Advanced Assistant Technical Officer - Procurement

NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group; Liverpool; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

A health care organization in Liverpool seeks a proactive Pharmacy Assistant to manage medicines procurement. You will support stock shortages and process claims while ensuring safe and efficient medicine purchases. Ideal candidates possess strong organizational skills and experience in pharmacy purchasing. This full-time role offers a competitive salary range and includes weekends and holiday shifts.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Professional development opportunities

Flexible working arrangements

Qualifications

• Experience working in a busy pharmacy environment.
• Experience of working in a purchasing environment.
• Capability to use IT programs relevant to the role.

Responsibilities

• Supervise Pharmacy Purchasing and Invoicing across all sites.
• Manage the release of orders in line with contracts and lead times.
• Monitor supply disruptions and escalate to management.

Skills

Organisational skills

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Education

NVQ Level 2 Pharmacy Services

CIPS Level 3 or willingness to achieve

Tools

Pharmacy stock control system

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)

Job description

NHS AfC: Band 4

Main area

Pharmacy

Grade

NHS AfC: Band 4

Contract

Permanent: Weekends, lates and bank holidays as per additional rotas.

Hours

Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday 08:45 to 17:00)

Job ref

287-DSS-234-25

Department name

LUH - 1 General Staffing (AFC posts)

Site

Aintree University Hospital

Town

Liverpool

Salary

£27,485 - £30,162 per annum

Salary period

Yearly

Closing

27/08/2025 23:59

Job Overview

We have an exciting opportunity for a proactive Pharmacy Assistant with experience in medicines procurement to join our Medicines Shortages and Off-Contract Claims Team within the Pharmacy Procurement Department at LUHFT.

In this key role, you will work closely with the Deputy Lead Technician, supporting the management of medicines stock shortages and the processing of off-contract claims. You will also escalate supply disruptions and communicate these effectively to the wider Pharmacy team . You will play a vital part in ensuring that medicines are purchased safely, efficiently, and in line with best value principles.

Your contribution will directly support the safe and effective supply of medicines across the Trust, helping to ensure continuity of patient care.

You must possess excellent organisational skills to undertake this role: You must be able to work accurately, have a good eye for detail, be able to prioritise your workload, meet deadlines and be committed to the delivery of high standards in a patient focused service. Experience of working in a purchasing role within a Pharmacy department is desirable, as is an excellent working knowledge of pharmacy purchasing processes.

This role is open to Pharmacy Assistants with CIPS Level 3 or a willingness to work towards NVQ3 CIPS as an apprenticeship (Annex 21). Applicants must have an NVQ2 qualification in Pharmacy services or equivalent to be considered.

Main duties of the job

• Supervise Pharmacy Purchasing and Invoicing across all LUHFT sites. Provide support and deputise for the Deputy Technical Services Manager for Purchasing as required.
• Manage the release of orders, taking account of contracts, lead times, buying agreements, specialist/consumer needs and any other relevant factors to ensure all goods are of appropriate quality and are obtained in a timely manner and at the most cost effective price.
• Participate in ensuring the Pharmacy stock control system and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) are kept up to date with the latest information regarding Commercial Medicines Unit (CMU) pharmacy contracts.
• Monitor current and forecasted supply disruptions, escalating issues to the Deputy Technical Services Manager for Purchasing as appropriate.
• Co-operate with all pharmacy staff in providing and developing an efficient and comprehensive pharmaceutical service for patients of Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust
  
  

Note: The role is currently based at the Aintree Hospital site, however this may be subject to change in future.

Working for our organisation

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust comprises Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital & Royal Liverpool University Hospital.

We are part of NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, formed on 1 Nov 2024 from the coming together of LUHFT and Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust. The Group was born from a shared aim to improve the care we provide our patients.

UHLG is one of the largest employers in the region, with over 16,800 colleagues dedicated to caring for our communities - from birth and beyond.

For the 630,000 people across Merseyside, we are their local NHS. We provide general and emergency hospital care, alongside highly specialised regional services for more than two million people in the North West.

