Deputy Head of Quality - BHP

NHS; Greater London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in Greater London is seeking a Quality Manager for Pharmacy Technical Services to lead a team ensuring compliance with GMP/GCP standards. This position involves overseeing audits, validation processes, and staff training while contributing to improvement initiatives. Ideal candidates will have significant experience in GMP environments, possess strong management skills, and be committed to quality assurance in a healthcare setting. This role offers opportunities for professional development and collaborative projects.

Qualifications

• Experience in GMP environments and quality management systems.
• Ability to lead and manage teams effectively.
• Knowledge of regulatory standards and best practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the Quality team in pharmacy services.
• Ensure compliance with GMP/GCP standards and continuous improvement.
• Oversee audits, validation processes, and training programs.

Skills

Staff Management skills

Problem-solving and root cause analysis

Attention to detail in GMP documentation

Teamwork

Ability to prioritize workload

Effective in stressful situations

Education

Pharmacist - MPharm or equivalent

Postgraduate qualification in relevant area

Specialist training in leadership

Job description

Barts Health is offering an exciting opportunity to lead the Quality team within Pharmacy Technical Services. Based at the Royal London Hospital, with cross-site responsibilities at St Bartholomew's and Whipps Cross Hospitals, this role is crucial in delivering high-quality pharmacy services in line with regulatory standards across our MHRA-licensed units.

The successful candidate will lead a dynamic team to ensure compliance with GMP/GCP standards and improve our Quality Management System (QMS). Key responsibilities include overseeing audits, validation processes, and maintaining quality control in the production of pharmacy products. You will also manage staff training, ensuring competency and adherence to regulatory guidelines.

This role offers excellent professional development opportunities, including exposure to various quality assurance activities and collaborative projects with senior leaders. You'll have the chance to influence strategic decisions within Pharmacy Technical Services and access further training and leadership development initiatives.

As a key member of the Pharmacy Technical Services senior leadership team, you will work closely with the Head of Quality to support the department's goals.

If you are passionate about maintaining regulatory compliance and driving continuous improvement in MHRA-licensed environments, we encourage you to apply.

For more information, please contact Nick Cooley, Deputy Chief Pharmacist ([e-mail])

Main duties of the job

• Lead and manage the Quality team, providing leadership, team development and representation at internal/external meetings.
• Ensure regulatory compliance and quality governance, including GMP/GCP, risk management, incident handling, complaints, and continuous improvement.
• Manage and maintain the Quality Management System, including audits, SOPs, documentation control, validation, change control and technical agreements.
• Be responsible for QA/QC service delivery, ensuring product quality, QC release, equipment qualification, KPI monitoring, reporting and support for projects and service improvements.
• Deliver training and support professional development, ensuring competency, supervision, CPD and effective training programmes across the team.
• Be professionally accountable to the Head of Quality, working collaboratively with the head of quality to provide assurance in Quality service delivery to meet regulatory standards. Ensuring delivery of KPIs and keeping abreast of and implementing regulatory changes updates.

About us

Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain's leading healthcare providers.

The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. Having lifted ourselves out of special measures, we now have the impetus and breathing space to chart a fresh course in which we are continually striving to improve all our services for patients.

Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistentlyhigh standardsof harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which ourWeCarevalues and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.

We strive to live by ourWeCarevalues and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate,cultivateand support an inclusive working environment.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are underrepresented within Barts Health at this band.

Job responsibilities

We are dedicated to being an outstanding place to work and will work with you to get the best experience. We know flexible working is not a one size fits all and will mean something different to everyone. We are inclusive, so if you are interested in flexible working, please speak to the recruiting manager.

The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.

Person Specification

Experience

• Proven experience of good performance in previous posts and managing teams in GMP environments
• Experience of working in a busy pharmaceutical cGMP environment, including providing Quality advice to manufacturing units to maintain GMP and patient safety
• Demonstrates experience in the application of People Policies and Procedures
• Demonstrates ability to manage a Quality Management System including incidents/ deviations from protocol, change controls and developing and reviewing action plans
• Experience of working in a hospital environment
• Experience of working with radio-pharmaceuticals
• Demonstrated knowledge of Pharmaceutical microbiology
• Demonstrates experience in developing and managing validation master plan within a cGMP environment

Skills

• Staff Management skills including developing objectives and personal development plans and maintaining a good working environment, developing PDPs
• Demonstrated ability to identify problems, analyse root cause and propose solutions for complex problems
• Able to complete, review and approve GMP documentation accurately with attention to detail
• Able to develop and review option appraisals and identify the most appropriate option
• Good team working skills
• Demonstrates ability to prioritise workload and meet deadlines
• Able to work effectively in stressful situations

Knowledge

• Demonstrated expert technical knowledge of GcLP and cGMP, and a proven ability to apply this knowledge to maintain, develop and validate quality systems
• Knowledge of the eight core principles of ISO9001 Quality Management
• Working knowledge of how to conduct a gap analysis and develop appropriate action plans
• Knowledge of Aseptic Practices
• Knowledge of relevant regulatory Standards
• Knowledge of how to develop, lead and conduct audit and quality improvement
• Expert knowledge of validation methods (for process, operator and facilities & equipment) and how to maintain a validation master plan document
• Knowledge of medical gas pipeline systems

Qualifications

• Pharmacist - MPharm (or equivalent) OR Pharmacy Technician - Level 3 Diploma in Pharmacy Services (or equivalent) OR Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians - Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council OR relevant Science Degree OR relevant occupational experience AND Registration with the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) or Biology (RBS)
• Postgraduate qualification in relevant area or equivalent experience.
• Specialist postgraduate Diploma/MSc in Technical Services (e.g. National Course in Pharmaceutical Technology and Quality Assurance) or equivalent work based technical experience and underpinning knowledge
• Specialist training in leadership

Other

• Values-led
• Experience in giving presentations to diverse audiences.
• Required to wear specialised clean room clothing and appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.