Pharmacist (Facility Program Manager - Pharmacy Benefits Manager)

The VA Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS) has an immediate opening for a Pharmacist Program Manager - Pharmacy Benefits Manager to work at the Palo Alto Division. The Pharmacy Benefits Manager (PBM) position is a unique leadership position within Pharmacy Service that manages programs, not people and is unique to VA formulary and fiscal management.

The VA Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS) has an immediate opening for a Pharmacist Program Manager - Pharmacy Benefits Manager to work at the Palo Alto Division. The Pharmacy Benefits Manager (PBM) position is a unique leadership position within Pharmacy Service that manages programs, not people and is unique to VA formulary and fiscal management. This Health Care System is a teaching facility affiliated with Stanford University, School of Medicine, and University of the Pacific, School of Pharmacy.

Responsibilities include (but are not limited to):
Leadership duties: serves as a resource throughout the pharmacy service and other clinical services; facilitates and conducts process improvement activities within pharmacy service; all by utilizing effective interpersonal skills, systems thinking approach, flexibility and adaptability, organizational stewardship, technical, leadership and strong communication skills.
Pharmacoeconomic Program Management duties: leads the group of three Pharmacoeconomic Pharmacists in the design, coordination, implementation and management of pharmacy-based programs aimed at optimizing the cost efficiency of selected medications/pharmacotherapy throughout the organization. This includes leading monthly Pharmacoeconomic team meetings; tracking all cost-savings initiatives through to completion and one-year post-implementation outcomes (clinical and financial); tracking all prior authorization drug consults, decision support order sets (DSOS), and medication use criteria for annual review and updates; conducting medication use evaluations including pulling data utilizing SQL; and precepting pharmacy residents (PGY1 and PGY2).
Pharmacy Benefits Management duties: tracks/trends/reports pharmacy budget expenditures monthly; projects and submits next annual pharmacy budget proposal; coordinates/tracks/trends attainment of National and VISN performance measures and metrics with the performance measure champions and provides guidance and mentoring to ensure meeting the metrics; leads the monthly Pharmacy Performance Measure Council (PPMC) meetings; serves as the Executive Secretary of the health care system Medication Management Committee (MMC - aka Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee) by preparing the agenda, minutes and summary, coordinating presentations, providing input/guidance to ensure thorough proposals and follow up to requestors; leads the Pharmacy Leadership pre-MMC meetings to ensure alignment and operations input before the meeting; collaborates with the Pharmacy Informatic Pharmacists and Clinical Applications Coordinators to ensure maintenance of the drug file, medication order sets, progress note templates, pulling data from SQL or fileman, and developing new dashboards where applicable.



Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 10539F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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.
• English Language Proficiency: Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).
• 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. (NOTE: Prior to 2005 ACPE accredited both baccalaureate and Doctor of Pharmacy terminal degree program. Today the sole degree is Doctor of Pharmacy). TRANSCRIPTS MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH APPLICATION.
  • 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). YOU MUST SUBMIT COPY OF FPGEC CERTIFICATION WITH THE APPLICATION PACKAGE.
• 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. A pharmacist who has, or has ever had, any license(s) revoked, suspended, denied, restricted, limited, or issued/placed in a probationary status may be appointed only in accordance with the provisions in VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section B, paragraph 16. YOU MUST SUBMIT A COPY OF CURRENT LICENSE WITH THE APPLICATION PACKAGE.

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 Facility Program Manager
Experience: In addition to the GS-12 requirements, you must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level and must demonstrate the following knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs):

1. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions.
2. Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area.
3. Ability to solve problems, coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise.
4. Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy.
5. Advanced skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters


Preferred Experience: Previous VA work experience in formulary management, Pharmacoeconomics, drug file management strongly preferred.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13.

Physical Requirements: Must pass occupational health requirements. Work requires sitting, walking, standing, bending and lifting/carrying of light items. Extended Periods of working on a computer and being on the telephone.

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/.

• 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.
• 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.

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