Office and VISN to obtain approval and/or funding in support of VISN and/or national level expendable supply contracts. Solicits pertinent data from requesting services to compose written responses addressing requirements specified in regulations, i.e., justification, replacement data, nomenclature, estimated acquisition cost, etc. Administer the EX-inventory management program by planning and reviewing of all inventory processes, functions, and related systems; conducting effectiveness/efficiency reviews; compiling and analyzing performance measures and implementing process improvements. Implements federal and agency programs for the return and reutilization of medical supplies. Coordinate with the property managers for disposal of surplus or excess supplies in accordance with specific agency directives and procedures. Primary responder to the VA National Center for Patient Safety Recall Office. Make emergent procurement decisions in coordination with stakeholders based on back-order issues created by national recalls. Participate in Root Cause Analysis process to assist in determining how the supply chain is impacted upon a near miss or Veteran care mishap. 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: Monday - Friday, with varying shifts, 6:00 am - 2:30 pm or 7:00 am - 3:30 pm Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Inventory Management Specialist - EX/PD99823S 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, 05/22/2024. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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-07 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: managing a variety of expendable items and durable medical equipment; forecasting short and long range inventory needs; analyzing inventory management reports and the effectiveness of various options proposed to provide supply support; utilizing automated inventory management systems to maintain current inventory data; researching and analyzing information to resolve questions and issues, and implementing federal and agency programs for the return and reutilization of medical supplies. NOTE: 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. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed 1 full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond a Bachelor's Degree, but less than 1 year of Graduate Level education. To compute your qualifications under this provision, first determine your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determine your education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then add the two percentages. The total must equal at least 100%. GS-09 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: managing a variety of expendable items and durable medical equipment; developing and supporting the creation of acquisition strategies to acquire and purchase durable medical equipment; implementing federal and agency programs for the return and reutilization of medical supplies; utilizing best practices, principles and tools, concepts and methodologies to determine and evaluate supply system performance; and serving as a point of contact for the coordination of material support and the resolution of logistics problems. NOTE: 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. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have masters or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education. The Full-Performance level for this position is a GS-09 grade level. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: CommunicationContracting/ProcurementPlanning and EvaluatingProblem SolvingTechnical CompetenceTechnology Application 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: At Level 8-1, the work is sedentary and is usually accomplished while the employee is comfortably seated at a desk or table. Some walking and standing may occur in the course of a normal workday in connection with attendance at meetings and conferences, or while researching files. Items carried typically are light objects such as briefcases, notebooks, and data processing reports. Lifting of moderately heavy objects is not normally required. No special physical effort is required to perform the work. At Level 8-2, the work requires regular and recurring physical exertion, such as long periods of standing, walking, bending, stooping, reaching, and similar activities in and around storage areas. 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 Tucson VA Medical Center 3601 South Sixth Avenue Tucson, AZ 85723 US
• Name: Virginia Larose
• Phone: 702-791-9000 X13106
• Email: [email protected]