Aintree University Hospital is the single receiving site for adult major trauma patients in Cheshire and Merseyside and hosts a number of regional services including an award-winning stroke facility. Broadgreen Hospital is home to elective surgical, diagnostic and treatment services, together with specialist patient rehabilitation. Liverpool Women's Hospital specialises in the health of women and babies, delivering over 7,200 babies in the UK's largest single site maternity hospital each year. The Royal Liverpool University Hospital is the largest hospital in the country to provide inpatients with 100% single bedrooms and focuses on complex planned care and specialist services.

For roles at Liverpool Women's, visit their careers page.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

• Ensure all Standard Operating Procedures for the Purchasing and Invoicing of goods are adhered to. Support staff training and ensure training records are completed and up to date.
• Supervise the daily workload of the purchasing and invoicing department including allocation of tasks to purchasing and invoicing staff.
• Attend relevant Pharmacy staff meetings on a regular basis and to co-operate with the Chief Pharmacist regarding the strategic development of the Pharmacy Purchasing service.
• Liaise with other Pharmacy purchasing staff in relation to initiating orders for stock items and other special items, directing and prioritising when needed.
• Operate the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) to facilitate electronic purchasing of pharmaceuticals from pharmaceutical suppliers.
• Participate in maintaining the correct details for CMU regional contracts in the pharmacy stock control system. Ensure the pharmacy system is up to date with the correct supplier details and that EDI codes are updated as appropriate.
• Monitor the purchasing team email inbox and respond to queries from staff at Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust regarding stock supply, lead times, supply issues and provide advice on the procurement of medicines for the trust.
• Liaise with relevant trust staff regarding medical gas stocks for the trust. Responsible for placing orders and follow up of delivery issues on behalf of the trust. Escalate issues to the Deputy Technical Services Manager for Purchasing and/or the Stores Manager when necessary.
• Manage any standing order arrangements with suppliers and be responsible for ensuring call off orders are requested and processed in line with agreed schedule. Responsible for liaising with relevant Pharmacy teams to ensure expired or completed standing orders are still required before renewing any standing order requests.
• Facilitate the transfer of medicines between Trust sites when required, organise suitable transport arrangements and ensure the pharmacy stock control system is updated accordingly.
• Support medicines related Cost Improvement Programmes by ensuring any cost savings made through medicine purchases are reported appropriately.
• Collect data on 'off-contract' spend and report value of off contract claims on a monthly basis to the Deputy Technical Services Manager for Purchasing. Raise off contract claims against contract holders where appropriate. Ensure claim submissions are processed in line with the CMU terms and conditions.
• Report ad hoc 'off-contract' ordering to the Deputy Technical Services Manager for Purchasing to support the monthly completion of Exend+ data (for external benchmarking and regional purchasing data)
• Support the Invoicing team when dealing with complex invoice discrepancies. Advise and direct the team when necessary as well as provide supporting documentation to ensure disputes with suppliers are resolved favourably to the trust when not at fault.
• Generate and analyse reports using the pharmacy system to identify outstanding orders. Contact suppliers to obtain up to date information regarding delivery dates.
• Communicate with a wide range of healthcare professionals, external wholesalers and suppliers on a wide range of issues relating to medicines supply. This may include information around contracts or invoices as well as stock shortages and issues.
• Assist with updating the Stock Manager portal with up-to-date information relating to stock shortages across the trust.
• Action recommendations from the Deputy Technical Services Manager for Purchasing and/or Directorate Pharmacists to manage stock issues.
• Communicate key medicine shortages effectively.
• Participate in actions relating to medicine recalls of all classes when required.
• Ensure relevant documentation relating to Unlicensed medicines is obtained from suppliers and retained in accordance with the Unlicensed medicines policy.
• Participate in ensuring the pharmacy computer system is operated effectively, automatic reordering levels are acceptable and efficient and stock levels are correct. To liaise with the Pharmacy IM&T Manager / EPMA team when required.
• Locate supplies of medicines in other hospitals, pharmaceutical manufacturers or wholesalers if required in an emergency.
• When required, provide a service outside normal working hours for emergencies.
• Undertake appropriate training courses and encourage other staff to undertake further training.
• Work flexibly between sites, including acting as the onsite supervisor at the Pharmacy offsite store when required. Responsible for being a key-holder for the store and ensuring security of the site and staff, as well as opening and locking up the store.
• Participate and co-operate with weekend, bank holiday, statutory holiday, early morning and evening services as per departmental arrangements.
• Support the Technical Services Managers across the trust with recruitment by participating in interview panels when required.
• Support equality and promote diversity.
  
