Contract Inpatient Coder Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

Summary
GS-9 Pharmacy Technician (Lead Procurement) functions in various areas of the pharmacy, e.g. inpatient pharmacy, outpatient pharmacy (East and West campuses), chemotherapy infusion center, clinics, emergency department, surgery, wards, various storage areas, offices, and other patient care areas, under the supervision of the Supervisory Pharmacy Procurement Manager.
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Duties
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VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws
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Functions or Scope of Practice
-The incumbent has delegated Contracting Officers responsibilities that encompass micro purchases not to exceed $10,000 and prime vendor procurements in accordance with established contracts.
-The incumbent is responsible for the coordinating of procurement and the reconciliation of all micro-purchases. These duties require daily maintenance of accounts and close coordination with the business office.
-Incumbent serves as the main point of contact in establishing prime vendor programs and coordinates Pharmacy Department efforts. This action includes the inventorying, order placement, and receipt/verification of products obtained. Individual is responsible for any prime vendor catalogue maintenance required in order to submit prime vendor orders.
-The incumbent is responsible for initiating requests, market research to obtain necessary information required for approval, and procurement at the small procurement or contract service center.
-Individual must maintain a cooperative working relationship with the VA Great Lakes Acquisition Center (GLAC).
-Maintenance and adherence to a drug and supply inventory system to ensure that the inpatient and outpatient pharmacies maintain adequate functions. Maintaining appropriate inventory levels has a significant impact on the ability of the department to manage funding resources that have been provided for procurement of pharmaceuticals.
-The incumbent will be required to follow-up on delinquent deliveries, addresses all overages, shortages, damages, performance, and reconciliation processes. Incumbent is responsible for the reporting of product in the facility affected by FDA Drug Recalls. Serves as a resource regarding drug contract, source, and availability information for pharmacy staff, Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee and pharmaceutical representatives.
-The employee assures procurement actions are executed in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and VA Acquisition Regulations (VAAR), and any applicable DoD regulations or requirements.
-Incumbent is a purchase card holder and complies with all the acquisition regulations, including Federal, VA, and local FHCC to include 8A, small business, Javits Wagner O-Day Act, and mandatory sources. Makes individual purchases not exceeding the current authorization, unless specifically authorized to do so by the VISN Head of the Contracting Authority (HCA). Reconciles purchase card charges within the established time limits.
-Independently assures that VA national procurement contracts are followed, coordinating vendor changes with other pharmacy staff.
Property Management
-Incumbent is delegated the authority to exercise control over subsistence, expendable, and non-expendable property. Ensures that proper procedures are followed and carried out in accordance with established regulations and policies toward the classification and disposal of property, cataloging, recalls, exchange/sales, and consolidated memorandum receipts (CMR), Equipment Inventory Lists (Ells), reports of survey, QI Rs, and excess property.
-Responsible for conducting annual CMR/EIL inventories and ensuring completion by the established anniversary date, in conjunction with FHCC Logistics Department, Facility Support Directorate. Employee is required to reconcile noted deficiencies (changes in location, transfers, etc.) in a timely manner.
-Incumbent is responsible for the initiation of turn-ins which require coordination with Logistics. Classifies and catalogs all requests for equipment prior to submission to the Equipment Committee.
-Ensures proper dissemination of recall information throughout the Pharmacy Department, assisting with the finalization of necessary action.
Inventory Management
-Physical inventory of items utilized by the Pharmacy Department. Must be sensitive to inventory status of the commodity in relationship to changes in demand, funds availability, lead times, or changes in customer patterns. Assist in establishing departmental levels on items maintained in each Pharmacy.
-Drug characteristics and nomenclature including generic/chemical and brand names, dosage forms, various systems of weights and measures, drug product codes, drug interchangeability and therapeutic equivalence; characteristics of drug packaging; various uses for drugs; VA and regulatory agency requirements for drug storage; has special requirements for procurement, storage, distribution and handling of various classes of drugs. An advanced technical working knowledge of usage rates, stock levels, inventory maintenance concepts including just-in-time inventory and inventory turns, equipment utilized for procurement, contract adherence sources is also required.
Work Schedule: 0800-1630
Compressed/Flexible:N/A
Telework: Ad Hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 05464F
Requirements
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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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
• 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.
English Language Proficiency: Pharmacy Technician candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
Certification: The employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either:
(a) PTCB as a CPhT.
OR,
(b) NHA as a ExCPT.
A COPY OF YOUR CERTIFICATION MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH YOUR APPLICATION.
Assignment: Pharmacy technicians (procurement/inventory) at this level require independent technical judgement and expertise. They serve as the lead ordering officer for pharmacy service, providing guidance to lower-level procurement ordering officers. These individuals have extensive knowledge of VA policy concerning drug procurement, security and compliance with ordering officer requirements and regulatory areas (including, but not limited to, Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) per FDA regulations, recalls, return goods, open market, drug accountability, etc.). Pharmacy technicians maintain all records of pharmacy inventory for drug accountability, DSCSA per VHA policy and all other Federal regulations. Pharmacy technicians (procurement/inventory) perform a wide range of duties providing oversight on all pharmacy inventory to ensure standard operating procedures are followed and appropriate ordering and stock levels are maintained so patient care is not impaired. They stay within budgetary requirements, comply with contracts while maintaining inventory to meet or exceed the national average performance. They are accountable for pharmacy inventory management in areas such as regulatory and VHA formulary requirements, quality standards and official VA policies/procedures within the inventory management specialized area, conforming to pharmacy legal and professional requirements.
In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements listed above, you must meet the following:
GS-9 Pharmacy Technician Grade Determinations:
Experience. Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-8). One year of experience as a Certified Pharmacy Technician.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA):
GS-8
1. Comprehensive knowledge of concepts, principles, methodology and policies in a specialized area or section of pharmacy (such as sterile compounding, controlled substances, automation, clinical pharmacy, contact center, etc.) Note: See Specialized Area.in the Definitions Section.
2. Skill in training and orienting new and existing pharmacy facility employees and students on proper policies and procedures.
3. Ability to evaluate, analyze and coordinate workflow and work activities within a specialized area or section of the pharmacy.
In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following GS-9 KSAs:
1. 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.).
2. Skill in analyzing data for self-driven (independent) performance improvement projects, workload analysis and statistical reports.
3. Skill in solving problems and implementing corrective actions to maximize outcomes in their program area.
4. 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).
5. Ability to develop training programs and material for orientation, competency development and educational needs for regulatory requirements within the specialized pharmacy program area.
6. 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).
7. 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.
8. 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.
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
The full performance level of this vacancy is 09. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is 09.
Physical Requirements: Refence VA Directive and Handbook 5019
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
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 on