Purchasing Agent; Prosthetics

Overview

The purpose of the Purchasing Agent is to perform direct medical supply purchasing and inventory management support to the administrative and clinical services of the VA to initiate the obligation for all related requirements necessary to provide prosthetic and sensory aids services - to include durable medical equipment and supplies directly to Veterans.

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 02/03/2026. 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-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. 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:
  
  GS 5 - Possess at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-04) in the Federal Service that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge - skills - and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the GS-05 Purchasing Agent - Prosthetics position.
  
  Specialized experience includes performing administrative duties in a healthcare setting; reviewing and working with patient s medical records; completing training or assisting in routine and complex specialized purchases for clinics - including medical equipment - prosthetic and orthotic appliances; utilizing computer software programs; and communicating with internal and external customers via various methods.
• SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED):
  Possess the successful completion of four (4) years above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. This education must be directly related to the work of the position and obtained in an accredited business - secretarial or technical school - junior college - college - or university.
• COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED):
  Possess the equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and specialized experience as described above that demonstrates the ability to perform the duties of this Purchasing Agent position.
• SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-6:
  Possess at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level in the Federal Service that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge - skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of a Purchasing Agent. Specialized experience includes interpreting prescriptions and requests for medical equipment and services; maintaining regular contact with vendors - contractors - medical center professionals and staff;
  
  utilizing a variety of databases and computer systems; purchasing equipment - supplies and services using an agency/organization purchase card; and reconciling charges and preparing and submitting reports.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
Attention to Detail, Customer Service (Clerical/Technical), Financial Management, Manages Resources, Technical Competence. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience - including volunteer work... etc (as in original text).

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…