Inventory Management Specialist

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Garner (NC); On-site; USD 42,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Durham VA Health Care System seeks an Inventory Manager to oversee expendable materials and durable medical equipment in the Garner Outpatient Clinic catchment area.

The role involves forecasting inventory needs, maintaining current data in automated systems, and coordinating with procurement and services to ensure uninterrupted supply. Responsibilities include managing stock levels, conducting regular inventories, and supporting related supply chain

Qualifications

• Experience managing expendable items and DME in a healthcare supply chain.
• Ability to forecast short- and long-range inventory needs.
• Analyze inventory management reports to improve outcomes.
• Coordinate with procurement and vendors to resolve supply issues.

Responsibilities

• Manages and controls an assigned class of expendable material for a VA HCS and catchment area.
• Inventories a wide variety of expendable items and DME.
• Uses inventory principles to determine intervention needs in the supply system.
• Develops acquisition strategies to acquire and purchase DME.

Skills

Inventory management

Forecasting

Data analysis

Vendor coordination

Tools

General Inventory Package (GIP)

Job description

Summary

This position is located in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) - within the Supply Chain Management Service at the Durham VA Health Care System - for the Garner Outpatient Clinic. Serves as an Inventory Manager in the Commodity Management Division in a Veteran Affairs Health Care System (VA HCS) and supported catchment area - with responsibility for the inventory management of all expendable supplies and durable medical equipment (DME) in the assigned area(s).

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 11/16/2026. 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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5 grade level. For a GS 9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS 7 grade level. 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: To meet the minimum qualifications for this position at the GS-07 grade level - you must meet one of the following: Specialized experience: You must have one year equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal service that equipped you with the particular knowledge - skills - and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position - and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. Specialized experience includes: 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; 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. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR; Posses equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (in excess of the first year or 18 semester hours) and specialized experience to meet total experience requirements. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify - a copy of your transcript is required. To meet the minimum qualifications for this position at the GS-09 grade level - you must meet one of the following: Specialized experience: You must have one year equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service that equipped you with the particular knowledge - skills - and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position - and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. Specialized experience includes: 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; Have successfully completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. of 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; Possess equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (in excess of the first year or 18 semester hours) and specialized experience to meet total experience requirements. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify - a copy of your transcript is required. Required: VALID DRIVERS LICENSE Physical Requirements and Work Environment: Work is normally accomplished in an office setting; however - due to the nature of the position and duties - may be called upon to assist in the receipt - storage and distribution of various supplies - primarily consisting of lifting light boxes generally less than 40 pounds - utilizing appropriate material handing devices - and placing items on shelves or carrying them elsewhere on station or within the catchment area. Must maintain applicable training and licensing to operate assigned equipment. Work is primarily performed in normal office surroundings involving everyday risks or discomforts which require normal safety precautions. Is required to use safe work practices with office equipment - avoid trips or falls and observe fire regulations and traffic signs. Frequent trips outside are required for visits to the other areas of the Medical Center; such as the warehouse and some patient care areas - in order to provide services - cover for other members in the unit - attend meetings and training. 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/.

• Manages and controls an assigned class of expendable material for a VA HCS and supported catchment area
• Recognized as an authority on expendable (EX) commodity management and serves as a subject matter expert to all services and service lines
• Inventories managed include a wide variety of expendable items and durable medical equipment (DME) which may or may not be available through the Medical/Surgical Prime Vendor (MSPV) program or other negotiated or Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contracts
• Uses a range of well-established and commonly applied inventory principles - standard and non standard methodologies - and concepts to 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
• Applies knowledge of systems - techniques and underlying management concepts for determining - regulating and controlling the level and flow of supplies from the initial planning stages with service lines - through procurement - storage - issue - utilization and disposal
• Develops acquisition strategies to acquire and purchase DME - displaying familiarity with contracting laws and regulations with industry practices
• Supports customers and acquisition personnel in developing requirements - utilizing mandatory sources and standardization of sources
• Manages inventory - independently sets initial stock and par levels and reorder points and resolves issues for a complete medical or service category
• Authorizes significant changes in expenditure and stock levels based on usage requirements and budgeting considerations
• Reviews and reports back to Fiscal on listings of delinquent payments and receipts of purchase orders
• Corresponds with procurement officials - vendors - project engineers and other stakeholders to resolve inventory issues
• Conducts wall-to-wall and periodic inventories on own initiative to identify potential shrinkage issues or other supply chain discrepancies
• Utilizes automated inventory management system - such as General Inventory Package (GIP) or other equivalent system - to maintain current inventory data
• Analyzes inventory management reports including due-in reports - pending backorder reports - outdated inventory reports - inventory balance reports and 90-day inactive reports
• Assures that replenishment orders are approved and released in a timely manner by reviewing requisitions - documents - and other related reference material
• Administers the EX inventory management program by planning and reviewing of all inventory processes - functions - and related systems
• conducting efficiency reviews
• compiling and analyzing performance measures and implementing process improvements based upon supply chain benchmarks and standardization initiatives from VHACO and the Network Office
• Coordinates with various program managers of using activities and/or their representatives regarding sources of supply and acceptable substitutions when the standard items are too costly or unavailable from the normal source of supply
• Implements federal and agency programs for the return and reutilization of medical supplies
• Uses well established and commonly applied supply methods to maintain activity formulary inventory
• Coordinates with the property managers for disposal of surplus or excess supplies in accordance with specific agency directives and procedures
• Serves as the primary responder to the VA National Center for Patient Safety Recall Office for their area of responsibility
• Makes emergent procurement decisions in coordination with stakeholders based on back order issues created by national recalls
• Supports other elements of the organization and performs other duties as assigned
• Must possess a valid - state driver's license or commercial driver's license (CDL) or be able to obtain prior to the closing of this announcement
• 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 - 8:00am - 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Position Description/PD#: Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized