Purchasing Agent

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Spokane (WA); On-site; USD 52,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

The US Department of Veterans Affairs in Spokane, WA seeks a Purchasing Agent for the Logistics Service within the VA Health Care System. The role supports procurement of supplies and services, coordinates with medical staff, and uses MS Word/Excel and procurement systems.

Minimum qualifications include GS-05/06 criteria or approved educational routes with transcript requirements. Applicants must meet the detailed qualification standards, including education or experience, and provide complete

Qualifications

• One year of specialized experience at GS-04 level in the Federal service.
• Experience includes providing clerical or assistant support for purchasing and procurement activities.
• Education options include four years of education above high school in any field.
• Combination of education and experience allowed with credit for excess education.
• Resume must show complete information for each job entry with dates and duties.

Responsibilities

• Support purchasing and procurement activities for supplies, equipment, and services.
• Assist with determining purchasing requirements and priorities with medical staff.
• Track purchases, deliveries, and related documentation using procurement systems.

Skills

Procurement knowledge

MS Word

MS Excel

Clerical experience

Education

4 years higher education

Tools

Purchase Card

Job description

The position serves as a Purchasing Agent for the Logistics Service in a Veteran Affairs Health Care System (VA HCS) and supported catchment area located in Spokane, WA.

Minimum Requirement:

The following are minimum requirements for appointment as a Purchasing Agent in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which all applicants must met.

Specialized Experience (GS-05):

You must have one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 level in the Federal service that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of a Purchasing Agent, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. Specialized experience includes: providing clerical or assistant support for purchasing and procurement activities; assisting with the acquisition of supplies, equipment, and services to support organizational operations; gathering and reviewing information to determine purchasing requirements; maintaining procurement and supply records and files; tracking purchase requests, orders, deliveries, and related documentation; utilizing automated supply, inventory, or procurement systems to enter, retrieve, and update information; and preparing routine correspondence, reports, and spreadsheets using Microsoft Office software programs such as MS Word and Excel. (CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.)

~OR~

Education (GS-05):

Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 4 years of successfully completed education above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. NOTE: One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business or technical school. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.)

~OR~

Combination (GS-05):

Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education as described above. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.)

Specialized Experience (GS-06):

You must have one (1) full year of specialized experience 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 a Purchasing Agent, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. Specialized experience includes: 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; and 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. (CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.)

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/.

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.