Supervisory Pharmacy Technician

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Chelmsford (MA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs – VHA CMOP seeks a Supervisor Pharmacy Technician to lead non-pharmacist staff and volunteers, oversee personnel and work assignments, and supervise scheduling, time-and-attendance, and quality assurance activities in a busy pharmacy setting.

The role requires strong leadership, coordination across teams, adherence to regulatory standards, and certification requirements for higher grades.

Qualifications

• U.S. Citizenship is required; non-citizens allowed only as per VA policy.
• English proficiency in speaking and writing.
• Certification: active national certification (PTCB/CPhT or ExCPT) for higher grade levels.
• Grandfathering Provision applies to current VHA employees in this occupation at the time of qualification standard.

Responsibilities

• Supervise and provide oversight of all Pharmacy non-pharmacist staff and volunteers.
• Oversee personnel and work assignments, including scheduling and time-and-attendance.
• Ensure completion of pharmacy workload and adherence to quality assurance activities.

Skills

Staff supervision

Scheduling

Quality assurance

Team leadership

Regulatory compliance

Job description

This position is located within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP). The Supervisor Pharmacy Technician is responsible for the supervision of all Pharmacy non-pharmacist technical staff and volunteers.

This position supervises and provides oversight to manage personnel and work assignments which assures completion of pharmacy workload such as personnel scheduling, time-and-attendance, and oversight for quality assurance activities.

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. Pharmacy Technician candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• Education or Experience: 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).
  • None required.
  • For all grade levels and positions that accept both education and experience to qualify, equivalent combinations of qualifying education and experience that total at least 100% are qualifying. The combined percentage is determined by adding total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level to the education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level.
• Certification (GS-8 and above): For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either:
  • Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) OR
  • National Health Career Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT).

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).

Grandfathering Provision. A Pharmacy Technician employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (11/7/2023) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:

• Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level or changed to lower grade within the occupation but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
• Employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification/ registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/ certification/registration requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels.
• Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
• Employees who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation.
• Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.

Grade Determinations (GS-09)

1. Experience: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-09 you must possess at least one year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, (GS-08).

2. Certification: For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either:

• Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) OR
• National Health Career Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT)

3. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical KSAs and meet any additional KSAs for the assignment, if indicated:

• Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees, team leaders and managers.
• Ability to utilize staffing methodology principles to determine adequate staffing to coordinate and manage workflow and work activities within pharmacy.
• Knowledge of pharmaceutical and supply inventory requirements to ensure compliance with regulations and national/audit/inspections (e.g., financial regulations, The Joint Commission, Inspector General, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, DEA, USP 797/800, FDA 503A/B).
• Knowledge of clinical specifications, characteristics and ordering processes of a wide variety of soft prosthetics and supply items (e.g., catheters, colostomy, ileostomy and urostomy supply and associated products) that technicians procure to dispense to Veterans in the outpatient pharmacy setting.
• Expert knowledge serving as a key resource advising others in their particular specialty area or section of the pharmacy (such as procurement, sterile compounding (USP compounding standards), controlled substances DEA, automation, clinical pharmacy, lead tech, contact center, etc.).
• Skill in managing specialized programs related to inventory including, but not limited to, specialty medications and supplies, All Hazards Emergency Cache Program, recalls reverse distribution and pharmaceutical waste.
• Skill in analyzing data for self-driven (independent) performance improvement projects, workload analysis and statistical reports.
• Skill in solving problems and implementing corrective actions to maximize outcomes in their program area.
• Ability to maintain special accreditations and prepare for national reviews/inspections (e.g., The Joint Commission, Inspector General, American Society of Health System Pharmacists, controlled substance inspections).
• Ability to develop training programs and material for orientation, competency development and educational needs for regulatory requirements within the specialized pharmacy program area.

Preferred Experience

• Experience working collaboratively with interdepartmental internal customers to resolve workflow issues, support operational needs, and ensure effective communication across departments.
• Experience creating, updating, or enforcing pharmacy procedures (SOPs), providing training to pharmacy technicians, assessing competencies, and ensuring staff adherence to established standards.
• Experience leading pharmacy technicians, assigning and reviewing work, managing workflow, providing performance feedback, and supporting operational effectiveness within a pharmacy setting.
• Demonstrating ability to oversee and maintain compliance with federal, VA, Joint Commission, and other regulatory requirements; conducting audits, inspections, quality assurance checks, and safety monitoring to support a compliant pharmacy operation.

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

Physical Requirements

Work is performed in a highly mechanized warehouse setting around production machinery. Moderate noise and traffic require attention to safety. Some work areas involve a moderate risk requiring exercise of safety precautions when operating or working around the automated equipment (i.e., accumulators, moving belts, etc.). Appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is mandatory when handling specific medications and in certain areas of production or assignment. The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion and activity, involving standing for prolonged periods of time on hard surfaces, lifting/carrying/pushing/pulling of pharmaceutical supplies weighing up to 50 lbs. unassisted and bending/twisting/stooping/reaching.