Pharmacist (Facility Program Manager)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs seeks a CS Pharmacy Program Manager to provide direct oversight and accountability of controlled substances across Jesse Brown VA Medical Center inpatient and outpatient pharmacies, the DDTC, and community clinics.

The role requires expert knowledge of regulations, program leadership, and the ability to coordinate audits, reports, and initiatives to ensure safe, compliant, and effective drug therapy within a complex healthcare system.

Qualifications

• Pharmacist licensed in a US jurisdiction with current credentials.
• Strong knowledge of controlled substances regulations and compliance.
• Experience in health-system pharmacy administration or leadership preferred.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and be accountable for all Schedule II–V CS across inpatient, outpatient, and clinic settings.
• Coordinate CS program operations: ordering, dispensing, returns, waste, and disposal.
• Lead data gathering, auditing, and reporting related to controlled substances.

Skills

Oral and written communication

Regulatory knowledge

Problem solving & coordination

Clinical pharmacy expertise

Drug therapy monitoring & lab data

Education

BS Pharmacy or Pharm.D.

US pharmacist licensure

FPGEE/TOEFL for foreign grads (if applicable)

Job description

The Controlled Substance (CS) Pharmacy Program Manager

functions under the general supervision of the Associate Chief of Pharmacy Operations in providing direct oversight and accountability of controlled substances, Schedules II-V, used in the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center Inpatient and Outpatient Pharmacies, the Drug Dependence Treatment Clinic (DDTC), and accompanying community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) that store and/or dispense controlled substances.

Basic Requirements

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency: Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).
• Education: Graduate of an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredited College or School of Pharmacy with a baccalaureate degree in pharmacy (BS Pharmacy) and/or a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)
• Foreign Education: Graduate of a foreign pharmacy degree program if you are able to provide proof of achieving the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Commission (FPGEC) Certification, which includes passing the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination (FPGEE) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT). (CERTIFICATION REQUIRED)
• Licensure: Full, current and unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States (i.e., Puerto Rico), or the District of Columbia. (LICENSE REQUIRED)

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements listed above, you must meet the following:

GS-13 Grade Determinations: Pharmacist (Facility Program Manager) Control Substance Program Manager

Specialized Experience

Do you possess at least one (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-12) or equivalent, which is directly related to the Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (Control Substance Program Manager) position? The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (Control Substance Program Manager) functions include: oversight and accountability of all schedule II through schedule V controlled substances; ordering, prescribing, administration, returns, waste, and disposal; responsible for timely completion of all reports, projects, and initiatives pertaining to controlled substance management; compiles and stores pertinent controlled substance paper and electronic records; assist in gathering, coordinating, and reporting of data from various functional area when requested and assist with internal audits as required etc.

In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrated the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): DEMONSTRATED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs)

• 1. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions.
• 2. Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area.
• 3. Ability to solve problems, coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise.
• 4. Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy.
• 5. Advanced skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.

Facility Program Manager

Manages all aspects of a distinct program to include policy development, quality resources and specialty functions unique to the program to optimize cost effectiveness (budget) and patient outcomes. Coordinates a single program area of a complex pharmacy operation, or multiple program areas within a facility to develop, organize, manage, and control complex pharmacy programs. Develops, organizes, coordinate and manages single or multiple program areas within the medical facility; this may include a single program area at multiple facilities. The Program Manager title is reserved for those individuals who have one or more of the following: supervisory responsibilities for various sections within Pharmacy Service; a complex program requiring coordination of multiple locations such as medical center care facilities, Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs), rural health, telemedicine, etc; specialized areas of a complex nature such as nuclear pharmacy, quality assurance, pharmacy informatics, clinical applications coordinator, Home Based Primary Care, pharmacoeconomist or liaison pharmacist duties requiring the coordination of processes with other medical facilities or VISNs.

Preferred Experience

• Health System Pharmacy Administration and Leadership (HSPAL); PGY2 Pharmacy Residency and/or at least 2 years experience managing inpatient/outpatient controlled substance programs.

Reference

For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13.

Physical Requirements

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.