  

Person specification

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Knowledge of the Pharmacy stock control system and other IT systems used in pharmacy purchasing.
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of JAC/Wellsky
  
  

Skills

Essential criteria

• Ability to use IT programmes and packages to support role
• Attention to detail
  
  

Experience

Essential criteria

• Demonstrable previous experience of working in a busy pharmacy environment.
• Experience of working in a purchasing environment, including medicine ordering
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Previous experience of working in a pharmacy stores environment, providing a ward stock service.
  
  

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• NVQ Level 2 Pharmacy Services or Pharmacy equivalent
• NVQ 3 / CIPS level 3
  
  

Please ensure you check the email account (including junk/spam boxes) from which you apply regularly as we will use this to contact you regarding your application.

Posts advertised to 'internal staff' are open to employees of hospitals within University Hospitals of Liverpool Group and you should confirm your employment within your application form.

Note: Under current Home Office Immigration Rules we are currently unable to offer right to work visa sponsorship for Band 2 and 3 roles with a salary of less than £25,000 pa as they do not meet the UK Visas & Immigration criteria.

Only those applicants who demonstrate clearly how they meet our person specification will be shortlisted for interview.

We reserve the right to close any vacancies from further applications when we have received a minimum number of applications from which to make a shortlist. Please ensure you apply without delay if you wish to be considered for this role.

Candidates applying for the role of Healthcare Assistant on the staff bank should note that due to the nature of the role, workers must be aged 18 or above when commencing in post. Applicants are therefore welcome from those aged over 18 or within 3 months' of their 18^th birthday.

The Trust is committed to promoting a healthy work-life balance and achieve fair, equitable and consistent practice. We welcome flexible working requests and will consider a variety of flexible working arrangements from day one of your employment. Not all roles are suitable for every flexible working opportunity all of the time. Flexible working options may include reduced hours, compressed hours, fixed shifts, time back in lieu and home working.

The Trust is committed to promoting equality and diversity; we value the contribution of individual talent, skills, knowledge and experience and aim for a workforce demography representative of the local community. We encourage applicants from the following groups that are currently under-represented in our workforce black, Asian and minority ethnic, lesbian, gay, bisexual and Transgender (LGBTQ+), disabled, male and age 16-24.

Trust policy requires that the cost of submitting & processing the successful applicant/s DBS application be recovered via salary deduction following start in post. The amount of £23 (standard disclosure) or £43 (enhanced disclosure) will be deducted from salary, in manageable monthly instalments for up to 3 months following commencement of employment. Bank posts require upfront payment. DBS applications submitted from 2nd December will be subject to the new DBS fee of £26.50 (standard) and £54.50 (Enhanced).

From April 2017, Skilled visa applicants and their adult dependant(s) will be required to provide a criminal record certificate from each country they have lived in consecutively for 12 months or more in the past ten years.

Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.

This organisation has a zero-tolerance approach to the abuse of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All staff must ensure they adhere to the organisations safeguarding children and adults' policy and comply with the Local Safeguarding Children and Adult Board procedures.

Staff should be mindful of their responsibility to safeguard children and adults in any activity performed on behalf of the organisation in line with the requirements of statutory guidance and legislation.

All employees (and volunteers)are expected maintain their safeguarding knowledge and skills by completing mandatory safeguarding training which includes understanding and recognising the signs of abuse and neglect and taking appropriate action.

As an organisation, we have adopted the Merseyside Domestic abuse workplace scheme which supports our staff who are experiencing Domestic Abuse /any forms of sexual violence.

If you have any personal requirements that will enable you to participate in our recruitment process please contact a member of the Recruitment Services by phone on 0151 706 4666 at the earliest opportunity to ensure that measures can be put in place to enable your application for this post.

Please note: new entrants to the NHS will commence on the first pay point of the relevant band.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Documents to download

Job Description & Person Specification (PDF, 256.9KB)

OH Risk ID Form (PDF, 264.0KB)

Life at LUHFT Benefits (PDF, 333.2KB)

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name

Lisa Hegarty

Job title

Lead Pharmacy Technician Procurement&Distribution

Email address

Telephone number

01517062073

Additional information

Emma Murray

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