Pharmacy Inventory Specialist

Henry J Austin Health Center; Trenton (NJ); On-site; USD 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Henry J Austin Health Center in Trenton, New Jersey, is looking for a Pharmacy Inventory Specialist to assist in daily pharmacy operations. This role involves managing the pharmacy's inventory, ensuring compliance, and providing excellent customer service to patients and healthcare professionals.

The ideal candidate will have experience as a Pharmacy Technician, possess strong organizational skills, and be able to work collaboratively with a team to ensure effective pharmacy operations. Knowledge of federal HIPAA regulations and a willingness to perform with urgency are essential.

Qualifications

• One (1) year of Pharmacy Technician experience required.
• Bilingual (Spanish) preferred.
• New Jersey Board of Pharmacy Technician registration is required.

Responsibilities

• Assist Pharmacist‑In‑Charge with pharmacy operations.
• Manage inventory and ensure compliance with regulations.
• Perform daily cycle counts and manage expired medications.

Skills

Customer service skills

Attention to detail

Basic math skills

Team collaboration

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Associate’s degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

MAJOR FUNCTION

The primary purpose of the Pharmacy Inventory Specialist is to assist the Pharmacist‑In‑Charges, 340B Manager and Pharmacy Program Manager in the daily operations of the Pharmacy and management of the HJAHC’s pharmacy inventory and 340B clinical inventory, including serving patients, maintaining the pharmacy department, managing and maintaining accurate inventory levels of pharmaceutical supplies and medications to ensure safe, efficient, and compliant pharmacy operations. This role oversees ordering, receiving, storage, tracking, and distribution of medications while adhering to regulatory requirements and organizational policies. The specialist works closely with pharmacists, Pharmacy Program and 340B Managers, vendors, and clinical staff to prevent shortages, reduce waste, manage expirations, and support uninterrupted patient care.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Inventory Specialist Duties

• Perform daily cycle counts on assigned batches of medications to maintain accurate on‑hand inventory.
• Review Negative Balance on Hand reports daily and make appropriate system adjustments to prevent inventory discrepancies from escalating.
• Maintain separation and accuracy of pharmacy inventory to preserve recent progress in inventory.
• Pull expired Legend and OTC medications on a routine basis.
• Remove expired items from PioneerRx and place them in appropriate Reverse Distributor areas for destruction or return.
• Review DOH stock medications for expiration, document reorders, and remove expired items.
• Track and manage returns of overstock, expired and waste medications.
• Create manual return orders in McKesson for overstock medications.
• Remove returned items from PioneerRx upon receipt of return authorization.
• Package and ship returns to McKesson and collaborate with the HJA Finance Team to ensure receipt of wholesaler and manufacturer credits.
• Work with Finance to ensure accurate capture of wholesaler discounts and credits.
• Manage internal medication transfers between HJA pharmacies to reduce waste and lower pharmaceutical expenses.
• Collaborate with Pharmacy Program Manager (PPM) to transfer inventory appropriately during referral capture to maximize revenue.
• Work with other departments to manage stock medications and improve organization‑wide compliance.
• Support the 340B Manager with inventory ordering and tracking, allowing greater focus on compliance, expansion, and revenue generation.
• Manage HRSA 340B Rebate Model claims submission and reconciliation in collaboration with Finance for both in‑house and contract pharmacies.
• Assist with audits related to in‑house, 340B clinical, and contract pharmacy inventory.
• Create, build, generate, and analyze inventory‑related reports and present findings to leadership, including the P & T Committee and 340B Compliance Committee.
• Conduct internal audits and coordinate with external auditors to ensure compliance.
• Stay current with inventory management regulations and compliance requirements.
• Train and educate HJA staff on best practices in inventory management.
• In collaboration with the Pharmacy Program Manager, coordinate and conduct the annual physical inventory count, including:
  • System setup and pharmacy preparation
  • Training pharmacy staff on accurate counting procedures
  • Generating, evaluating, and submitting final inventory reports to Finance

Pharmacy Tech Duties

• Greets guests and provides excellent customer service.
• Helps healthcare professionals and patients by greeting them in person and by phone; answering questions and requests; referring inquiries to the pharmacist.
• Assists pharmacists to help ensure the pharmacy is running efficiently.
• Assists Lead Pharmacy Technician to help ensure the pharmacy runs efficiently.
• Accepts accurate patient and prescription order information necessary to process new and refill medications.
• Maintains records by recording and filing prescriber orders and prescriptions and performs computer entries of prescription information.
• Organizes medications for the pharmacist to dispense by reading medication orders and prescriptions; preparing labels; calculating quantities; and assembling pharmaceutical therapies.
• Retrieves the appropriate medication from inventory.
• Creates prescription labels, including selection of appropriate auxiliary labels, to be affixed to prescription containers.
• Places medications in containers and affixes prescription labels.
• Prepares unit dose packaging, when appropriate.
• Prepares compounded stock medication, when appropriate.
• Generates revenue by calculating, recording, issuing, and collecting charges.
• Maintains pharmacy inventory by checking pharmaceutical stock to determine inventory level; anticipating needed medications and supplies; placing and expediting orders; verifying receipt; removing outdated drugs.
• Protects patients and employees by adhering to infection‑control policies and protocols.
• Maintains a safe and clean pharmacy by complying with procedures, rules, and regulations.
• Responsible for promoting joy in the workplace to achieve organizational goals, mission and vision.

REQUIREMENTS

Education & Experience

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Associate’s degree preferred.
• One (1) year of Pharmacy Technician experience required, five (5) or more years of Pharmacy Technician experience preferred.
• Bilingual (Spanish) preferred.

Licensure and/or Certifications

• New Jersey Board of Pharmacy Technician registration required.
• New Jersey Board of Pharmacy Certified Technician or New Jersey Board of Pharmacy Registered Technician preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other (KSAO’s)

• High energy and enthusiasm, positive, “can‑do” attitude with a high degree of initiative.
• Excellent customer service skills.
• Must be able to work in a team and collaborative environment.
• Understanding of federal HIPPA rules and ability to maintain patient confidentiality.
• Ability and willingness to perform duties with purpose and strong sense of urgency.
• Ability to organize and prioritize tasks/projects.
• Familiarity with State and Federal pharmacy laws and regulations.
• Knowledge of brand and generic drug names.
• High attention to detail.
• Must be proficient in basic math skills.
• Must be capable of operating a cash register.
• Demonstrated ability to use Microsoft Office applications, including Microsoft Word, Outlook, and Excel.

Physical & Work Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This position requires the manual dexterity sufficient to operate phones, computers and other office equipment. The position requires the physical ability to kneel, bend, and perform light lifting. This person must have the ability to write and speak clearly using the English language to convey information and be able to hear at normal speaking levels both in person and over the telephone. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus. Generally, the working conditions are good with little or no exposure to extremes in health, safety hazards and/or hazardous materials.