Head of Education & Training

NPA; St Albans; Hybrid; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company Pension

Healthcare

Life Insurance

Travel/Season Ticket Loans

In House Training

Recognised Qualifications

Job summary

The National Pharmacy Association is seeking a Head of Education & Training (full-time, permanent) to lead the learning portfolio, ensure quality, and align programs with customer needs and regulatory standards. The role demands senior leadership, strategic vision, and strong collaboration with universities and partners.

Hybrid working pattern with at least 1 day per week at the NPA Head Office just outside London; immediate availability.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience in learning, education, or training.
• Proven track record managing a portfolio of products or services.
• Ability to use data and customer insight to inform strategy.
• Strong understanding of QA and assessment frameworks.
• Experience leading high-performing teams.
• Familiarity with apprenticeship/work-based learning models.
• Experience in regulated or accredited environments.
• Experience managing change and transformation.
• Experience in healthcare, pharmacy, or professional education.

Responsibilities

• Embed a product- and category-led mindset across learning and development.
• Develop portfolio strategy by anticipating trends in pharmacy practice, education, and workforce development.
• Balance time, cost, and quality for efficient and sustainable delivery.
• Define pricing strategies reflecting market position, value, and objectives.
• Determine routes to market for new and existing products (in-house, partner, or procure externally).
• Ensure learning products focus on user experience, usability, and impact.
• Drive a culture where learning is a strategic product portfolio.
• Lead development of learning solutions for pharmacy businesses and individual learners.
• Oversee learning provision with universities and partners, ensuring alignment to academic and professional requirements.
• Design and deliver learning across digital, blended, and face-to-face formats.
• Provide leadership over assessment strategy and quality processes.
• Ensure readiness for audit, accreditation, and external review.
• Lead multidisciplinary team and manage budget to deliver objectives.
• Accountable for financial performance and scalable training offers.

Skills

Senior leadership

Portfolio management

Data-driven strategy

QA & assessment

Team leadership

Apprenticeship/work-based learning

Regulated environment

Change management

Pharmacy education

Job description

Head of Education & Training (Full-time, Permanent)

Do you have significant senior leadership experience in learning, education, or training?

Do you have proven track record of managing a portfolio of products or services?

Do you have experience using data and customer insight to inform strategy and decision making?

Do you have strong understanding of quality assurance and assessment frameworks?

Then we have the perfect role for you!

The role

• Embed a product and category-led mindset across the learning and development function, ensuring all decisions are informed by customer need, market demand, and commercial viability.
• Take a strategic approach to the development and evolution of the portfolio by:
• Anticipating future trends in pharmacy practice, education, and workforce development, and translating these into forward-looking learning solutions
• Making balanced, evidence-based decisions that consider time, cost, and quality, ensuring efficient and sustainable delivery
• Defining and implementing pricing strategies that reflect market position, value, and commercial objectives
• Determining the most effective route to market for new and existing products, including whether to develop in-house, partner, or procure externally
• Ensuring all products are designed and managed with a clear focus on member/customer experience, usability, and impact
• Drive a culture where learning provision is viewed not only as education delivery, but as a strategic product portfolio, continuously evolving to meet member needs and market opportunities.
• Lead the development of learning and development solutions that meet the needs of pharmacy businesses as well as individual learners. Ensure the NPA offers relevant, flexible, and commercially viable services for employers, including the potential for bespoke or tailored programmes.
• Oversee the NPA’s learning provision delivered in partnership with universities and other institutions and partners, ensuring programmes are high quality, well-integrated, and aligned to both academic and professional requirements.
• Oversee the design and delivery of learning across digital, blended, and face-to-face formats. Ensure consistency, quality, and accessibility across all programmes, embedding best practice in instructional design and learner experience.
• Provide leadership and assurance over assessment strategy and quality processes. Ensure all programmes are robust, fair, and aligned to required standards, maintaining confidence in the integrity and outcomes of NPA qualifications and training.
• Ensure that all learning provision meets the requirements of relevant regulatory and awarding bodies, including alignment with General Pharmaceutical Council standards where applicable. Maintain readiness for audit, accreditation, and external review.
• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary team, setting clear expectations and fostering a high-performing, collaborative culture. Ensure the function has the capability and structure to deliver against its strategic and operational objectives.
• Hold accountability for the financial performance of the learning and development function, including budget management and cost control. Support the development of a scalable and sustainable training offer.

Key facts

Hybrid-working pattern: Home working blended with at least 1 day per week working at the NPA's Head Office, just outside of London.

Availability: Immediate or very short notice.

The candidate

Your key attributes:

• Significant senior leadership experience in learning, education, or training
• Proven track record of managing a portfolio of products or services
• Experience using data and customer insight to inform strategy and decision making
• Strong understanding of quality assurance and assessment frameworks
• Experience leading and developing high-performing teams
• Familiarity with apprenticeship and work-based learning models
• Experience operating within a regulated or accredited environment
• Significant experience of managing change and team or departmental transformation.
• Experience within healthcare, pharmacy, or professional education

The organisation

The National Pharmacy Association is the representative body for the independent community pharmacy sector across the four nations of the UK and the provider of support, services and activities to community pharmacies and their teams.

We encourage applications from all sections of the community. Furthermore, qualifications and/or experience identified are indicative. We will consider applications from candidates who have comparable qualifications and/or experience for the role advertised.

Department

Education and Training

Contract type

Permanent

Hours

35

Competitive

• Company Pension
• Healthcare
• Life Insurance
• Travel/Season Ticket Loans
• In House Training
• Recognised Qualifications

Closing date for applications

23rd October, 2026

Associated files