Lead Pharmacist (O-5 Billet) Non-Supervisory

Summary

Lead Pharmacist provides and leads full-scope pharmacy services at an IHSC detention facility, with over 50% clinical duties. Serves as local pharmaceutical SME, dispenses medications, provides patient counseling and medication therapy consultation, manages inventory and controlled substances, supports QA activities, committees, and required training. This position is only open to current USPHS officers. USPHS Call to Active Duty (CAD) candidates are not eligible for this position.

Duties

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Leads the provision of all on-site pharmaceutical services at the specified detention facility with >50% of time spent on clinical tasks. Pharmaceutical program leadership includes setting the goals, objectives, and direction for the pharmacy program at the assigned facility and leading a team of 1-3 contractor pharmacists and/or pharmacy technicians. Plan and organize their own work, ensure equitably balanced workload among the on-site pharmacy staff members, provide instruction and orientation to pharmacy staff, set and adjust short-term priorities, prepare schedules for completion of work, and provide guidance and mentorship to interdisciplinary junior staff to develop clinical judgement, leadership, and interpersonal skills. Dispense prescription drug orders in accordance with agency formulary and policy and procedures. Provide direct patient care services, including management of acute or chronic conditions, for selected patients when medications are the primary method of treatment. Exercises independent judgment in reviewing patient prescription orders for appropriateness, including drug-drug, drug-disease, and drug-allergy contraindications and precautions. Judgmental failure could seriously affect the health status of one or more individuals. Provides pharmaceutical care services, including drug information, medication therapy consultation, and advice to other health professionals on complex patient problems, at the highest level of independence; utilizes extensive knowledge base and flexibility to adapt to unusual circumstances requiring variations in approach, and in the presence of incomplete or conflicting data. Provide medication counseling and information services directly to patients to ensure that they understand their medications, how to take them, and appropriate outcomes of their drug therapies. Manages pharmaceutical inventory, including maintaining appropriate quantities and temperature requirements and replenishing after-hours and emergency stock, in accordance with IHSC policies and procedures. Conducts monthly inventories of all controlled substances and pharmaceutical sharps (e.g. pre-filled syringes). Inspect all clinic areas where pharmaceuticals are stored. Collaborates with contacts within the Department on a routine basis to coordinate medical care services for patients, as well as to develop and implement processes to improve public and population health. Participates in ongoing quality assurance and performance improvement activities including audits, chart reviews, and development of review criteria. Participates as an active member in one or more institutional committees which may include Pharmacy and Therapeutics, Infection Prevention, Critical Care, or others as designated. On a monthly basis, reports pharmacy workload and expense information, including accomplishments, problems and measures taken for resolution, meetings attended, and facilities visited to the local H.S.A, the respective Regional Chief Pharmacist, and the IHSC Chief Pharmacist. Provides temporary duty (TDY) coverage to IHSC staffed facilities and special missions as needed. All staff must be available for an entire month, or two 16-day periods, each year to support the IHSC TDY On-Call (ITOS) Program. Completes all required agency training. Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications and evaluation

We will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the minimum qualification requirements. You may be selected for an interview at the hiring authority's discretion. You will be notified of selection or non-selection.

Education

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: B.S. degree in Pharmacy and eight years of professional experience as a pharmacist or PharmD. degree and two years of professional experience as a pharmacist. Degree must be from a program that is accredited by the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education. Candidates must have a permanent, full, and unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a State, District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States. Expertise in pharmacology, pharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics and all management aspects related to the practice of pharmacy in a clinic/infirmary setting. Possesses necessary skills for operating general office technology including Microsoft Office products. Possess knowledge of grammar, spelling & punctuation to identify and correct errors to ensure accurate copy. Possesses knowledge of and is competent in understanding and communicating pharmaceutical nomenclature including generic, chemical & trade names, Latin abbreviations, dosage forms, drug strengths, formulations & English-Metric equivalents. Competent in data entry and ability to work with & analyze numbers, including bookkeeping & basic accounting skills. Competent in the use of office machines including photocopiers, calculators, and personal computers. Competent in the application of computer programs to facilitate management operations in a clinic environment. Maintains CPR/BLS certification Possesses ability to work efficiently, accurately & organize in a fast-paced environment.

