Inventory Management Specialist- (TCF ) Technical Career Field Intern

The Technical Career Field (TCF) Internship is a national workforce development program within VHA that was designed to replenish technical staff in critically identified positions. The TCF for the Inventory Management Specialist position is designed to develop new talent and train the incumbent on a career path from GS-05 ( entry level ) to a GS-09 ( full performance level ). The intern will receive on the job training and mentoring from an approved preceptor while earning a paycheck.

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/22/2023.

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.
GS-05: Candidates may be advanced without time restriction to positions up to GS-5 if the position to be filled is no more than two grades above the lowest grade the employee held within the preceding 52 weeks under his or her latest non-temporary competitive appointment.
GS-07: You must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05.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.
GS-09: 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.
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.

GRADE DETERMINATION: You must qualify based on education and/or general or specialized experience for each grade level as described below:

GRADE DETERMINATION: GS-05- Entry Level; General Experience or Education

• Education:4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree.
• OR,
• General Experience: 3 years of progressively responsible experience, 1 year of which was equivalent to at least GS-4, that demonstrates the ability to:

1. Analyze problems to identify significant factors, gather pertinent data, and recognize solutions;
2. Plan and organize work; and
3. Communicate effectively orally and in writing.

• Specialized Experience: You must have one full 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.
• OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the experience required. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 1 full year of graduate level education
  or
  Superior Academic Achievement. ( See the Education section below for details. )
• 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 a bachelors degree. The education and experience must be directly related to the work of the position to be filled.

GRADE DETERMINATION: GS-09-Full Performance Level; Specialized Experience and/or Education

• Specialized Experience: You must have one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 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.
• OR,
• Master's or equivalent graduate degree
  or
  2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree
  or
  LL.B. or J.D., if related.
• 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 1 year of graduate level education may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-09. The education and experience must be directly related to the work of the position to be filled.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Customer Service
• Distributed Systems
• Manages and Organizes Information
• Planning and Evaluating
• Problem Solving
• Reasoning
• Technical Competence

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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. 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.

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/.
Promotion Potential : The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-09. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-05 to GS-09.

Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion, such as long periods of standing, walking, bending, stooping, reaching, and similar activities in and around storage areas.

Work Environment: The work is performed in settings in which there is regular and recurring exposure to moderate discomforts and unpleasantness such as high levels of noise in vendor plants, high temperatures in warehouses, or adverse weather conditions at open storage sites. The employee may be required to use protective clothing or gear such as protective helmets, masks, gowns, coats, boots, goggles, gloves, or shields. Similarly, employees may be required to follow special precautions when working around storage areas containing explosives, corrosives, or highly combustible materials.

Responsibilities:

This is a very exciting opportunity for the right candidate to learn all aspects of Forecasting and Computing Quantitative Levels, Acquisition Support, Budget Input, Requisitioning , Return and Reutilization.

The TCF career fields represent those technical fields where VA-specific knowledge and experience is desirable for success in the field. Individuals selected follow a formal training plan for two years during which they are trained, coached, and supervised by a preceptor. Preceptors are selected annually, through an extensive application process, for their technical expertise, their commitment to training and the suitability of their facility as a training location. *Selectees will be required to sign Mobility, Training, and Continued Service Agreements.

This is a developmental position leading to a GS-09, performing assignments intended to broaden skills and provide practical experience leading to progressively more complex assignments performed under progressively less supervision. 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.

The duties listed encompass the entry level up to the full performance level, they include but are not limited to the following:

• Maintain perpetual inventory records (property book) of non-expendable and expendable property for the organization serviced.
• Perform recurring duties concerned with preparing, maintaining, and publishing agency stock lists.
• Examine items received; note overages, shortages, or any damages incurred in shipping; and prepare detailed reports as required.
• Circulate notifications of excess property available for other serviced units, prepare transfer documents according to prescribed procedures.
• Inspect storage areas and recommend replenishment of items when quantity appears low, review requisitions and revise quantities ordered based on the number of items on hand.
• Manages and controls an assigned class of expendable material for a VA HCS and supported catchment area.
• 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.
• 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.
• Assures that replenishment orders are approved and released in a timely manner by reviewing requisitions, documents, and other related reference material.
• Acts as a central point of contact for the coordination of commodity support and the resolution of logistics problems across organizational lines.
• Ability to search for and analyze information; trace sequences of inventory management transactions to resolve questions; prepare entries for records systems; provide supply information, reports and services; and recommend actions to eliminate problems involved in delivering services to inventory customers or in implementing policies.
• Ability to use websites to research problem items, create and maintain inventory records, complete and print stored electronic forms, complete required training and determine acquisition methods, sufficient to perform inventory management duties and responsibilities.
• Conducts wall-to-wall and periodic inventories on own initiative to identify potential shrinkage issues or other supply chain discrepancies.
• Analyzes data to include demand history, program requirements, VA HCS operations, procurement lead-time, current stock levels and other factors which impact procurement decisions.
• Utilizes best practices, principles and tools, concepts and methodologies to determine and
  evaluate supply system performance.
• Familiarity with one or more automated supply data bases to enter, correct, and retrieve
  recurring reports and to structure and retrieve specialized reports.
• The ability to use various computer database applications and office software programs for
  various communications.
• Perform a combination of tasks concerned with the receipt, storage, issue, and replenishment of a wide variety of supplies, forms, and publications.

Work schedule: 7:00am-3:30pm Monday-Friday
Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Not Available
Position Description Title/PD#: Inventory Management Specialist- (TCF ) Technical Career Field Intern/PD035970

Salary : $44,057 - $86,780