The Program Specialist for Pharmacy Services provides a wide range of support activities and general assistance to the management team including the Service Chief, Associate Chiefs, Program Managers, and Supervisors. The duties encompass matters related to resource allocation, cost accounting, acquisitions of services and supplies, fund control reconciliation, and trend analysis as assigned.

Duties

Procurement/Contracting 50% Acts as the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) for all Pharmacy Service equipment and service contracts. Advises contracting agents on the sources for drug purchases. Completes procurement paperwork as required. Processes payments for staffing agencies and PBM/Pharmacy card expenses. Ensures procured items follow VA procurement and contracting guidelines. Processes invoices for payment after receipt of product and after purchase orders are prepared by procurement staff and approved by the supervisory staff. Reviews and monitors the prime vendor procurement program using McKesson and other authorized sources. Monitors, certifies, and processes daily activities for all serviced 1358s including the prime vendor. The 1358s are initiated and approved by others to keep separation of these three functions Processes all discrepancies from shortages or pricing errors from the prime vendor in cooperation with the procurement pharmacy team. Acts as a liaison with the prime vendor. Informs them of all pricing problems, credits, and problems with their computer software. Contacts the VA national Acquisition Center (NAC) to resolve pricing and procedural problems with the prime vendor. Prepares cost transfers for medications provided to other areas of the health system including other services and other facilities. Works with Logistics and Pharmacy Administrative Assistant on pharmaceutical vendor control and oversight, as applicable. Works with pharmacy automation vendors to maintain leases and place purchases. Monitors status of service contracts. Enters capital equipment purchases and leases into software package(s) for purchase or lease to be reviewed and executed. Informs management team of contract changes as they occur and any matter affecting the system or program used to process and review contracts. Budgeting/Financial Management Work 25% Participates in the planning for operational budgeting needs and financial management for the Pharmacy Service. This includes helping with budget information, justification, and execution; financial management; and financial reporting. Provides monthly, quarterly, and yearly budget forecasts, as required. Maintains the pharmacy fund control points for Ann Arbor and Toledo divisions. Reviews and reconciles the B09 reports with wholesaler invoices. Provides fund control status reports. Reviews expenditures for pharmacy control points more than 20 million dollars annually. Verifies that quantities orders are consistent with dispensing requirements. Determines and provides information to finance and leadership such as: Average unit costs for all pharmacy workload indicators. Average unit costs for each medical and surgical subspecialities or nursing units. Drug cost per patient day for specific DRGs or subspecialties. Drug cost per outpatient visit for specific clinics or specific physicians given pharmacy data on quantities of drugs dispensed and patient information. Assists the Chief, Pharmacy service in preparing the annual budget request based on the cost distribution data and analysis of future trends in workload and procurement costs. Compares cost distribution data in Glidepath to determine areas where pharmacy costs are excessive, recommends procedural corrections or reporting modifications. Analyzes budget documents, reviewing guidelines and instructions. Administrative Management 25% Serves as backup timekeeper, covering other Pharmacy timekeepers. Provides information to finance and leadership for Pharmacy Service such as: B09 Report Equipment inventory listing and follow-up Price change and contract compliance reports Inventory turns, credits, and specific financial metrics as established Drug recall response timeliness and completeness Applies new policies, provides advice on requirements, maintains administrative systems, and prepares administrative paperwork. Assists Record Liaison Officers with minimizing excess documents and clutter and appropriately storing required documentation. Assures vendor and service contracts are being followed appropriately and that vendors are paid in a timely fashion. Works with Payroll and Finance on audits and assures resolution of any findings. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30am - 4:00pm Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist - Temporary Assignment NTE 120 days/PD04184A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/27/2024. 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-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. Grade level: GS-09 You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: 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: Daily reconciliation duties, review and processing of pharmacy credits, invoice verification, regular communications with vendors, coordination with other Ann Arbor services, budget adjustments, transfers based on procurement purchases and needs, and proper records and documentation. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree; OR, 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; OR a related LL.B. or J.D. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED). 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 bachelors degree. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to DetailCommunicationContract AdministrationControl of FundsPre-Solicitation 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: The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required. Substantial portion of work is at the keyboard or inside of the pharmacy areas. Frequent use of office equipment including copier, computer, printer, and local area network is required. Time spent standing at workstation and lifting of items of moderate weight may be required occasionally. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Ann Arbor VA Medical Center 2215 Fuller Road Ann Arbor, MI 48105 US
• Name: Eric Earns
• Phone: (989) 397-4981
• Email: [email protected]