Purchasing Agent (Prosthetics)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Asheville (NC); On-site; USD 42,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation incentive

Recruitment incentive

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs seeks a Purchasing Agent (Prosthetics) to handle direct medical supply purchasing and inventory management for Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Services for Veterans.

The role involves selecting, acquiring, storing, and distributing materials and equipment, with duties including market research, record keeping, and coordination with multiple offices. Office-based schedule with potential relocation/incentives.

Qualifications

• One year of specialized experience at GS-4 level or equivalent.
• Education can substitute for experience per the GS guidelines.

Responsibilities

• Procurements within simplified acquisition threshold via open-market methods.
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• Coordinate with offices to obtain information for purchase requests.
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• Maintain procurement records.

Skills

Procurement

Supply chain management

Communication skills

Organizational skills

MS Word

MS Excel

Education

4 years of education above high school

Tools

MS Word

MS Excel

Inventory systems

Job description

Summary

The purpose of this position is to perform direct medical supply purchasing and inventory management support to the administrative and clinical services of the VA to initiate the obligation for all related requirements necessary to provide Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Services - to include durable medical equipment and supplies directly to Veterans.

Summary

The purpose of this position is to perform direct medical supply purchasing and inventory management support to the administrative and clinical services of the VA to initiate the obligation for all related requirements necessary to provide Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Services - to include durable medical equipment and supplies directly to Veterans.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 10/15/2026. 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-5 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-04. For a GS-6 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: GS-05 GRADE REQUIREMENTS GS-05 Specialized Experience: Applicants must possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped them with the particular knowledge - skills - and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position - and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. To be creditable - this experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-4 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes ; Selects - acquires - stores - and distributes resources such as materials - equipment - or money; Works and communicates with clients and customers; organizational and communication skills; utilizing computerized systems and Microsoft Office software programs such as MS Word and Excel. 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 SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE (Transcript Required): Successful completion of (4) years of education above the high school level. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business - secretarial or technical school - junior college - college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. 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 - secretarial or technical school. OR COMBINING EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE (Transcript Required): Combination of successfully completed post high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e. - beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. GS-06 GRADE REQUIREMENTS GS-06 Specialized Experience: Applicants must possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped them with the particular knowledge - skills - and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position - and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. To be creditable - this experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-5 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes: Experience in purchasing - procurement - or supply chain management within a healthcare or prosthetics context; Conducts market research in determining appropriate source for procurement; Makes purchases of equipment - commodities and services using standard methods; reconciles charge to appropriate purchase; utilizing automated computerized supply/inventory management systems and Microsoft Office software programs such as MS Word and Excel. 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. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary; however - there may be some walking - standing - bending - and carrying of light items such as papers and books. The incumbent's work is normally performed in an office setting utilizing a computer terminal. Incumbent performs job site visits when necessary. 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/.

Duties

• Duties include - but may not be limited to the following: Performs procurements within the simplified acquisition threshold through competitive open-market procedures
• Makes purchases of equipment - commodities and services using standard methods
• Determines any additional information needed to support or complete purchase requests
• Coordinates with requesting offices to obtain additional information determined necessary to support or complete purchase requests
• Speaks calmly and compassionately to severely disabled patients from all walks of life
• Maintains organized records of procurement packages
• Conducts market research in determining appropriate source for procurement
• Accurately reconciles charge to appropriate purchase
• Work Schedule: 8:00am-4:30pm - Monday-Friday Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Position Description/PD#: Purchasing Agent (Prosthetics)/PD04509A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Incentive of up to 15% of amount of total salary with a 2 year service agreement may be authorized for highly qualified applicants.