Chief Pharmacist LGT

National Health Service; Ashford; On-site; GBP 113,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust seeks a Chief Pharmacist to lead medicines management and ensure safe, effective, and financially sustainable use of medicines across inpatient, outpatient and community services.

You will provide strategic leadership for medicines safety, governance and workforce development, acting as the Trust's principal adviser on pharmaceutical matters and shaping the Pharmacy Strategy for service transformation and improvements in outcomes and performance.

Qualifications

• Substantial post-registration experience in hospital pharmacy including senior management experience.
• A current registered pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council and relevant postgraduate qualifications.
• Experience in leading medicines optimisation, clinical governance and budget management.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and professional leadership for all pharmacy and medicines management services across the Trust.
• Lead on medicines safety, clinical governance and regulatory compliance, ensuring the safe and effective use of medicines.
• Act as the Trust's principal adviser on pharmaceutical matters, providing expert guidance to the Board, Executive Team and clinical services.
• Develop and deliver the Pharmacy Strategy, supporting the Trust's operational, quality and performance objectives.
• Lead the Trust's medicines optimisation, efficiency and cost improvement programmes, ensuring effective stewardship of medicines expenditure.
• Provide leadership and oversight of the pharmacy workforce, including workforce planning, recruitment, development and succession planning.
• Drive innovation, service transformation and continuous improvement to enhance patient outcomes and service delivery.
• Build strong partnerships across the Trust, Integrated Care System and wider healthcare sector, representing the organisation at local, regional and national forums.
• Lead research, education and professional development initiatives, promoting excellence in pharmacy practice and medicines management.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Budget management

Regulatory compliance

Pharmacy governance

Clinical pharmacy leadership

Education

B. Pharm / M. Pharm / BSc (Pharmacy)

Registration as a Pharmacist with the GPhC

Higher degree or Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy or General Pharmacy Practice

Membership of the Royal College of Pharmacy

MSc

Job description

Job summary

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust is seeking an exceptional and forward-thinking pharmacy leader to join our leadership team as Chief Pharmacist.

As the Trust's senior professional lead for pharmacy and medicines management, you will be responsible for ensuring the safe, effective and financially sustainable use of medicines across inpatient, outpatient and community services.

You will provide strategic leadership for medicines safety, clinical governance, workforce development, service transformation and medicines optimisation, while acting as the Trust's principal adviser on pharmaceutical matters.

This influential leadership role offers the opportunity to shape services across the organisation and wider health system, delivering improvements in patient outcomes, operational performance and financial sustainability while ensuring the highest standards of quality, safety and regulatory compliance.

Main duties of the job

• Provide strategic and professional leadership for all pharmacy and medicines management services across the Trust.
• Lead on medicines safety, clinical governance and regulatory compliance, ensuring the safe and effective use of medicines.
• Act as the Trust's principal adviser on pharmaceutical matters, providing expert guidance to the Board, Executive Team and clinical services.
• Develop and deliver the Pharmacy Strategy, supporting the Trust's operational, quality and performance objectives.
• Lead the Trust's medicines optimisation, efficiency and cost improvement programmes, ensuring effective stewardship of medicines expenditure.
• Provide leadership and oversight of the pharmacy workforce, including workforce planning, recruitment, development and succession planning.
• Drive innovation, service transformation and continuous improvement to enhance patient outcomes and service delivery.
• Build strong partnerships across the Trust, Integrated Care System and wider healthcare sector, representing the organisation at local, regional and national forums.
• Lead research, education and professional development initiatives, promoting excellence in pharmacy practice and medicines management.
• Contribute as a senior leader within the Trust, supporting organisational strategy, performance, quality improvement and financial sustainability.

About us

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients.

Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement.

