Purchasing Agent

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Aspinwall (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Pittsburgh, PA seeks a Purchasing Agent within the Logistics Service of the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System.

The role involves acquiring supplies, services, and construction via purchase, rental, or lease through delivery orders and small purchases, with emphasis on policy compliance and efficient procurement processes. The ideal candidate will have experience supporting procurement needs with medical staff, resolving discrepancies, and using MS Word and

Qualifications

• One year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-05 in procurement or purchasing.
• Experience purchasing supplies, services, and equipment through purchase methods including small purchases and purchase cards.
• Experience using MS Word and Excel to assemble reports and summaries.

Responsibilities

• Acquire supplies, services, and construction by purchase, rental, or lease through delivery orders and small purchase procedures.
• Coordinate with medical staff to determine procurement needs and priorities.
• Resolve shipment, payment, or other discrepancies in procurement programs and operations.

Skills

Procurement

MS Word

MS Excel

Vendor coordination

Report generation

Tools

Microsoft Office

Supply management systems

Job description

This position serves as a Purchasing Agent for the Logistics Service within the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System performing work to acquire supplies, services, and construction by purchase, rental, or lease through delivery orders and small purchase procedures. This requires knowledge of policies and procedures for delivery orders, small purchases, commercial supply sources and common business practices related to sales, prices, discounts, units of measurement, deliveries, stocks, and shipments.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/20/2026.

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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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:

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: experience performing clerical or assistant duties in support of purchasing and procurement; procuring supplies and services to meet the purchase, rental, or lease needs of an organization; working with medical staff to determine procurement needs and priorities; resolving a variety of shipment, payment, or other discrepancies in support of procurement programs and operations; purchasing various equipment, supplies, and services through the use of a purchase card; assembling and/or summarizing information from files and documents as required to create reports utilizing automated computerized supply/inventory management systems and Microsoft Office software programs such as MS Word and Excel.

Physical Requirements

Requires some physical effort such as standing, sitting, walking, or bending. There are no special physical demands. The work is performed in an office setting involving everyday risks or discomforts. Normal safety precautions are adequate.

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/.