Summary
This position serves as an Inventory Manager in the Commodity Management Division of the Logistics Service in a Veteran Affairs Health Care System (VA HCS) and supported catchment area - with responsibility for the inventory management of all expendable supplies and durable medical equipment (DME) in the assigned area(s).
Qualifications
To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 10/16/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. The grade may have been in any occupation - but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year - it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade - as required by the announcement. In this instance - you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-07 Specialized Experience: (In addition to meeting time and grade) You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include - but are not limited to: managing a variety of expendable items and durable medical equipment; forecasting short and long range inventory needs; analyzing inventory management reports and the effectiveness of various options proposed to provide supply support; utilizing automated inventory management systems to maintain current inventory data; researching and analyzing information to resolve questions and issues - and implementing federal and agency programs for the return and reutilization of medical supplies. NOTE: Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. OR - Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 1 full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement (SAA) with my bachelor's degree with one of the following: class standing - grade point average and/or membership in a national honor society (a copy of transcripts must be submitted). OR - Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond bachelor's degree (a copy of transcripts must be submitted). GS-09 Specialized Experience: (In addition to meeting time and grade) You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include - but are not limited to: managing a variety of expendable items and durable medical equipment; developing and supporting the creation of acquisition strategies to acquire and purchase durable medical equipment; implementing federal and agency programs for the return and reutilization of medical supplies; utilizing best practices - principles and tools - concepts and methodologies to determine and evaluate supply system performance; and serving as a point of contact for the coordination of material support and the resolution of logistics problems. NOTE: Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. OR - Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. of J.D (a copy of transcripts must be submitted). OR - Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the first year (18 semester hours) may be used to qualify. For more information on these qualification standards - please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.
Duties
- Duties include but are not limited to: Manages and controls an assigned class of expendable material for a VA HCS and supported catchment area
- Recognized as an authority on expendable (EX) commodity management and serves as a subject matter expert to all services and service lines
- Inventories managed include a wide variety of expendable items and durable medical equipment (DME) which may or may not be available through the Medical/Surgical Prime Vendor (MSPV) program or other negotiated or Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contracts
- Acts as a central point of contact for the coordination of commodity support and the resolution of logistics problems across organizational lines
- Acts as a focal point for new EX supply procedures
- Makes decisions and commitments for the medical center on medical/surgical supplies that materially affect the VA HCS' ability to provide medical care to Veterans
- Researches opportunities for and conducts analysis of potential cost savings - efficiencies - and process improvements using quantitative analysis and historical usage patterns
- Utilizes performance measures to conduct forecasting and quantitative analysis
- Develops Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
- Conducts short - mid and long-term advanced planning for expendable items and DME - utilizing enterprise-wide computerized planning tools
- Analyzes data to include demand history - program requirements - VA HCS operations - procurement lead-time - current stock levels and other factors which impact procurement decisions
- Advanced planning requires significant interaction and coordination with service lines - biomedical engineering - and other stakeholders to balance competing priorities including clinical requirements and budget constraints
- Computes requirements for supplies and DME
- Uses a range of well-established and commonly applied inventory principles - standard and non-standard methodologies - and concepts to determine need to intervene in the supply system in response to fluctuations in rates of usage - cost - availability for established suppliers - alternative sources of supply and other similar conditions
- Proactively engages customers to make recommendations for product changes - substitutions - and additions to product lines with a focus on increasing supply economy and efficiency
- Performs analytical work to manage - regulate - coordinate - or otherwise exercise control over EX supplies
- Applies knowledge of systems - techniques and underlying management concepts for determining - regulating and controlling the level and flow of supplies from the initial planning stages with service lines - through procurement - storage - issue - utilization and disposal
- Forecasts short and long range inventory needs considering changes in medical and surgical technologies - clinical scheduling changes and program requirements
- Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory - qualification - and performance requirements are met
- Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level
- Work Schedule: Monday-Friday from 7:00am-3:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position
- Position Description/PD#: Inventory Management Specialist/PD99823S
