Pharmacy Lead — Digital Pharmacy Operations (£45-65k) in Preston

Salary: £45,000–£65,000 depending on experience, reflective of the seniority and scope of this role.

Location: Walton Summit, Bamber Bridge, Preston — on-site.

Reports to: Head of Operations.

Contract: Permanent, full-time.

Start: As soon as possible.

Annual leave: 31 days inclusive of bank holidays, plus birthday leave and additional accrual.

About Blueco Healthcare:

Blueco Healthcare is a digital-first pharmacy infrastructure business with a specialist focus in weight management. We are one of the top 10 weight management pharmacy providers nationally — and the only provider in this space operating simultaneously across NHS programmes, private healthcare, insurance (including Vitality Health), and direct pharmaceutical manufacturer programmes.

The Opportunity:

This is a senior hire into a business at an inflection point. We are small enough that you will have real ownership and real visibility — and growing fast enough that what you build now will matter for years. The person who joins in this role will not be a number. They will be a foundational part of how we build and run one of the UK’s most significant pharmacy operations.

You will report directly to our Head of Operations — a highly experienced clinical pharmacist — who will work closely with you on governance, quality, and operational strategy. This is a role for someone who is ready to lead, not be led.

The Role:

• You will own the pharmacy operation end to end — dispensing, checking, and fulfilment — alongside accountability for the governance, compliance, and people infrastructure that underpins it.
• This is a hands-on operational leadership role. You will be on the floor, running the day-to-day, and ensuring the operation performs to the highest standard.
• You will be working within a modern, technology-first environment.

Operations and throughput:

• Full ownership of dispensary and warehouse operations — from prescription receipt through to carrier handover.
• Real-time floor leadership — bottleneck identification, resolution, and systemic improvement.
• Same-day dispatch performance against defined SLAs.
• Productivity optimisation — orders per hour, throughput, backlog, and capacity management.
• Shift leadership and escalation handling.

People and culture:

• Line management of the pharmacy and warehouse operations team.
• Rota management and capacity planning, including peak demand periods.
• Recruitment and onboarding of operational staff, owned end to end.
• Training and competency tracking across dispensing and fulfilment functions.
• Team culture — accountable for the environment, not just the output.

Governance and regulatory compliance:

• Supporting the Head of Operations and Superintendent Pharmacist on GPhC regulatory compliance.
• Incident, error, and near-miss framework — logs completed, root cause analysis conducted, corrective actions implemented.
• Audit and inspection readiness — supporting the Head of Operations and Superintendent Pharmacist.

Performance and budget:

• Operational KPIs defined, tracked, and delivered against consistently.
• Budget managed responsibly with clear visibility and accountability.

What We Are Looking For:

This role requires significant experience at scale. We are ideally looking for candidates who have operated in high-volume, technology-enabled pharmacy environments.

Relevant backgrounds include:

• Hub and spoke pharmacy operations.
• Distance selling pharmacy.
• High-volume online or digital pharmacy.
• Proven experience leading or operating within a high-volume dispensary and fulfilment operation — 20,000+ items per month minimum.

This is not the right role if:

• Your pharmacy experience is limited to managing a small community branch at low volume.
• You are looking for a 9-to-5 or a steady-state environment.
• You prefer traditional pharmacy workflows and are uncomfortable with technology-driven operations.

Terms and Benefits:

• Annual leave: 31 days inclusive of bank holidays.
• Additional leave: half a day per year of service, up to two additional days.
• Birthday leave: one additional day off on your birthday.

How to Apply:

Apply via our application form: https://forms.gle/GRQuSeWzc7USXuKQ8. The form takes 15–20 minutes for a serious applicant. Applications without the completed form will not be progressed.

Blueco Healthcare is an equal opportunities employer. This role is based on-site at our Walton Summit facility. Remote or hybrid working is not available for this position.