Pharmacist - Inpatient Operations Supervisor-Temporary Promotion/Detail (Not to Exceed 120 days) (GS-13)
Veterans Health Administration
Tucson, AZ · $156k–$203k a year · Posted October 23, 2026
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About the job
Summary
The Pharmacy Supervisor is responsible for managing and coordinating the operational activities in the inpatient pharmacy. The Pharmacy Supervisor is responsible for ensuring timely, safe, efficacious, and cost-effective Pharmacy Services. Inpatient pharmacy activities include inpatient order and discharge prescription processing and, when appropriate, dispensing, oversight for the pharmacy services for all areas.
Duties
***This position is a Temporary Promotion/Detail (Not to Exceed 120 days)*** Duties include but not limited to: Advises and supports Pharmacy Leadership in planning department's resource needs of the Inpatient Pharmacy. Submits projects, reports, suspense, standard operating procedures, and medical center policies. Maintains responsibility for the control and utilization of the inpatient pharmacy resources and operates the pharmacy programs within allocated budgets and personnel ceilings. Ensures safe preparation and delivery of compounded sterile products, unit dose and bulk medications and hazardous compounds as outlined in USP 797 and USP 800. Ensures all aspects of drug control, drug accountability and drug security are maximized and comply with medical center and Pharmacy Service policy and procedures and other applicable professional, State, and Federal regulations. Ensures all medical center and department's policies on computer security, physical security of pharmacy areas, security of controlled substances and confidentiality of sensitive patient information are adhered to by inpatient pharmacy employees. Contributes to the development and implementation of ongoing quality improvement plans for monitoring the outcome of direct patient care activities. Responsible for operational effectiveness of inpatient pharmacy programs, including the timely, safe, efficient, and cost-effective delivery of drug therapy with minimum risk or adverse effects to the Veterans. Maintains a safe, timely, efficient, and cost-effective drug distribution and inventory management system in inpatient pharmacy. Provides leadership and oversight for the procurement process. Develops and maintains written policies and procedures governing safe dispensing of drugs and biologicals. Provides oversight and management for pharmacy automation in the inpatient pharmacy. Serves as a supervisor for the inpatient pharmacy technician supervisor, inpatient pharmacists, and technicians. Has oversight for the training and practice of trainees in the inpatient pharmacy including residents, students, and volunteers. Appraises performance, assesses competency, and provides ongoing staff development for employees. Recruits and selects qualified individuals to supervise cross-functional teams within medical facility Supervises the implementation of service level programs, including operational, educational, and research activities. Ensures all inpatient pharmacy personnel mandatory training and certification is maintained and completed. Develops goals, position descriptions, functional statements, and performance standards for those employees under their direct supervision. Interviews employment candidates, conducts performance reviews, recommends appointments, special advances, within grade increases or disciplinary action. Develops, establishes, and maintains written policies and procedures defining operational requirements. Promotes a patient-focused, team-based multi-disciplinary, model of pharmaceutical care to promote drug prescribing, medication monitoring, and drug laboratory review ensures positive outcomes from medication use. Works to develop and maintain a system which aids pharmacists in identifying actual or potential drug-related problems at the front end of the order thereby eliminating duplication of efforts, reducing medication errors, and increasing patient satisfaction. Ensures pharmacists provide medication counseling by verifying patient understanding of the medication, proper medication use, expected outcomes, how to obtain medication refills. Participates in the provision of pharmaceutical care support services as required including drug distribution, drug information, database management, and documentation of interventions. Ensures staff understand how to report actual and/or potential medication errors and adverse events and participates in quality improvement initiatives to promote patient safety. Identifies and plans for continuing education and staff development needs of inpatient pharmacy staff. Maintains clinical expertise in the delivery of pharmaceutical care, particularly in inpatient pharmacy practice. Serves as preceptor for the Doctor of Pharmacy Students, and residents for both administrative and clinical learning experiences. Ensures employees meet all mandatory training requirements. Ensure all policies and procedures are developed and implemented for the proper handling; storage, record keeping and dispensing of investigational drugs. Advises inpatient staff regarding conduct of research activities involving investigational drugs. VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:00AM - 4:30 PM Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
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. 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. 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. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) OR, 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). (DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED) 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. (COPY OF LICENSE REQUIRED) English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d) 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-13 Pharmacy Supervisor Experience: One year experience at the next lower level and must fully meet the KSAs at the next lower level. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical KSAs and the potential to acquire the assignment specific KSAs designated by an asterisk (*): Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Ability to effectively supervise subordinate staff. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions. Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards pertaining to pharmacy. Skill in managing people or programs. AND At least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11), or completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program and meet the following Knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs):Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Knowledge of professional pharmacy practice. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to both patients and health care staff. Knowledge of laws, regulations, and accreditation standards related to the distribution and control of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs and pharmacy security. Skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Work includes some walking, standing, bending, and carrying light items such as paper and books. Most of the work is performed while seated.
Requirements
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 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.
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/.
How you will be evaluated
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.
How to apply
All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 10/30/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13099944. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
Other information
Receiving Service Credit for 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.