How to apply

To apply for this position, you must submit the required documentation outlined under the REQUIRED DOCUMENTS section below. The complete initial Application must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 09/16/2026. PLEASE NOTE: If your materials are not received by the closing date, your application will be evaluated solely on the information available and you may not receive full consideration or may not be considered eligible. Also, if you do not provide a valid email address, you may not be notified of the outcome of your application. To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log into your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire. Please ensure you click the Submit My Answers button at the end of the process. Note: To check the status of your application or return to a previous or incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account, select Application Status, and click on the more information link under the application status for this position. Applications and supporting documentation will not be accepted by mail or email. If you need further assistance, contact the Human Resources Office representative listed on this announcement at least one day prior to the closing date for further instructions.

Required documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position. A complete application includes: U. S. Public Health Service Officers Cover Letter/Letter of Interest. Degrees. (Place under "Diploma/GED") Professional license. (If applicable) Additional professional certificates. (If applicable) Three professional references. (i.e., name, title and contact information) Official USPHS Promotion CV - e.g., relevant experience, education, training. (Place under "USPHS Promotion CV") You may provide a civilian resume in addition to the USPHS Promotion CV to capture all relevant work experience. A copy of your Certificate of Investigation (located in your eOPF). *Three most recent Commissioned Officer Effectiveness Reports (COER). (Place under "Performance Appraisal") For current IHSC PHS officers, IHSC Recruiting requires applicants to provide a copy of your current Service Remaining Requirements Agreement. Indicate if you have an Assignment Pay (AP) Agreement and the date of the end of your AP Agreement. If you do not, please submit a memo attesting to no AP in the Assignment Pay (AP) Agreement section in the documents section of application.

Additional information

This is a U.S. Public Health Service position within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), ICE Health Service Corps (IHSC), Clinical Services Division, Medical Services Unit, Pharmacy Program. This is a non-supervisory position. Incumbent serves as the lead pharmacist and is responsible for the provision of a full range of pharmacy services at the assigned facility, including management responsibilities related to the operation of the pharmacy policies and procedures as stated in the ICE Health Service Corps (IHSC) Pharmaceutical Services and Medication Management Directive and Guide. Incumbent serves as the local subject-matter-expert on pharmaceutical care and pharmaceutical delivery systems and collaborates with local and regional clinical and administrative leadership to inform and develop local policies and procedures. IHSC has a multi-sector, multidisciplinary workforce of over 1650 authorized positions, including U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) commissioned officers, federal civil servants, and contract staff. The IHSC provides on-site direct patient care to ICE detainees at 17 detention facilities throughout the country and manages the provision of off-site medical care for detainees housed in approximately 217 additional Intergovernmental Service Agreement (IGSA) facilities. IHSC provides medical services to more than 171,000 detained aliens housed in the 17 detention facilities and oversees compliance with health-related standards for over 266,000 detained aliens in the 217 non-IHSC staffed facilities. The IHSC also provides medical support during ICE enforcement operations in the air, on the ground and at sea. SUPERVISORY CONTROLS: The Lead Pharmacist works under the direction of the Clinical Director (CD). Assignments of a professional nature are long-term and broadly defined in terms of objectives, priorities, and deadlines. Completed work is only periodically evaluated for technical soundness, appropriateness, and conformity to professional standards and PHS requirements. Procedures for performing some work are established, but the incumbent has significant independence to implement changes to benefit facility operations and detainee health. In cases where IHSC policies and guides are non-specific, the incumbent is required to exercise judgment in the selection and application of appropriate guidelines and originality in developing appropriate solutions.