Inventory Management Specialist

Summary

This position serves as an Inventory Manager Specialist with the Supply Chain Management Department at the Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System (CAVHCS) and supported catchment area, with responsibility for the inventory management of all expendable supplies and durable medical equipment (DME) in the assigned area(s).

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Duties

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Manages and controls an assigned class of expendable material for a VA HCS and supported catchment area. 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. Other major duties include:

• Conducts short, mid and long-term advanced planning for expendable items and DME, utilizing enterprise-wide computerized planning tools.
• 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.
• Performs analytical work to manage, regulate, coordinate, or otherwise exercise control over EX supplies.
• Forecasts short and long range inventory needs considering changes in medical and surgical technologies, clinical scheduling changes and program requirements.
• Participates in VISN and facility strategic planning to support major and minor projects and initiatives, ensuring that supply and DME needs are met while considering cost, policies/procedures, sources of supply and other variables.
• Develops acquisition strategies to acquire and purchase DME, displaying familiarity with contracting laws and regulations with industry practices.
• Manages inventory, independently sets initial stock and par levels and reorder points and resolves issues for a complete medical or service category (i.e., surgical, dental, imaging, engineering, prosthetics, laboratory or other major commodity).
• Authorizes significant changes in expenditure and stock levels based on usage requirements and budgeting considerations.
• Reviews and reports back to Fiscal on listings of delinquent payments and receipts of purchase orders.
• Conducts wall-to-wall and periodic inventories on own initiative to identify potential shrinkage issues or other supply chain discrepancies.
• Performs other related duties as required.

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, 8:00am to 4:30pm

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Inventory Management Specialist/99823-S

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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: Work is normally accomplished in an office setting; however, due to the nature of the position and duties, may be called upon to assist in the receipt, storage and distribution of various supplies, primarily consisting of lifting light boxes generally less than 40 pounds, utilizing appropriate material handing devices, and placing items on shelves or carrying them elsewhere on station or within the catchment area. Must maintain applicable training and licensing to operate assigned equipment.
• 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, 07/27/2026.

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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5 level. 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:

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Plans and reviews all inventory processes, functions, and related systems; Conducts market research on product pricing and performance; Performs analytical work to manage, regulate, coordinate and exercise control over expendable supplies; Coordinates with property managers for disposal of surplus or excess supplies; Maintains inventory control records in an automated system; Researches and develops solutions to complex and routine problems.

OR,

Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one (1) full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement.

OR,

Combination: You must have an combination of specialized experience and education.

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.

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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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.

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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