Chief Technician - Pharmacy Aseptic Services

FHFT Education Academy; Slough; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 67,000; Full time

Job summary

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Band 8A Chief Technician in Pharmacy Aseptic Services at Wexham Park Hospital, Slough. The role leads the PASU and supports the Accountable Pharmacist to ensure compliant, high‑quality aseptic services.

You will plan, validate, and open a new aseptic unit, lead staff training, and drive cGMP/GDP standards while delivering a SACT service for cancer patients in a modern facility.

Qualifications

• Must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
• Management training courses in-house or regional.
• NVQ level 3 in Pharmacy Services (or equivalent).
• CPD in-line with GPhC requirements.
• Membership of RPS.
• PAAP accreditation completed.
• Experience with regional SPS webinars is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead the PASU, providing expert advice and problem solving in a highly specialised area.
• Oversee operational delivery and supply of aseptically prepared medicines.
• Manage a team of technicians and staff following SOPs in line with GMP/GDP and GCP.

Skills

Leadership

Aseptic expertise

Project management

Strategic planning

Team management

Education

GPhC registration

Management training

NVQ level 3 in Pharmacy Services

CPD to GPhC requirements

RPS membership

PAAP accreditation

Tools

Wellsky

Epic (Beacon module)

Job description

Band 8a

Main area Pharmacy Technician Grade Band 8a Contract Permanent: Full time Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Participation in evening, weekend and bank holiday rotas essential) Job ref 151-SL0573-A

Site Wexham Park Hospital Town Slough Salary £59,798 - £67,020 per annum incl HCAS Salary period Yearly Closing 10/11/2026 23:59

Job overview

Due to the planned retirement of the current Chief Technician for Pharmacy Aseptic Services, an exciting opportunity has arisen at Wexham Park Hospital for a Band 8A Chief Technician.

We are seeking a dynamic, strategic, experienced and motivated technician, passionate about aseptics, to lead the aseptic service by being involved in the planning of the new aseptic unit, due to be built later this year. Once built, planning and leading the validation process of the new unit and staff will be a top priority, before planning the opening of our new aseptic unit.

This highly rewarding role focuses on providing a SACT service for cancer patients in Frimley Health and offers the chance to make a real impact, with state of the art clean rooms and integrated gassing isolators.

You will lead the service, ensuring that the workforce is suitably trained and accredited and you will work closely with the Accountable Pharmacist to ensure compliance with current legislation.

The role involves collaboration with colleagues across Frimley Park Hospital and Wexham Park Hospital sites to deliver an effective aseptic service.

Main duties of the job

• To support the Accountable Pharmacist for Aseptic Services in the leadership and management of the Pharmacy Aseptic Services Unit (PASU) by providing expert advice and problem solving in a highly specialised technical area.
• To take a lead role in the operational delivery of the PASU, ensuring the effective and efficient provision of high-quality supply of aseptically prepared medicines both prepared in-house and outsourced.
• To lead a team of highly skilled technicians and other pharmacy staff to undertake activities following departmental standard operating procedures and work in accordance with Good Clinical Practice (GCP), Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Good Distribution Practice (GDP) and to be a knowledge base for the above to share with the wider team.
• To provide expert advice and problem solving in the highly specialised field of aseptic services, especially regarding the building of a new aseptic unit and validation processes required thereafter to allow the unit to safely open.

Working for our organisation

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust is committed to being an inclusive and disability confident employer and has been awarded the Gold for the Armed Forces Employment Recognition Scheme.

We provide first class development opportunities for all staff and have a wide range of professional, management and leadership, and clinical skills training available.

Here at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, we know how important it is to have a healthy work life balance; this benefits not only individuals but the patients we care for too.

We encourage applications from people who wish to work on a flexible basis, recognising that flexibility may mean a range of different working patterns and hours, we do our utmost to work with our staff to meet their needs and the needs of our service and its users.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• You must be registered as a Pharmacy Technician with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
• This is a full-time post, with commitment required to evening, weekend and Bank Holiday duties as per rota.
• Please kindly see the Job description and Person Specification attached in regard to the role and responsibilities of the post holder.

