Inventory Management Specialist

Summary

The Western NY VA Healthcare system is currently recruiting for one Inventory Management Specialist for the Buffalo location. This position is located in the Supply Chain Management service of the facility. This position serves as an Inventory Manager in the Commodity Management Division of the Logistics Service in the VA Health Care System responsible for the inventory and management of all expendable supplies and durable medical equipment in the assigned area(s).

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Duties

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• Inventory Management and Control: Responsible for the management and control of an assigned class of expendable material; serves as the point of contact for the coordination of material support and resolution of logistic problems; conducts forecasting and quantitative analysis; conducts spot checks; and complies with special requirements for firearms, ammunition, and sensitive equipment.
• Returns, Recalls, and Reutilization: Implements federal and agency programs for the return and reutilization of medical supplies; coordinates disposal of surplus or excess supplies; makes emergent procurement decisions; and participates in root cause analysis process.
• Inventory Analysis and Planning: Conducts short, mid, and long-term advanced planning for expendable items and durable medical equipment; analyzes demand history, program requirements, procurement lead-time, and current stock levels to inform purchasing decisions; proactively engages customers to recommend product changes and substitutions for increased supply economy and efficiency.
• Acquisition and Procurement Support: Develops acquisition strategies and supports standardization initiatives; conducts market research on product pricing and performance; assists customers in creating performance work statements for procurement; independently determines best purchasing and payment methods in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and VA Acquisition Regulations (VAAR).
• Automated Inventory Systems: Utilizes automated inventory management systems (such as General Inventory Package [GIP]) to maintain current inventory data; manages inventory control records; analyzes inventory management reports including due-in, backorder, outdated inventory, and balance reports; assures timely replenishment and expedites urgent requirements.
• Performance Improvement: Compiles and analyzes performance measures; implements process improvements based on supply chain benchmarks and standardization initiatives; conducts effectiveness and efficiency reviews to maximize supply chain efficiencies.
• Stakeholder Coordination and Communication: Coordinates with program managers, clinical staff, and acquisition personnel regarding sources of supply and acceptable substitutions; advises and informs stakeholders concerning the management, control, and accountability of expendable items; prepares submissions to obtain approval and/or funding for national level supply contracts.
• Problem Solving and Issue Resolution: Identifies and rectifies inventory management issues; researches and develops solutions to complex and routine problems; traces sequences of inventory management transactions to resolve questions; formulates improved inventory management procedures and practices.
• Compliance and Safety: Coordinates rotation of emergency caches to prevent expirations and maintain National Emergency Management stock levels; ensures compliance for consignment inventory; carefully handles specialized items requiring temperature control, sterile processing, or refrigeration.
• **Performs other related duties as assigned.

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 (6:00am - 2:30pm)

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Inventory Management Specialist/ PD99823S

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
• 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 ( 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)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period 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 probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/15/2026.

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 for the GS-07 grade level based on your experience and/or education as described below:

Specialized Experience: 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.
• Supporting acquisition strategies to purchase durable medical equipment.
• Utilizing federal and agency programs for the return and reutilization of medical supplies.
• Applying inventory best practices and supply system performance methodologies.
• Serving as a point of contact for coordinating material support and resolving logistics issues.

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 one full year of graduate-level education or Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) based on your bachelor's degree. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

OR,

Combination: Applicants may combinespecialized experience and graduate-level education beyond the bachelor's degree to meet the GS-07 qualification requirements. Only graduate education may be used in combination. When combined, the total percentage of experience and education must equal at least 100% of the qualification requirements. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

You may qualify for the GS-09 grade level based on your experience and/or education as described below:

Specialized Experience: One (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. Specialized experience includes:

• Managing a wide variety of expendable items and durable medical equipment.
• Developing and supporting acquisition strategies for purchasing DME.
• Implementing federal and agency programs for the return and reutilization of medical supplies.
• Applying supply chain principles and methodologies to evaluate system performance.
• Serving as a point of contact for coordinating material support and resolving 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 successfully completed 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., if related that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

OR,

Combination: Applicants may combine specialized experience and graduate-level education to meet GS-09 qualifications. Only graduate education in excess of one full year (18 semester hours or equivalent) may be used toward a combination. When combined, the total percentage must equal at least 100% of the qualification requirements. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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: 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:

Additional information

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.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.