Area Operations Manager

Bestway Healthcare; Exeter; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Bestway Healthcare is seeking an Area Operations Manager – Pharmacy (Multi-site) to lead performance and development across roughly 15–20 community pharmacies from Brixham to Exeter. You will build high-performing teams, deliver an outstanding patient experience, meet KPIs and budget targets, and uphold patient safety and NHS standards.

The role reports to Senior/Regional Operations Manager and requires strong leadership, field management experience, and the ability to drive growth through

Qualifications

• Essential experience in multi-site pharmacy management
• Strong leadership and people management skills
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management
• Knowledge of NHS contracts and GPhC standards is desirable

Responsibilities

• Oversee 15–20 pharmacies and drive performance against KPIs and budget
• Visit sites regularly to support operations and coach teams
• Ensure patient safety, service quality and regulatory compliance
• Collaborate with NHS and private services to deliver care
• Develop talent and manage succession within the area

Skills

Multi-site management

Commercial analytics

Excellent communication

Coaching & feedback

Planning & organisation

Stakeholder relationships

NHS/GPhC standards knowledge

Job description

Area Operations Manager – Pharmacy (Multi-site)

We are seeking experienced Area Operations Managers with a background in multi-site pharmacy management.

The location of these pharmacies will be Brixham to Ottery St Mary, including Paignton, Torquay, Totnes, Newton Abbot, Teignmouth and Exeter.

About You

We are looking for strong leaders who:

• Thrive on colleague and patient interaction
• Are passionate about spending the majority of their time in pharmacies
• Work at pace while maintaining accuracy
• Are resilient and enjoy a fast-changing, challenging environment
• Are motivated by leading teams to deliver clear, measurable results

If this sounds like you, read on.

The Role

As an Area Operations Manager, you will be responsible for the performance and development of approximately 15–20 pharmacies. You will build high-performing teams to deliver an outstanding community pharmacy experience while achieving KPIs and budget targets, maintaining patient safety, and ensuring consistently high standards across your area.

This role reports directly to the Senior/Regional Operations Manager.

Key Responsibilities

• Operational Performance
  • Visit each pharmacy at least every two weeks, setting SMART actions to drive performance
  • Support the ‘Delivering Well’ strategy by aligning pharmacy activity with corporate objectives
  • Drive prescription growth, service delivery and OTC sales in line with budget
  • Ensure full compliance with all operational processes and procedures
  • Monitor competitor activity and identify opportunities to grow market share
• Patient Safety, Quality & Standards
  • Ensure all pharmacies meet GPhC standards and NHS contractual requirements
  • Complete first-line investigations into patient safety incidents and controlled drug discrepancies
  • Ensure delivery of all NHS quality standards
• Delivering Outstanding Care
  • Ensure teams actively promote and deliver NHS and private services
  • Ensure complaints and incidents are reported, resolved or escalated appropriately
  • Build and maintain strong relationships within the local healthcare community
  • Ensure patients receive tailored advice and appropriate products for prevention, treatment and wellbeing
• High-Performance Teams
  • Recruit, develop and retain capable and motivated teams
  • Manage performance through effective coaching, feedback and formal reviews
  • Identify and develop internal and external talent to create a strong succession pipeline
  • Ensure clear communication of roles, priorities and expectations
  • Continuously develop your own skills and foster a culture of learning across the area

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Experience in field or multi-site management (business as usual, cross-regional working and/or project-based roles)
• Understanding of the pharmacy market and profession (desirable)
• Strong commercial and analytical skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Effective coaching and feedback capability
• Strong planning and organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities
• Ability to build trusted relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Understanding of NHS contractual requirements and GPhC/PSNI standards

We reserve the right to close this vacancy before the advertised closing date.