Lead Pharmacy Quality Assurance Professional

NHS Trust; Walsall; On-site; GBP 53,000 - 61,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Lead Quality Assurance Professional to join their Aseptic Services Team. This pivotal role focuses on ensuring high-quality pharmaceutical services through effective Quality Assurance and Quality Control practices. The successful candidate will lead the development of Quality Management Systems, conduct audits, and oversee validation processes. With a pathway for career progression and a commitment to quality and safety, this position offers an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact in a healthcare setting. If you have the expertise and leadership skills to drive quality improvements, this role could be your next career step.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in QA/QC in a pharmaceutical or healthcare setting.
• Leadership experience within a QA/QC environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and maintenance of QMS ensuring compliance with NHS standards.
• Conduct audits and oversee QC processes to maintain quality standards.

Skills

Specialist Knowledge

Problem Identification and Solving

Training and Lectures Delivery

Leadership in QA/QC

Analytical Skills

Education

Qualified Technician or Pharmacist

Tools

Quality Management Systems (QMS)

Validation Protocols

Job description

Job Summary

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Lead Quality Assurance Professional to join our Aseptic Services Team in Pharmacy. This role is critical to ensuring the delivery of high-quality pharmaceutical services, focusing on the areas of Quality Assurance (QA), Quality Control (QC), and Validation. The post is open to qualified Technicians and Pharmacists with relevant experience and offers a pathway to career progression from Band 7 to Band 8a based on demonstrated capabilities and leadership.

Main duties of the job

1. Lead the development, implementation, and maintenance of Quality Management Systems (QMS) within the department, ensuring compliance with NHS and regulatory standards (e.g. GMP, GPhC).
2. Conduct audits to monitor and maintain quality standards, identifying areas for improvement and ensuring action plans are developed and implemented.
3. Oversee the QC processes within the department, ensuring that products, services, and procedures meet required specifications and standards.
4. Provide expert advice on product testing and quality analysis, reviewing QC results and ensuring corrective actions are taken when necessary.
5. Lead the validation of processes, equipment, and systems in accordance with national and local standards.
6. Develop and execute validation protocols, ensuring that all aspects of validation are documented and performed to regulatory requirements.
7. Provide leadership to the Aseptic Services Team, fostering a culture of quality and safety within the department.
8. Provide line management and support to other members of staff within the team.

About us

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust is an integrated Trust and the only provider of NHS acute care in Walsall, serving a population of 284,300, providing inpatient and outpatient services at the Manor Hospital as well as a wide range of services in the community. Walsall Manor houses the full range of district general hospital services under one roof. The £170 million development was completed in 2010 and the continued upgrading of existing areas ensures the Trust now has a state-of-the-art Critical Care Unit, Neonatal Unit, Obstetric Theatre, and Integrated Assessment Unit facilities.

A new Urgent Emergency Care Centre was opened in March 2023. The two-storey development has significantly improved emergency care facilities and capacity and has provided almost 5,000 square metres of additional clinical space.

Date posted
28 March 2025

Pay scheme
Agenda for change

Band
Band 8a

Salary
£53,755 to £60,504 a year pa

Contract
Permanent

Working pattern
Full-time

Reference number
TEMP_500

Job locations
Walsall Manor Hospital
Moat Road
Walsall
WS2 9PS

Job Description

Job responsibilities

1. Ensure a robust change control procedure is in place and when required present any change management documentation to Pharmacy and Trust stakeholders and the Pharmacy Risk and Governance Group.
2. Responsible for the capacity planning of the Aseptics Team in which the plan is routinely reviewed with recommendations of improvement expected by the Principal Pharmacist to ensure the continued optimised operation of the Aseptic Unit.
3. To ensure all maintenance works within the Aseptic Unit are carried out in a timely manner according to the Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) schedule and liaise with the Estates Department and relevant contractors.
4. To manage and maintain service level agreements and contracts with partners, and suppliers.
5. Develop and review the Aseptic contingency plan ensuring that all areas of operation have a suitable business continuity plan inclusive but not limited to paper, digital systems and the Aseptic Unit.
6. Be responsible for frequent testing of the Aseptic contingency plan ensuring all areas remain fit for purpose.

Person Specification

Skills Essential

• Able to demonstrate a very high level of specialist knowledge
• Demonstrates skills for problem identification and solving
• Delivered Lectures, talks, training (Medical/ Nursing/ Pharmacy staff and patients)

Desirable

• Self-motivating with a positive "can do", enthusiastic approach to work and able to motivate a Pharmacy Team

Knowledge Essential

• Able to demonstrate a very high level of specialist knowledge
• Demonstrates skills for problem identification and solving
• Delivered Lectures, talks, training (Medical/ Nursing/ Pharmacy staff and patients)

Experience Essential

• Significant experience in Quality Assurance/Quality Control in a pharmaceutical or healthcare setting.
• Experience in validation processes and an in-depth understanding of regulatory requirements (e.g., GMP and QAAPS).
• Leadership experience within a QA/QC environment

Desirable

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify risks and implement corrective actions
• Able to transfer national guidelines into Trust policies, procedures, and guidelines
• Assertiveness skills - able to negotiate to a satisfactory outcome with professional colleagues at all levels

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration.

Employer details

Employer name
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
Address
Walsall Manor Hospital
Moat Road
Walsall
WS2 9PS
Employer's website
https://walsallhealthcare.nhs.uk