Associate Chief Pharmacist - Aseptic Services

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£2.1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 14,000 staff based across 5 main sites in South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local hospital services across its different sites, and specialist services from King’s College Hospital (KCH) sites at Denmark Hill in Camberwell and at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) site in the London Borough of Bromley. We encourage all our staff to have a healthy work/life balance. In doing so, you can apply for flexible working from the beginning of your employment. We offer a range of options which are designed to suit different circumstances and priorities in line with service requirements.

The Associate Chief Pharmacist for Aseptic Services is a senior pharmacy leader responsible for the strategic, operational, professional and financial management of aseptic services across King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Reporting directly to the Chief Pharmacist, the postholder leads the delivery and development of a highly specialised, high-risk and regulated service that supports frontline patient care through the provision of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, parenteral nutrition, CIVAS and aseptically prepared medicines across multiple hospital sites. The role provides expert leadership to ensure aseptic services operate safely, efficiently and in compliance with GMP, GCP and Trust governance standards. The postholder is accountable for service quality, risk management, workforce planning, business continuity, service improvement and quality assurance systems, ensuring patients have uninterrupted access to critical medicines and treatments. The postholder also has responsibility for budget management, business case development, capital planning, commissioning and validation of facilities and equipment, and delivery of efficient, sustainable services. This role is essential to maintaining patient safety, regulatory compliance, service resilience and the continued provision of high-quality Aseptic Services across the Trust.

Main duties of the job:

• Provide strategic, operational and professional leadership for Pharmacy Aseptic Services across King's College Hospital, ensuring safe, effective and sustainable service delivery.
• Lead and develop the Trust's aseptic services, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, parenteral nutrition (PN), CIVAS and aseptically manufactured products.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant legislation, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Good Clinical Practice (GCP), quality assurance standards, Health and Safety requirements and external regulatory expectations.
• Provide expert professional advice to the Chief Pharmacist on aseptic services, facilities, equipment, workforce, governance and service development.
• Develop and implement strategic plans to support service growth, innovation, capacity management and future patient care requirements.
• Lead, manage and develop the multidisciplinary aseptic workforce, including recruitment, appraisal, training, competency assessment, succession planning and performance management.
• Ensure robust business continuity and capacity planning arrangements are in place to maintain uninterrupted access to critical patient treatments and medicines.
• Manage delegated budgets, monitor expenditure and identify opportunities for service efficiencies and financial sustainability.
• Oversee the commissioning, qualification, validation and ongoing performance of aseptic facilities.

Working for our organisation: The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. Transforming Healthcare is the vision at the heart of the King’s Strategy – 2026 to 2031. Together, we are pursuing six strategic ambitions: delivering high-quality patient care; being a great place to work; leading pioneering research, innovation and education; building strong and successful partnerships; providing timely and efficient care; and ensuring long-term financial sustainability. Achieving these ambitions will require all of us to work as one Team King’s, united by a shared commitment to our values of being caring, collaborative, inclusive and innovative. By living these values every day, we will transform healthcare for our patients, our communities and each other.

We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people. King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities:

The Associate Chief Pharmacist for Aseptic Services provides senior strategic, professional and operational leadership for Pharmacy Aseptic Services across King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Reporting to the Chief Pharmacist, the postholder is responsible for the safe, effective and compliant delivery of aseptic services across multiple hospital sites, supporting the provision of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, parenteral nutrition (adult, paediatric and neonatal), CIVAS and other aseptically prepared medicines that are critical to patient care. The postholder leads the development and implementation of the Trust's aseptic services strategy, ensuring services remain responsive to clinical demand, organisational priorities and national developments. They provide expert advice to the Chief Pharmacist and senior clinical and operational colleagues on all aspects of aseptic services, quality assurance, governance, workforce planning and service development. A key responsibility is ensuring full compliance with relevant legislation, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Good Clinical Practice (GCP), quality assurance standards, health and safety requirements and regulatory expectations. The postholder is accountable for maintaining robust quality systems, managing risk, overseeing audit and inspection readiness, investigating incidents and implementing continuous quality improvement initiatives. The postholder is responsible for managing delegated budgets, monitoring financial performance and identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and value. They lead the development of business cases, capital investment programmes and service transformation projects, including the commissioning, qualification and validation of aseptic facilities and equipment. As a member of the Pharmacy Management Team, the Associate Chief Pharmacist contributes to the wider strategic direction of pharmacy services and works collaboratively with clinical teams, senior managers, regional partners and external stakeholders to improve patient outcomes and service performance. The postholder also leads research, audit and innovation within aseptic services and supports regional collaborative working to ensure the continued delivery of safe, high‑quality and sustainable aseptic services.

Person specification:

• Education and Qualification: Master's degree - MPharm. Mandatory CPD to maintain fitness to practice. Competency assessed and examined professional registration with GPhC.
• Knowledge and Experience: Extensive post registration experience relevant to Pharmacy Aseptic Services. Knowledge of GCP, GMP, QA and regulations and legislation relevant to Aseptic Services. Demonstrable knowledge relating to Parenteral Nutrition (PN) and clinical management. Understanding of national and local priorities in Aseptic Services.