Clinical Lead Pharmacist, System Partnerships And Innovation in Stockport

Job summary

We are looking for an experienced pharmacist to provide senior professional and leadership direction for clinical pharmacy at Viaduct Care. You will lead the clinical pharmacy and system partnership elements of our transformation agenda, turning strategy into well-governed clinical projects, service change and new business opportunities.

A central focus of the role is working with the pharmaceutical and health-technology industry, NHS, local authority and NIHR partners to co-design, deliver and evaluate clinical projects that benefit patients and support general practice, always within robust governance, transparency and conflict of interest frameworks.

You will work across GP practices, Primary Care Networks, the Stockport locality, the Greater Manchester Integrated Care System, community pharmacy, research and academic partners to embed innovative models of pharmaceutical care.

Closing date for applications - Friday 9th October 2026

Interview date - Friday 16th October 2026

You will be a GPhC-registered pharmacist and with a masters degree in pharmacy and a postgraduate diploma or MSc in clinical pharmacy, health innovation, leadership or management, or equivalent postgraduate-level experience.

You will have extensive senior post-registration experience, including at Band 8a or equivalent, and experience as a clinical pharmacist in general practice or primary care.

Main duties of the job

• Provide expert leadership for clinical pharmacy services, aligned to organisational,ICS and national medicines strategies.
• Lead our pharmacy partnerships and innovation strategy and represent Viaduct Care at senior and system-level meetings.
• Build and sustain strategic partnerships, negotiating agreements with system partners in line with the ABPI Code of Practice and NHS joint working and conflict of interest frameworks.
• Lead the mobilisation of transformation projects and service change across practices and Primary Care Networks, using population health and prescribing data to target priorities.
• Develop business cases, secure and manage external funding, and build a pipeline of new business, education and system opportunities.
• Lead innovation and quality improvement with robust evaluation and governance.
• Develop a clinical education programme to be hosted through the Viaduct Academy and provide line management and professional supervision.
• Produce assurance and exception reports for our committees and Board and take part in the on-call rota.

You will have a track record of strategic leadership, service transformation and leading change projects from planning through to evaluation, as well as developing cross-organisational partnerships and clinical projects with system, academic or other external partners.

Excellent negotiation, influencing, financial and project management skills are essential.

About us

You will work in a collaborative, ambitious organisation at the centre of general practice in Stockport, with the autonomy and mandate to identify, test and scale innovation in pharmacy and primary care.

Viaduct Care is the GP Federation for Stockport, a partnership of all GP practices across the borough.

We help GPs and other healthcare professionals work together, share resources and expertise, and deliver high-quality care at scale.

Our vision is to be a pioneering leader of primary care, supporting sustainable and thriving general practice.

Please note that the use of AI is monitored during the shortlisting process; if you have used this please declare this in your statement explaining what type of AI tools have been used and for what purpose.

Job responsibilities

Main Roles & Responsibilities:

Leadership

• Provide expert leadership for clinical pharmacy services, ensuring alignment with organisational, Integrated Care Systems (ICS) and national medicines strategies.
• Lead the development and delivery of the pharmacy and system partnerships and innovation strategy, ensuring it is evidence-based and aligned to population health needs.
• Represent Viaduct Care at senior organisational and system-level meetings, contributing to wider clinical and corporate strategy.
• Horizon-scan for national policy, regulatory and clinical developments affecting service delivery, and translate these into local strategic action.
• Work with the Head of Transformation & Engagement to ensure pharmacy, partnership and innovation priorities are aligned with Viaduct Cares wider transformation plans.
• To provide on call cover for Viaduct Care on a rota basis.
• Produce high-quality assurance and exception reports for the organisations committees and when requested Viaduct Care Board.
• Provide line management, appraisal and supervision in line with Viaduct Care policies.

Transformation

• Lead the clinical pharmacy and system partnership elements of Viaduct Cares transformation programme, working within the direction set by the Head of Transformation & Engagement.
• Translate organisational strategy into deliverable projects and programmes with clear objectives, governance, timelines, resources, risks and measurable benefits, using recognised project and programme management methods.
• Lead on the early mobilisation phase of transformation projects until embedded and then work with the Head of Operations to transfer to Business-as-Usual Model.
• Lead the implementation of service change across practices and Primary Care Networks, Local Authorities and system partners engaging clinicians and managers to secure adoption and embed sustainable improvements.
• Use population health and performance data to identify priorities, reduce health inequalities and target opportunities for service redesign in general practice.
• Work with the Head Transformation & Engagement so that patient and public engagement informs the design and delivery of clinical projects, service change and new business opportunities.
• Monitor progress, manage risks and dependencies, and report outcomes, benefits realisation and learning to the Head of Transformation & Engagement and senior leadership team.

Clinical Pharmacy Leadership

• Provide expert clinical leadership and professional oversight for complex and specialist areas of clinical pharmacy practice.
• Act as a role model and professional leader, promoting a culture of clinical excellence, patient safety and continuous improvement.
• Provide professional advice and clinical assurance on the development, implementation and evaluation of pharmacy transformation projects.
• Work collaboratively with the Head of Transformation & Engagement and Head of Operations to ensure pharmacy services and initiatives are effectively transitioned from development and mobilisation into sustainable business as usual delivery.

