Deputy Production Manager/ Advance Therapy Aseptic Unit specialist

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Greater London; On-site; GBP 72,000 - 84,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS trust in Greater London is seeking a Senior Leadership role to manage operations in the Advanced Therapy Aseptic Unit. The role involves overseeing the delivery of gene therapy products and leading a dedicated pharmacy production team. Candidates must possess a Master's degree in pharmacy, be registered with the GPhC, and have significant experience in pharmacy production with strong leadership and management skills. This position offers a competitive salary between £72,921 to £83,362 per annum.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Flexible working options

Strong training and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
• Significant experience in pharmacy production and management.
• Strong understanding of aseptic manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the new Advance Therapy Aseptic Unit.
• Oversee delivery and quality of clinical trial products.
• Drive innovation and the introduction of new production lines.

Skills

Leadership

Interpersonal skills

Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)

Communication

Flexibility in a healthcare environment

Education

Master's degree in pharmacy

Pharmacist Registration with GPhC

Specialist Qualification in Pharmaceutical Technical Services

Higher degree in Gene Therapy regulations

Tools

Epic electronic health record system

Job description

Overview

Go back University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 22 January 2026

UCLH is one of the most complex NHS trusts in the UK, serving a large and diverse population from the local area and throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. The Trust mission is to deliver top-quality patient care, excellent education and world-class research.

With the expansion of the Production team, to help meet increased workload from across the Trust, this newly updated position offers a broad and in-depth experience within the Production department. This is a new senior leadership position responsible for the operational management and strategic development of our new Advance Therapy Aseptic Unit.

Main duties

• Lead and develop the new ATAU service at UCLH in line with GMP and national regulatory standards
• Oversee delivery, quality and release of gene therapy and clinical trial products
• Drive innovation, R&D, and the introduction of new production lines
• Build and manage EPIC product builds, worksheets and EHR pathway
• Deputise for the Principal Pharmacist Production Manager, contributing to trust-wide projects and governance

About us

serving a large and diverse population. We provide academically led acute and specialist services, to people from the local area, from throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. Our vision is to deliver top-quality patient care, excellent education, and world-class research.

We provide first-class acute and specialist services across eight sites:

• University College Hospital (incorporating the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing)
• National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
• Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals
• University College Hospital Grafton Way Building
• Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine
• University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre
• The Hospital for Tropical Diseases
• University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street

We are dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of many complex illnesses. UCLH specialises in women's health and the treatment of cancer, infection, neurological, gastrointestinal and oral disease. It has world class support services including critical care, imaging, nuclear medicine and pathology.

We are committed to sustainability and have pledged to become a carbon net zero health service, embedding sustainable practice throughout UCLH. We have set an ambitious target of net zero for our direct emissions by 2031 and indirect emissions by 2040.

Job responsibilities

For the full Person Specification and more information regarding the main responsibilities of this role, please refer to the attached Job Description.

Applicants must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and possess significant experience in pharmacy production, including demonstrable management and leadership responsibilities. Previous experience working with the Epic electronic health record system is highly desirable.

The post holder will provide effective and professional leadership to a multidisciplinary team of technical staff within the Production Unit. Strong interpersonal skills, clear and timely communication, and a comprehensive understanding of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) are essential requirements for this role.

The Production team at UCLH is a highly dedicated, skilled and collaborative workforce operating across several sites. The service currently includes a high-volume chemotherapy unit producing in excess of 50,000 doses annually, as well as CIVAS, Parenteral Nutrition and Repack services. As the organisation prepares to establish a new service for the provision of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs), the post holder will have a key leadership role in overseeing the development, implementation and ongoing management of this specialist service.

Come and be a part of the best NHS trust in England to work for, according to our staff

*UCLH top trust to work at in England- In the most recent NHS staff survey UCLH had the highest percentage of staff who said they would recommend us as a place to work, out of all general acute or acute/community NHS trusts in England for the third year in a row.

UCLH recognises the benefits of flexible working for staff To find out more, visit: Flexible working.

To discover more about what makes UCLH a great place to work, visit: Why Choose UCLH?

Person Specification

Knowledge and Qualifications

• Master's degree in pharmacy (MRPharm) or equivalent
• Pharmacist Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council
• Specialist Qualification in Pharmaceutical Technical Services, e.g. PTQA MSc or equivalent experience and expertise
• Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
• Higher degree and/or knowledge of Gene Therapy treatment and related regulations (PhD or research MSc)

Experience

• Demonstrable significant post qualification work in hospital pharmacy practise and production unit, including aseptic manufacturing.
• Previous assessable experience of managing an Advance Therapy/Gene Therapy Unit
• Previous assessable experience of delivering training and education at graduate or post-graduate level.
• Experience of working with electronic prescribing systems e.g. Epic
• Previous experience of setting up electronic worksheets and/or systems

Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrated ability to manage routine out of specification results and incidents and develop and review action plans to resolve these.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and deliver a research and development agenda.
• Ability to be flexible and manage change in a complex and challenging healthcare environment (staff and service)
• Leads GMP audit and demonstrable evidence of use of GMP audit to improve practice

Communication

• Able to communicate complex, contentious, and sensitive information effectively when using clear written and spoken English.
• Ability to communicate effectively with colleagues at all levels both within and beyond pharmacy and the trust.
• Leads by example, promoting the highest standards of personal and professional conduct, integrity and probity.

Personal and People Development

• Awareness of the needs of confidentiality
• Demonstrated ability to manage load handling issues and ensure manual handling risk assessments for all activities within production.
• Management skills, experience of managing people and teams
• Experience of delivering training and supervising staff/teams

Specific Requirements

• Demonstrated ability to undertake validated aseptic manipulation requiring fine and accurate motor skills and concentration.
• Demonstrated ability to sit or stand in a restricted position at a laminar flow cabinet or isolator for periods of the working time.

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.

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

£72,921 to £83,362 a year per annum inclusive of HCAS