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Summary Syracuse VA Medical Center is currently recruiting for the position of Chief, Pharmacy Service. The incumbent must be a licensed pharmacist with previous management experience. The Chief is responsible for all aspects of pharmacy services at the medical center by maintaining effective interdepartmental relationships, demonstrating active problem resolution skills and close cooperation with other programs and services in accomplishing the medical facility mission and goals. Responsibilities Major Duties include but are not limited to: Program Management. Prime responsibility for providing pharmaceutical services to the veteran patients served by this medical center and for the professional and administrative activities supporting these services. Establishes short and long range planning objectives for Pharmacy Service consistent with good patient care and with the mission, vision, and values of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the health care system. Establish and updates policies and procedures. Policies and procedures cover the full range of professional, clinical, and administrative pharmacy practices required to meet the scope, variety, and intensity of demands of this health care system. Must comply with federal and state laws, the standards of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and requirements of systematic review programs. Prepares projections and justification for budgetary, personnel, arid space requirements for the service, considering the changing and expanding role of pharmacy and the long-range goals of the health care system. Plans and implements the structure and organization of the service, effectively aligning the types and numbers of authorized positions. Staffing provides 24-hour coverage for inpatient and 10-12 hour coverage for outpatient. Develops new clinical programs, the maintenance of appropriate quality patient care and in providing quality assurance assessments and medication usage evaluation, through performance improvement quality assurance programs. Participates as a member of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee. Assures the maintenance, distribution and timeliness of formulary of therapeutic and diagnostic agents, selected by the Committee. Administrative/ Supervision Directly supervises or oversees the supervision of the pharmacy staff, which includes pharmacy supervisors, clinical pharmacy specialists, clinical pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy residents & students and administrative support staff. Assures that personnel are scheduled in such a way as to provide consistency of coverage and to accommodate planned leave and promote employee morale. Analyzes work measurement data. Recruits, interviews and selects suitable personnel, in collaboration with Human Resources. Maintains an effective liaison with all professional and administrative disciplines within the health care system. Works cooperatively with other health care system managers. Maintains effective relationships with Veterans Service Officers, Congressional liaisons, and service organizations to resolve problems and improve services. Controls and accounts for all regulated substances in Pharmacy. Provides advice, counsel and instruction to individual supervisors and employees, concerning both work and administrative matters. Serves on Medical Center committees. Establishes, controls, and monitors the inventory levels and turn-over rate of pharmacy supplies. Reviews the distribution of these supplies to patients, nursing units and clinics for their timely distribution and appropriate use. Documents expenditures, buying trends, workload fluctuations and conditions affecting these costs. Develops and documents employee performance. Evaluates work performance of employees under his/her supervision. Provides disciplinary action when necessary. Resolves employee conflicts and complaints. Education Ensures orientation, training, and continuing education programs are established. Promotes staff development and training programs that improve the proficiency and performance of all levels of pharmacy personnel. Provide oversight to affiliated training programs for pharmacy students, fellows, clerks, and interns. Provide oversight to the ASHP Accredited Pharmacy Residency Program(s). Research Assure all active research protocols follow FDA, and local policies and procedures as approved by the Medical Centers Investigational Review Board. Oversees for the custody, dispensing and maintenance of investigational drugs in clinical stages of evaluation. Ensures the maintenance of the records of receipts and dispensing of such drugs. Cooperate with the professional staff in providing available drug information. Maintains a file of pertinent data on research drugs. Customer Service Actively supports the meeting of customer service by fostering an atmosphere that continually puts customers' expectations into defined roles for each employee. Effectively uses care line improvement teams to evaluate customer relations and to bridge the gap between concept and reality. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 0730 - 1600 Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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 dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. 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 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. 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 60602-5109; phone: (312) 664-3575, 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 2 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. NOTE: Individuals who have or have had multiple licenses and had any such license revoked for professional misconduct, professional incompetence or substandard care, or who surrendered such license after receiving written notice of potential termination of such licens e by the State for professional misconduct, professional incompetence, or substandard care, are not eligible for appointment to the position unless such revoked or surrendered license is fully restored (38 U.S.C. 7402(f)). Effective November 30, 1999, this is a requirement for employment. This requirement does not apply to licensed pharmacists on VA rolls as of that date, provided they maintain continuous appointment and are not disqualified for employment by any subsequent revocations or voluntary surrenders of State license, registration or certification. 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). Grade Determinations GS-15: Experience: In addition to the GS-14 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. Grade Level Criteria. At the GS-15 level, Chiefs of Pharmacy must meet the following: 1. Individuals are assigned as Chiefs of Pharmacy at Complexity Level 1a, 1b or 1c VHA facilities; Demonstrated KSAs. The KSAs shown below apply to all assignments at this grade level, and the specific KSAs designated by an asterisk (*) apply to assignment 1 and 2. 1. Skill in persuading others and gaining cooperation to accomplish goals. 2. Ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing regarding complex clinical and technical issues. 3. Skill in utilizing regulatory and quality standards to develop and implement operational programs. 4. Skill in managing multiple people or programs. *5. Skill in utilizing available resources to support the missions and goals of the organization. *6. Ability to plan, organize and direct the functions of the pharmacy staff 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. Service Chief. Responsible for all aspects of pharmacy services at a medical facility by maintaining effective interdepartmental relationships demonstrating active problem resolution skills and close cooperation with other programs and services in accomplishing the medical facility mission and goals. Responsible for budget management, determining resource needs, allocating resources, ensuring proper utilization in productivity, efficiency, and cost effectiveness of the operation. Formulates objectives and priorities and implements plans consistent with the long term interest of the organization, capitalizing on opportunities and managing risks. Responsible for compliance with all safety, regulatory, and accrediting body requirements. Delegates authority to several supervisory and program levels to meet the goals of the service and staff. Ensures orientation and training programs are established to ensure staff development, oversees academic affiliations, and participates in medical facility, VISN, National, other external governmental agencies, and professional associations Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. 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 Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.