Partnership Development

• Build, lead and sustain strategic partnerships across the health and care system, including general practice, Primary Care Networks, community pharmacy, social care, industry, Local Authorities, NHS, research and academic partners.
• Lead negotiation and development of formal partnership agreements, service level agreements, memoranda of understanding and joint working arrangements.
• Represent the organisation in system-wide pharmacy and medicines optimisation transformation programmes.
• Identify opportunities for shared care models, integrated pathways and cross-sector collaboration that improve efficiency and patient outcomes.
• Develop and maintain relationships with pharmaceutical industry and medtech partners, in line with organisational governance, the ABPI Code of Practice and NHS joint working and conflict of interest frameworks.
• Work with system partners to identify, co-design, deliver and evaluate clinical projects (for example medicines optimisation programmes, service pilots, audit and real-world evidence, education and digital solutions) that deliver clear patient benefit and support general practice.
• Negotiate and manage joint working agreements, funding arrangements, data-sharing agreements and intellectual property arrangements with partners, ensuring clinical independence, transparency and value for money.
• Ensure system partner-supported projects are patient-centred and free from undue commercial influence on prescribing or formulary decisions, with conflicts of interest declared, recorded and managed.

Innovation and Improvement

• Lead the identification, development, evaluation and scaling of innovative practice in clinical pharmacy, medicines optimisation and digital health, including innovation developed with system partners.
• In collaboration with the Head of Transformation and Engagement, establish a pipeline of new business, education and commercial opportunities.
• Apply quality improvement methodology to design, test and implement new services using robust evaluation frameworks to demonstrate impact.
• Secure and manage external funding, including grants, innovation funding and system-supported funding, where this supports organisational objectives and is appropriately governed.

Project Management and Business Case Development

• The post holder will develop robust, evidence-based, costed business cases for new services, partnerships and funding opportunities.
• Each case will set out the case for change, an options appraisal, full costings, return on investment, risks, and measurable benefits for patients, practices, the organisation and the wider system.
• Once a business case is approved through Viaduct Care's governance and scheme of delegation, the post holder may lead delivery, implementation and evaluation of the project. These include project initiation documents, project plans, risk logs, highlight and exception reports, and benefits realisation tracking.
• They will manage project budgets and resources within agreed limits. They will work with the finance team so that costs, income and any external or system partner funding are accurately forecasted, recorded and reported.
• Every project will have clear milestones, evaluation measures, and criteria for when it is scaled up or ended.
• Once a project is mobilised and embedded, the post holder will arrange a full handover to the operational lead as business as usual and will capture lessons learned to inform future developments.

Governance, Risk and Quality

• Ensure all partnership and innovation activity is underpinned by robust clinical governance, information governance (including the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR), information security and financial governance.
• Lead or contribute to relevant risk assessments, business cases and due diligence processes for new partnerships, technologies or service models.
• Ensure all industry engagement complies with the ABPI Code of Practice, NHS England guidance on managing conflicts of interest and organisational policy, including declarations of interest, written agreements and transparent reporting of project funding.
• Ensure innovation projects have clear evaluation, safety monitoring and exit/scale-up criteria.
• Contribute to the organisational risk register and assurance framework in relation to pharmacy strategic developments.

Workforce and Education

• Provide professional leadership, supervision and development for staff engaged in clinical leadership, partnership or innovation roles.
• Contribute to workforce planning and transformation, including new roles, advanced practice and skill‑mix development.
• Support education and training partnerships with practices, primary care networks, local authorities and universities.
• Work with Service Leads to Identify and develop a clinical education programme as part of the transformation agenda to be hosted through Viaduct Academy.
• Act as an educational and professional role model, supporting the development of the wider pharmacy workforce.
• Maintain own continuing professional development and complete role‑specific training agreed through the PDR process, including (where not already held) the ABPI Code of Practice, Good Clinical Practice and project or programme management training.

Communication and Stakeholder Engagement

• Communicate complex clinical, strategic and technical information effectively to a wide range of audiences, including Board members, clinicians, patients and external partners.
• Manage sensitive and contentious issues relating to partnerships, contracts or innovation programmes with tact, diplomacy and negotiation skill.
• Lead engagement and co-production with patients and the public in the design of new pharmacy services and innovations.
• Independently develop, present and pitch new business opportunities and projects to a variety of stakeholders.

Scope, Autonomy and Working Conditions

• Works autonomously within agreed strategy, delegated authority and governance frameworks, accountable for own professional actions and guided by organisational policy and national guidance. Performance is reviewed through regular supervision with the Head of Transformation & Engagement.
• Analyses and interprets complex and at times conflicting clinical, financial and performance information to make judgements where there is no single clear answer, and to shape strategic options for senior leaders.
• Sustains concentration over long periods, manages multiple competing priorities and responds to unpredictable demands and tight deadlines.
• Regularly manages sensitive and contentious matters, including commercial negotiations and partnership challenges, and may deal with emotive information relating to incidents or patient safety.
• Work is predominantly office and meeting based, with frequent and prolonged use of display screen equipment, and travel between sites and partner organisations.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Extensive senior post-registration clinical pharmacy experience, including at Band 8a or equivalent.
• Experience of working as a clinical pharmacist in general practice or a primary care setting.
• Demonstrable experience of strategic leadership and service transformation.

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