This job description is an indication of the type and range of tasks that are expected of the postholder, and other duties may be required, in line with the role and the banding. It will be reviewed and amended from time to time in consultation with the postholder to take account of changing organisational need.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Current registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
• Management training courses ‘in house’ or regional.
• NVQ level 3 in Pharmacy Services (or equivalent qualification and underpinning knowledge)
• CPD in-line with GPhC requirements.
• Membership of RPS
• Accreditation in Pre and In Process Checking (PIPC)
• To have completed the Product Approval Accreditation Program (PAAP)

Experience

• Management experience to include a management qualification or project management qualification.
• Significant experience in pharmacy aseptics in a supervisory and/or management capacity.
• Evidence of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Quality Assurance training.
• Evidence of up to date CPD in pharmacy aseptics
• Experience of managing staff and complex teams effectively.
• Experience of staff training and development.
• Experience of recruiting and supervising staff.
• Evidence of successfully managing a significant change in a department.
• Experience of project management.
• Experience of dealing with external agencies.
• Experience of tendering and negotiation of new contracts within aseptic services.
• Experience of legal requirements, procedures, protocols governing clinical trials and GCP.
• Experience of clinical governance and implications for service including quality and audit.

Skills & Knowledge

• Knowledge and skills equivalent to post graduate diploma level, specifically to include a sound knowledge of technical services and a proven track record of managing teams.
• Intermediate competence in standard range of IT programs to include Word and Excel.
• In depth knowledge of the legislation and standards relating to GMP.
• Proven understanding and high-level knowledge of the principles and practices of aseptics eg: preparation, formulation, stability, administration, legal issues.
• Knowledge of working within and maintaining a Pharmacy Quality Management System.
• Ability to use specialist knowledge to challenge and influence.
• Excellent leadership skills with evidence of being a team player.
• Knowledge of budget setting and management.
• Working knowledge of Wellsky and/or Epic (Beacon module).

Special Requirements

• Attendance at regional Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS) webinars to ensure theories are up to date.
• Attendance at Quality Assurance and Technical Services symposium.
• Ability to attend internal and external meetings, off site training days, required overtime relating to managing service delivery etc.

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust (FHFT) is proud of its strong reputation, record of achievement and ambition for the future. We serve a population of over 900,000 people across Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey and South Buckinghamshire, and remain committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our communities.

Our new organisational strategy – FHFT 2030 – sets out our ambition to be the best place to receive care and the best place to work in the NHS. Underpinned by our Trust values – Committed to Excellence, Working Together, Facing the Future, and being a modern, compassionate, Healthcare Organisation – we are creating a culture where our people can thrive and patients always come first.

We continue to invest heavily in our services and facilities. This includes the development of a new hospital at Frimley Park, major expansion of diagnostics and inpatient capacity, and the continued transformation of services across our sites. We have already delivered a brand-new £100m state-of-the-art Heatherwood Hospital, a £49m Emergency Assessment Centre at Wexham Park, and a £10m upgrade to maternity services.

We are also committed to sustainability and the NHS Net Zero ambition. Our new hospital and estate developments are being designed to be environmentally responsible, energy efficient, and future‑proofed, featuring on‑site renewables energy and intelligent energy systems. Th rough our green plan, we are embedding sustainable practices across all areas of care and operations, ensuring we reduce our environmental impact while improving population health and wellbeing. Our staff are key to helps us deliver on our ambition and to ensure sustainability is a core component of care delivery and our operations.

Alongside estates’ investments, we are embedding a strong focus on digital innovation and quality improvement. Our electronic patient record (Epic), launched in 2024, is already enabling safer, more connected, and more effective care for patients, while giving staff the tools they need to do their best work. Our electronic patient record also supports safe and effective digitised care pathways, savings time and carbon, whilst delivering excellent quality of care.

Everything we do is guided by our values, shaping how we care for patients, support colleagues, and build a sustainable future for healthcare together.

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.