Chief Pharmacist in Liverpool

Main area Pharmacy: Oncology Grade NHS AfC: Band 9 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (weekends and senior rota cover) Job ref 158-26-289-PHA

Site The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre - Liverpool Town Liverpool Salary £112,782 - £129,783 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 03/11/2026 23:59

We want our recruitment process to be fair, inclusive, and accessible for everyone. If you need support or a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the application or interview process, please contact our Recruitment Team - 0151 5565176 or ccf-tr.recruitment@nhs.net. Adjustments may include alternative formats, extra time for assessments, communication support, accessible interview arrangements, interview questions prior to interview or other changes tailored to your needs.

The Chief Pharmacist is a senior clinical and professional leader, providing strategic direction for pharmacy and medicines optimisation across all Trust sites.

As a senior member of the Acute Care Divisional Management Team, the postholder will lead the operational delivery, performance and development of high-quality, patient-centred pharmacy services, with delegated responsibility for workforce, pay and non-pay budgets and medicines expenditure.

The postholder will act as the Trust’s authoritative adviser on the safe, effective and cost-effective use of medicines, providing assurance to the Board, Executive Team and relevant committees.

The role has Trust-wide responsibility for medicines optimisation across the full medicines pathway, including selection, procurement, production, supply, prescribing, advanced practice and non-medical prescribing, administration, monitoring and review.

The Chief Pharmacist will shape and deliver the Trust’s pharmacy and medicines optimisation strategy, leading transformation, digital innovation and workforce development to improve patient outcomes, safety, productivity, resilience and value.

The postholder is directly accountable to the Chief Executive for the safe and effective management of medicines and associated organisational risk, including compliance with relevant legislation, professional standards and regulatory requirements.

Main duties of the job

• Provide visible strategic, clinical and professional leadership for pharmacy, medicines optimisation and medicines governance, ensuring services are safe, effective, efficient and responsive to patient need.
• Lead, manage and develop pharmacy services across all Trust sites, setting clear standards for quality, performance, workforce, finance and service improvement.
• Provide expert advice and transparent assurance to the Board, Executive Team, divisions and committees on medicines safety, regulatory compliance, professional practice and medicines-related risk.
• Lead governance and quality assurance arrangements for aseptic preparation, radiopharmaceuticals, medical gases, advanced therapy medicinal products, homecare and other complex medicines services.
• Undertake the statutory role of Controlled Drugs Accountable Officer and ensure robust systems are in place for the safe management and use of controlled drugs.
• Lead major transformation with clear clinical, operational and financial benefits.
• Work collaboratively with clinical leaders, healthcare partners and pharmacy networks across Cheshire and Merseyside to redesign pathways, strengthen the pharmacy workforce, improve access and secure best value from medicines.
• Create an inclusive, compassionate and high-performing culture in which pharmacy colleagues are empowered to innovate, develop and deliver outstanding care

Working for our organisation

The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s leading cancer centres providing highly specialist cancer care to a population of 2.4m people across Cheshire and Merseyside, and the surrounding areas, including North Wales and the Isle of Man.

Our vision is to not only maintain this level of commitment to excellence but to work with our academic and healthcare partners across the region to ensure care, treatment and patient outcomes continuously improve in the future. We are very proud of all our expert and loyal staff and we welcome people who share the collective aim of delivering excellence in everything that we do.

Our values represent who we are and what we believe in. They define how we act to deliver the best possible care for our patients and shape The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre as a great place to work.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details about this exciting role on offer at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in pharmacy or equivalent and current registration as a pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
• Evidence of continuing professional development and senior leadership development appropriate to an executive-level role.
• Postgraduate clinical pharmacy qualification and a postgraduate management or leadership qualification, or equivalent senior level knowledge and experience.

Knowledge and Expertise

• Understands law and guidance relating to medicines
• Understand the NHS structure and function including the commissioning of cancer service and implications of service provision
• Has a proven track record in managing staff as well as building positive working relationships with clinicians and managers
• Provision of pharmacy services for cancer patients including cytotoxic reconstitution services

Experience

• Considerable experience in NHS hospital pharmacy practice
• Significant experience in a senior pharmacy operational and leadership role
• Evidence of management of pay and non-pay budgets Drug and Therapeutics Committee membership
• Evidence of leading large-scale, complex transformation and delivering measurable improvements in quality productivity, workforce, finance and patient outcomes
• Experience of system leadership across organisational boundaries, influencing senior stakeholders and delivering shared priorities through partnerships and provider or place-based collaborations
• Experience of leading digital medicines transformation, using data and technology to improve safety, efficiency, resilience and clinical practice
• Teaching hospital experience
• Involvement with Research and Development and clinical trials
• Involvement in Aseptic production units

If you are successfully shortlisted, you will be invited for an interview via email. Please ensure you regularly check your emails (including junk folders) following your application and let us know if you have any problems. If you would prefer for us to communicate with you in a different way, or need adjustments to the interview process, please contact the Recruitment Team on 0151 556 5176 or ccf-tr.recruitment@nhs.net . All interviews will be undertaken in person unless extraordinary circumstances apply.

If you do not receive confirmation that you have been shortlisted for interview, please assume that you have not been shortlisted on this occasion. It is with regret that we are unable to provide feedback to all non-shortlisted candidates.

The cost of processing a new DBS application is met by the successful applicant. DBS costs are recovered via salary deduction following commencement in post - further details including cost are available from the Recruitment Team. It is a Trust recommendation that candidates requiring a DBS check subscribe to the DBS Update Service - further details are available here - https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service . Candidates who withdraw post-DBS submission will be invoiced for the full cost of the check including administration fee.

The Trust takes active responsibility for meeting national guidance and legal requirements in relation to our Safeguarding Policy, including local arrangements for the protection of adults at risk.

The Trust is committed to providing high standards of both patient and staff experience. To support us in doing this the Trust, in partnership with Trade Unions has developed and embedded key values and behaviours that all staff are required to demonstrate throughout their employment. The Trust's values and behaviours support the Trust Vision 'to provide the best cancer care to the people we serve' and our Mission 'to improve health and wellbeing through compassionate, safe and effective cancer care'.

We promote and support diversity in our workforce. The Trust have staff networks such as Ethnic Diversity Staff Network, LGBTQ+ Staff Network, Armed Forces Staff Network, MAPLE Staff Network & Menopause Support Group. The Trust does not tolerate discrimination, bullying or harassment and has firmed up processes for reporting this, including a dedicated Freedom To Speak Up (FTSU) Guardian.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

#J-18808-Ljbffr