Deputy Chief Pharmacist – Operations and Governance | Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; Reading; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare trust in Reading is seeking an experienced Deputy Chief Pharmacist to provide strategic leadership and manage pharmacy services. The role requires a registered UK pharmacist with substantial experience, particularly in mental health. You will oversee dispensary operations, governance issues, and contribute to service improvement and technology use. This position offers the chance to work in a quality-focused environment dedicated to high standards of patient care.

Benefits

Flexible working options

27 days annual leave

NHS pension scheme

Learning and career development opportunities

Cycle to Work scheme

Access to wellbeing tools

Discounts at retailers and restaurants

Diversity and inclusion networks

Generous parental leave

Free parking across Trust sites

Qualifications

• Substantial post-registration pharmacy experience with clinical specialities.
• Experience in mental health pharmacy and providing medicines information.
• Strong strategic and budget management skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and management of pharmacy services.
• Oversee pharmacy dispensary services for patients and staff.
• Ensure governance of pharmacy services, including reporting to the Board.

Skills

Leadership skills

Clinical pharmacy expertise

Analytical skills

Interpersonal skills

Education

Registered UK pharmacist

Job description

Are you seeking a new and exciting leadership challenge in pharmacy?

Do you want to join a team committed to delivering cutting‑edge pharmacy services and practices with high end‑user satisfaction?

We are looking for an experienced Deputy Chief Pharmacist to join our forward‑thinking Trust. We've a quality improvement culture – “better never stops” is at the heart of everything we do.

Berkshire Healthcare is a CQC Outstanding trust, a Global Digital Exemplar, and a leading provider of community and mental health services. We are proud to be one of only eight trusts nominated as an Advanced Trust, ranked third nationally among Mental Health and Community Trusts, and the highest‑scoring community and mental health trust for staff recommending their organisation as a great place to work.

As Deputy Chief Pharmacist you will:

• Provide strategic leadership, expertise, and management of operational, governance, and informatics pharmacy services across the Trust
• Oversee effective and efficient pharmacy dispensary services for patients and staff
• Ensure an effective governance structure for pharmacy services, including reporting and assurance to relevant committees and the Board
• Promote cost‑effective distribution and use of medicines
• Manage and develop pharmacy staff, including recruitment, performance management, and training

If you’re passionate about patient care and staff development, we’d love to welcome you to our team.

The role requires a highly competent pharmacist with broad experience and expert clinical, leadership and managerial skills to be accountable for:

• Operations including Dispensary, Procurement, Stores and Clinical Trials
• Governance, including Medicines Information, formulary, audit and medication safety
• Informatics, including ePMA, digital innovation, and transformation
• Providing professional leadership and advice on all matters associated with medicines optimisation and driving service improvement and efficiencies through increased use of technology and data analysis to inform and drive service improvement, enabling best and most efficient use of resources
• Supporting the Chief Pharmacist in the delivery of the vision and priorities for the pharmacy department and working alongside other managers within the pharmacy department to ensure patient‑centred services are provided by a competent and versatile pharmacy workforce
• Abide by the General Pharmaceutical Council’s Code of Ethics
• Liaise with internal and external stakeholders, including commissioners, regional pharmacy services, and professional networks

About Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated ‘outstanding’ by the CQC, we’re committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we’re committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.

Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:

• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• Working together with you to develop innovative solutions

Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:

• Flexible working options to support work‑life balance
• 27 days’ annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
• Generous NHS pension scheme
• Excellent learning and career development opportunities
• ‘Cycle to Work’ and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
• Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
• Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
• Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
• Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
• Free parking across Trust sites

The ideal candidate will:

• Be a registered UK pharmacist with substantial post‑registration experience. This should include pharmacy practice in a wide range of clinical specialities
• Have mental health pharmacy experience/providing medicines information to mental health patients
• Expertise in medicines optimisation, budget management, and NHS governance frameworks
• Strong strategic, analytical, and interpersonal skills with ability to influence across complex organisations

For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.

We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point‑by‑point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.

Commitment to equal opportunities and inclusion

We’re committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.

We have identified that this is a role where we have underrepresentation of ethnically diverse colleagues. As part of our commitment to inclusion and Unity Against Racism we offer guaranteed interviews to candidates who meet the essential criteria and identify as: Asian or Asian British, Black or Black British, Mixed and ‘Other’ Ethnic Groups.

We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to contact Tolu Olusoga, Medical Director, by emailing [e-mail]. We’ll be delighted to help.

Please note, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.

This advert closes on Sunday 25 Jan 2026