Associate Chief Pharmacist Research and Development

Wales Medicines Strategy Group; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 74,000 - 86,000

Job description

Employer Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Birmingham Children`s Hospital Town Birmingham Salary £74,290 - £85,601 pa pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 10/04/2025 23:59

Associate Chief Pharmacist Research and Development

NHS AfC: Band 8c

Flexible working arrangements may be considered and discussions with the recruiting manager regarding this are encouraged.

Job overview

Join Our Team as Associate Chief Pharmacist – R&D

This is your opportunity to lead and shape the future of pharmaceutical R&D in one of the UK’s most respected healthcare organisations.

Why Join Us?

• Impactful Leadership : Drive the strategic development and delivery of the Trust's research and development pharmaceutical products programme.
• Pioneering Research : Be at the forefront of innovative medicines, working with leading researchers, clinicians, and industry partners to position our Trust as the partner of choice for groundbreaking trials.
• Cutting-Edge Initiatives : Lead preparations for delivering advanced therapies, including ATiMP production, ensuring our Trust remains ready to deliver transformative healthcare solutions.
• Governance Excellence : Oversee the governance of clinical trial pharmacy services, ensuring compliance with regulatory and statutory requirements while maintaining the highest standards of patient care and safety.

What You’ll Do

• Collaborate with the Chief Officer for Strategy and the Head of R&D to enhance the Trust’s capabilities in delivering innovative research.
• Lead a dedicated team in providing safe, efficient, and high-quality pharmacy services for clinical trials, ensuring adherence to GCP and regulatory standards.
• Partner with local Universities and manufacturing facilities to support the development and delivery of innovative medicines, including advanced therapies.
• Act as a key decision-maker for Clinical Trials in Pharmacy.

Main duties of the job

This post is responsible for the leadership, strategic development and delivery of the research and development pharmaceutical products programme across the Trust, including infrastructure, clinical education, training and research. The postholder will develop the Trust capability to deliver research for new and innovative medicines and to be the partner of choice for trials in paediatrics and women’s health.
This post is responsible for the overall governance of clinical trials in Pharmacy, ensuring regulatory and statutory requirements are met. The postholder is responsible for ensuring Trust wide planning and preparedness for innovative medicines including ATiMP production through working with local manufacturing facilities and ensuring safe operation of local hot lab facilities.
The post holder will ensure regulatory (GCP legislation) and internal standards agreed for the clinical trial pharmacy service are met, ensuring performance is monitored and that services are provided efficiently, and in accordance with the needs of users. They will hold delegated authority to take decisions on matters arising concerning Clinical Trials in the absence of the Chief Pharmacist.
The post holder will be required to be a key member of Trust R&D multidisciplinary groups and represent the Trust at external system wide meetings.

The post holder will be based in the Pharmacy Department at the Birmingham Children’s Hospital Site but is responsible for clinical trials across all Trust sites.

Working for our organisation

Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust is the first of its type in the UK. Our Trust was formed in February 2017 to drive forward our commitment to provide the highest quality, world-class physical and mental health care for our women, children and families. Uniting our hospitals means more seamless care; more investment to make greater advances in our specialist treatment and world-leading neo-natal and fetal work. Importantly, it also gives us a greater voice in shaping the future of family-centred care.

Birmingham Children's Hospital is a UK leading specialist paediatric centre with an international reputation in several areas.

Birmingham Women's Hospital is one of two dedicated women's hospitals in the UK, with the busiest single site maternity unit, delivering more than 8,200 babies a year offering a full range of gynaecological, maternity and neonatal care.

Forward Thinking Birmingham (FTB) Mental Health Services are a unique, innovative community and inpatient mental health partnership. Alongside partners FTB offers care pathways of mental health assessment and treatment for young people aged 0-25 years old.

Our Trust is committed to creating the best place to work. We believe in promoting and enhancing inclusion, diversity and equality and encourage applications from all areas of the community, who meet the criteria for the role, regardless of age, gender identity, disability, race, religion or sexual orientation.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification to view the full details for this opportunity at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.

When completing your application, please ensure you have evidenced how you meet the job description and person specification to include transferable experience, qualifications, skills along with professional registration details (if applicable).

Occasionally we receive a large number of applications for our roles and when that happens we sometimes bring the closing date forward, so please apply promptly to avoid disappointment.

Person specification

Qualifications

• MPharm or equivalent degree in pharmacy
• Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council
• Postgraduate Diploma/MSc in Clinical Pharmacy or IP qualification
• Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society

Knowledge & Nature of Experience

• Experience of leading a team
• Experience of line management
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Evidence of dealing with incidents and risk management
• Experience of audit and implementation of change
• Experience of writing policies and procedures
• Have a sound knowledge of legislation, national standards and good practice around medication supply, storage and prescribing/use.
• Experience of leading on team transformation
• Have an understanding of the background and aims of current healthcare policy.
• Experience of developing and delivering business cases.
• Experience of delivering an ATiMP service

Analytical and Judgement Skills

• Ability to analyse highly complex data relating to medicinal products in research and present in a way that actions and follow-up can be identified
• Problem solving skills and the ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands.
• Ability to analyse highly complex facts and situations and develop a range of options e.g. Plan for procurement, manufacture, delivery, dispensing and supply of ATMP products from other organisations in line with regulatory processes.
• Able to make decisions on difficult issues where there may be number of courses of action.
• Ability to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise.

Professional/Managerial/Specialist Knowledge

• Sound knowledge of Clinical Trials, gene therapy and ATiMP legislation and regulatory pathways
• Experience with Clinical Trials management including dealing with sponsors, clinicians and suppliers
• Knowledge of Ascribe/Epic System

Personal Skills/Abilities and Attributes

• Excellent team player
• Excellent health and attendance record
• Effective organisational skills
• Ability to prioritise workload, meet deadlines and work accurately under pressure
• Good written and verbal English
• Experience of training staff
• Adaptable to changes in working practices
• Ability to tackle routine tasks accurately
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Remain professional at all times
• Motivated and enthusiastic
• An understanding and the ability to undertake the duties outlines in the job description
• A flexible attitude to working in all areas of the pharmacy departments across sites responding willingly to the demands of the service

Our current Mental Health Services division may be transferring the provision of its services to Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust (BSMHFT). Whilst at present you are applying for a position within Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation should you be successful in gaining a position within Mental Health Services, your employment may in the future be transferred over to BSMHFT. Should any new information become available, you will be kept informed of this throughout your recruitment process.

As a Trust employee you are required to comply with all legislation and guidance relating to safeguarding children and adults with care and support needs, and promoting their health and welfare. You are required to inform the Head of Safeguarding of any safeguarding concerns about your own children or children you live with. This information will be treated in a confidential manner.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.