Summary

The position is responsible for planning, coordinating, implementing, and evaluating operational initiatives that support safe, efficient, and standardized outpatient pharmacy services. The incumbent provides leadership and oversight for outpatient pharmacy projects, process improvement initiatives, policy and procedure development, workflow standardization, staff education and competency programs, regulatory compliance activities, and implementation of new operational processes.

Duties

Duties are but not limited to:

1. Outpatient Pharmacy Operational Efficiency

• Leads initiatives to improve efficiency, patient access, service quality, regulatory compliance, and Veteran satisfaction.
• Evaluates workflows and processes to identify improvements in prescription processing, medication access, workload management, communication, and customer service.
• Develops and monitors standardized workflows across all outpatient pharmacies.
• Collaborates with leadership to address workflow challenges and service gaps.
• Assists with initiatives related to prescription processing, refill management, patient communication, medication shortages, discharge prescriptions, mail pharmacy operations, and Community Care prescriptions.
• Analyzes operational metrics and feedback to recommend process improvements.

2. Project Management and Strategic Initiatives

• Leads operational projects from concept to implementation and evaluation.
• Develops project charters, plans, timelines, communication strategies, and performance measures.
• Coordinates multidisciplinary workgroups and monitors project progress.
• Supports local, VISN, and national initiatives affecting outpatient pharmacy operations.
• Facilitates stakeholder engagement and change management.
• Evaluates project outcomes and coordinates pilot programs and operational testing.

3. Policy Development and Workflow Standardization

• Develops, revises, implements, and maintains pharmacy policies, SOPs, workflow maps, job aids, and guidance documents.
• Ensures alignment with VHA directives, accreditation standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Coordinates review and approval processes for policies.
• Standardizes workflows while accounting for site-specific requirements.
• Evaluates compliance and identifies opportunities for improvement.

4. Education, Training, and Competency Management

• Develops and coordinates education and training programs for outpatient pharmacy operations.
• Creates onboarding programs and competency assessment tools.
• Coordinates initial, annual, and remedial competency assessments.
• Provides education on new workflows, policy updates, operational initiatives, medication safety, and regulatory requirements.
• Maintains training records and evaluates program effectiveness.
• Promotes continuous learning and staff development.

5. Quality Improvement, Regulatory Compliance, and Performance Management

• Leads and participates in performance improvement initiatives.
• Conducts audits, workflow assessments, and compliance reviews.
• Assists with accreditation surveys and regulatory assessments.
• Collaborates with Quality Management and Patient Safety to address operational risks.
• Participates in root cause analyses and corrective actions.
• Monitors performance measures and develops recommendations for improvement.
• Supports medication safety, Veteran experience, and operational reliability.

6. Communication, Collaboration, and Stakeholder Engagement

• Maintains effective relationships with staff and stakeholders.
• Serves as liaison for outpatient pharmacy operations and process improvement.
• Facilitates meetings and collaborative discussions.
• Communicates operational information clearly and provides consultation on workflow design and policy interpretation.
• Develops communication plans and responds to stakeholder inquiries.
• Promotes collaboration, accountability, transparency, and shared ownership of outcomes.

7. Clinical Functions

• Conducts drug therapy monitoring, including assessment of appropriateness, allergies, therapeutic duplication, adherence, interactions, and clinical/lab data.
• Monitors controlled substance utilization and intervenes where abuse potential is demonstrated.
• Performs medication reconciliation and patient education.
• Addresses medication-related issues and promotes cost-effective care.

8. Other Assigned Duties

• Maintains proficiency in key operational areas and serves as backup pharmacist as needed.
• Oversees pharmacy technical staff work.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday (8:00 AM-4:30 PM); Tour may be further adjusted or extended (including holiday/weekend) to meet patient care needs.

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 56012F

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

HPTs who are on track to graduate/complete the requirements should respond as if they have met the requirements. Provide details in the narrative sections of the assessment.

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: Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).
• Education: (1) Graduate of an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredited College or School of Pharmacy with a baccalaureate degree in pharmacy (BS Pharmacy) and/or a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree. Verification of approved degree programs may be obtained from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, 20 North Clark Street, Suite 2500, Chicago, Illinois [redacted]; phone: [redacted], or through their Web site at: http://www.acpe-accredit.org/. (NOTE: Prior to 2005 ACPE accredited both baccalaureate and Doctor of Pharmacy terminal degree program. Today the sole degree is Doctor of Pharmacy.)
• (2) Graduates of foreign pharmacy degree programs meet the educational requirement if the graduate is able to provide proof of achieving the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Commission (FPGEC) Certification, which includes passing the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination (FPGEE) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT)
• Licensure: Full, current and unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States (i.e., Puerto Rico), or the District of Columbia. The pharmacist must maintain current registration if this is a requirement for maintaining full, current, and unrestricted licensure. A pharmacist who has, or has ever had, any license(s) revoked, suspended, denied, restricted, limited, or issued/placed in a probationary status may be appointed only in accordance with the provisions in VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section B, paragraph 16. (Exception: Non-licensed pharmacists who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment at the entry level as a Graduate Pharmacist under the authority of 38 U.S.C. a7 7405(c)(2)(B). The appointing official may waive the requirement of licensure for a period not to exceed 2 years for a pharmacist that provides care under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist. For grade levels above the GS-11, the candidate must be licensed.)
• Exception: Non-licensed pharmacists who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment at the entry level as a Graduate Pharmacist under the authority of 38 U.S.C. a7 7405(c)(2)(B). The appointing official may waive the requirement of licensure for a period not to exceed 2 years for a pharmacist that provides care under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist. For grade levels above the GS-11, the candidate must be licensed.

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).

GS-13: Facility Program Manager-Experience. In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.

Assignments. Candidates at this grade level are to be in one of the assignments listed below. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.

Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following KSAs:

a. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions.

b. Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area.

c. Ability to solve problems, coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise.

d. Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy.

e. Advanced skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.

Facility Program Manager. Manages all aspects of a distinct program to include policy development, quality resources and specialty functions unique to the program to optimize cost effectiveness (budget) and patient outcomes. Coordinates a single program area of a complex pharmacy operation, or multiple program areas within a facility to develop, organize, manage, and control complex pharmacy programs. Develops, organizes, coordinates and manages 6 single or multiple program areas within the medical facility; this may include a single program area at multiple facilities. The Program Manager title is reserved for those individuals who have one or more of the following: supervisory responsibilities for various sections within Pharmacy Service; a complex program requiring coordination of multiple locations such as medical center care facilities, Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs), rural health, telemedicine, etc; specialized areas of a complex nature such as nuclear pharmacy, quality assurance, pharmacy informatics, clinical applications coordinator, Home Based Primary Care, pharmacoeconomist or liaison pharmacist duties requiring the coordination of processes with other medical facilities or VISNs. Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the KSAs identified in subparagraph 3b(3)(b)1 above.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience leading quality improvement and patient safety initiatives that incorporate staff education.
• Proven ability to evaluate automated systems and operational workflows.
• Strong capability to independently plan, organize, and perform data collection, interpretation, and analysis.
• Skilled in identifying and resolving issues, including recommending alternative approaches or corrective actions.
• Comprehensive understanding of Department of Veterans Affairs and VA North Texas Health Care System policies and procedures.
• Proficient in performing data analytics, including querying, extracting, cleaning, and organizing information from key pharmacy databases to inform workflow and operational recomme