We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

• Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
• Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
• Improving the experience of staff with disability
• Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
• Making equalities mainstream

Details

Date posted 15 October 2026

Pay scheme

• Band 9
• Salary 112,782 to 129,783 a year per annum
• Contract Permanent
• Working pattern Full-time

Qualifications and Training

Essential

• B. Pharm / M. Pharm / BSc (Pharmacy)
• Registration as a Pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council
• Higher degree or Postgraduate Diploma in either Clinical Pharmacy or General Pharmacy Practice (or equivalent)
• Membership of the Royal College of Pharmacy
• MSc

Desirable

• Post-graduate qualification in business / management

Experience Essential

• Substantial post-registration experience in hospital pharmacy including relevant experience at senior management/immediate sub-board level.
• Recent practice (within last 5 years) in a leadership role managing a pharmacy team as a chief or deputy chief pharmacist level
• Demonstrable experience in clinical pharmacy practice covering a broad range of specialities.
• Experience of operational and staff management in the NHS within Pharmacy Services
• Supervision and training of others.
• Examples of development and implementation of evidence-based guidelines.
• Examples of Clinical Audit and Literature Evaluations and how they have been use to improve or influence practice.
• Recent experience in leading transformational quality improvement project work
• Experience of working with executive teams and giving assurance on divisional services

Experience Desirable

• Experience working as a band 8d pharmacist (or equivalent)

Knowledge and Skills Essential

• Management of budgets (>5m)
• Business planning
• Clear understanding of pharmacy developments
• Computer literate
• Marketing skills
• Ability to exercise discretion within wide parameters in researching/seeking support for plans to deliver agreed objectives
• Highly developed negotiating/influencing skills based on a thorough understanding of the relationships between clinical and management functions
• Knowledge of national NHS policy relating to pharmacy
• Able to demonstrate partnership working within and external to the Trust

Knowledge and Skills Desirable

• Developing pharmacy service outcome indicators
• Practice research skills in clinical areas

Personal Qualities Essential

• Proven leadership skills
• Professional role model
• Flexible approach to work
• Committed to own continuing professional development and maintaining a CPD portfolio.
• Demonstrable willingness to learn and develop new skills
• Reliable, polite and approachable
• Ability to cope with challenges and change
• Knows own professional and personal limitations and seeks advice where necessary
• Ability to show kindness and compassion and work in line with the Trust values

Person Specification

Qualifications and Training

Essential

• B. Pharm / M. Pharm / BSc (Pharmacy)
• Registration as a Pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council
• Higher degree or Postgraduate Diploma in either Clinical Pharmacy or General Pharmacy Practice (or equivalent)
• Membership of the Royal College of Pharmacy
• MSc

Desirable

• Post-graduate qualification in business / management

Experience Essential

• Substantial post-registration experience in hospital pharmacy including relevant experience at senior management/immediate sub-board level.
• Recent practice (within last 5 years) in a leadership role managing a pharmacy team as a chief or deputy chief pharmacist level
• Demonstrable experience in clinical pharmacy practice covering a broad range of specialities.
• Experience of operational and staff management in the NHS within Pharmacy Services
• Supervision and training of others.
• Examples of development and implementation of evidence-based guidelines.
• Examples of Clinical Audit and Literature Evaluations and how they have been use to improve or influence practice.
• Recent experience in leading transformational quality improvement project work
• Experience of working with executive teams and giving assurance on divisional services

Experience Desirable

• Experience working as a band 8d pharmacist (or equivalent)

Knowledge and Skills Essential

• Management of budgets (>5m)
• Business planning
• Clear understanding of pharmacy developments
• Computer literate
• Marketing skills
• Ability to exercise discretion within wide parameters in researching/seeking support for plans to deliver agreed objectives
• Highly developed negotiating/influencing skills based on a thorough understanding of the relationships between clinical and management functions
• Knowledge of national NHS policy relating to pharmacy
• Able to demonstrate partnership working within and external to the Trust

Knowledge and Skills Desirable

• Developing pharmacy service outcome indicators
• Practice research skills in clinical areas

Personal Qualities Essential

• Proven leadership skills
• Professional role model
• Flexible approach to work
• Committed to own continuing professional development and maintaining a CPD portfolio.
• Demonstrable willingness to learn and develop new skills