Purchasing Agent

Summary

This position serves as a Purchasing Agent for the Logistics Service within the White River Junction VA Medical Center – White River Junction – VT performing work to acquire supplies, services, and construction by purchase, rental, or lease through delivery orders and/or small purchase procedures.

To qualify for this position – applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement – 01/20/2026.

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‑06 position 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. 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.

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: experience performing clerical or assistant duties in support of purchasing and procurement; procuring supplies and services to meet the purchase, rental, or lease needs of an organization;

working with medical staff to determine procurement needs and priorities; resolving a variety of shipment, payment, or other discrepancies in support of procurement programs and operations; purchasing various equipment, supplies, and services through the use of a purchase card; and assembling and/or summarizing information from files and documents as required to create reports utilizing automated computerized supply/inventory management systems and Microsoft Office software programs such as MS Word and Excel.

Competencies for this position: Customer Service (Clerical/Technical);
Decision Making;
Manages and Organizes Information;
Manages Resources;
Reasoning (Clerical/Technical);
Technical Competence. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience – including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, Ameri Corps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, 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.

Physical Requirements:

Requires some physical effort such as standing, sitting, walking, or bending. There are no special physical demands. The work is performed in an office setting involving everyday risks or discomforts. Normal safety precautions are adequate.

• This position utilizes knowledge of policies and procedures for delivery orders and small purchases and knowledge of commercial supply sources and common business practices related to sales, prices, discounts, units of measurement, deliveries, stocks, and shipments.
• The Purchasing Agent maintains responsibility for work leading to the purchase of a wide variety of complex and highly specialized services, supplies, equipment, and systems that support the full range of programs and activities.
• Major duties and responsibilities include:
  Purchasing Support – Conducts purchasing under the micro purchase threshold.
• Reviews and edits purchase requests.
• Resolves issues to ensure requests and bills are processed accurately and in a timely manner.
• Identifies needs or problems and determines corrective action.
• Utilizes…