The VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System (VASNHCS) is seeking a highly motivated and experienced pharmacist to serve as the Associate Chief of Inpatient Pharmacy. This leadership role is responsible for managing inpatient pharmacy operations at a 120-bed tertiary care facility, which includes acute medical/surgical, psychiatric, and long-term care services.
The Associate Chief plays a critical role in ensuring safe, effective, and efficient medication use across the continuum of inpatient care.
The Associate Chief of Pharmacy, Inpatient Pharmacy, provides leadership and oversight for inpatient pharmacy operations at the VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System. Duties include, but are not limited to: Plans, directs, and evaluates inpatient pharmacy services and maintains responsibility for the clinical, operational, and administrative functions of the inpatient pharmacy.
Manages 24-hour, 7-day-a-week inpatient pharmacy operations, including medication distribution, intravenous admixture services, unit-dose dispensing, automated dispensing cabinets, controlled substances, oncology services, and sterile compounding. Supervises the Inpatient Pharmacy Supervisor, Supervisory CSP/USP Program Manager, clinical pharmacy specialists, pharmacy technicians, and trainees.
Develops work schedules, assigns duties, evaluates staffing requirements, and makes emergency staffing assignments to maintain safe and effective pharmacy coverage. Establishes employee performance standards; conducts performance evaluations; assesses competencies; and supports employee training, coaching, development, and accountability.
Participates in personnel management activities, including recruitment, selection, onboarding, employee development, and recommendations regarding promotion, recognition, corrective action, and disciplinary action. Ensures timely and accurate medication preparation and distribution and promotes compliance with applicable laws, regulations, VA policies, accreditation requirements, and professional standards.
Oversees sterile compounding operations and associated quality assurance activities, including environmental and personnel monitoring. Oversees inpatient clinical pharmacy programs, including parenteral nutrition, pharmacokinetics, renal dose adjustment, anticoagulation, oncology, medication security and storage, repackaging, and automated medication distribution.
Collaborates with physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals to resolve medication-related concerns and provide recommendations regarding medication selection, dosing, contraindications, adverse reactions, interactions, formulary requirements, and therapeutic alternatives. Develops, implements, evaluates, and revises policies, procedures, clinical programs, and operational processes to improve medication safety, efficiency, and patient outcomes.
Monitors workload, expenditures, staffing, inventory, and resource utilization to ensure appropriate accountability and support effective pharmacy operations. Ensures appropriate storage, security, inventory, inspection, and documentation of controlled substances and medications throughout assigned patient-care areas. Leads or participates in medication safety, quality assurance, performance improvement, drug-use evaluation, and regulatory-readiness activities.
Provides orientation, education, and training to pharmacy personnel, residents, students, interns, and other healthcare staff regarding inpatient pharmacy services, medication systems, and applicable procedures. Supports pharmacy residency and experiential-training programs and serves as a professional and administrative pharmacy resource.
Participates in medical center committees and interdisciplinary workgroups related to medication management, patient safety, pharmacy operations, and quality improvement Assumes designated responsibilities of the Chief of Pharmacy Service during absences and assists other areas of Pharmacy Service when operationally necessary. Work Schedule Full-time, Monday-Friday. May include occasional evenings, weekends, or holidays based on operational needs.
Takes on call on a rotational basis. Preferred Experience/Qualifications Pharmacy operations leadership or management experience Board certification (e.g., BCPS, BCCCP) Experience with VA pharmacy systems and automation (e.g., Pyxis, BCMA) Strong leadership, communication, and team-building skills Experience with investigational drug, sterile compounding oversight, and quality assurance programs Knowledge of age-specific care for adult and geriatric populations
IMPORTANT: 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: 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.
havel.respes@va.gov · 415-221-4810 X23728
This position is with Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs.
The posted pay range is $161706 – $210224/yr.
This position requires a Other security clearance.
Applications close on 2026-11-18.
This position is open under the 'Fed Internal Search' hiring path.
Source: USAJOBS.gov — U.S. Federal Government · Retrieved 2026-10-29 · Not affiliated with or endorsed by OPM or USAJOBS.gov
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