Lead Pharmacy Technician

Cumbria,-Northumberland,-Tyne-and-Wear-Nhs-Foundation-Trust; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 49,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) is seeking an experienced Pharmacy Technician to join the pharmacy senior leadership team. You will lead the Medicines Supply operations, manage a team of Pharmacy Technicians and ATOs, and contribute to safe, cost-effective medicines management across CNTW sites.

The role focuses on developing KPIs, enforcing SOPs, and supporting procurement while collaborating with ward and clinical teams to ensure optimal supply of medications.

Qualifications

• Qualified Pharmacy Technician with post-qualification experience.
• Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council is mandatory.
• Experience as Accredited Checker and line management is preferred.
• Experience as NVQ Assessor/Verifier is advantageous.
• Management qualification or equivalent leadership training is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Medicines Supply Team and oversee procurement, stores and dispensary operations.
• Develop and monitor SOPs, KPIs and governance standards.
• Provide cover for managers within the Dispensary and Medicines Systems teams.
• Support cost-effective procurement and safe medicines management.
• Mentor and develop pharmacy staff across CNTW sites.

Skills

Pharmacy team leadership

People management

Stakeholder engagement

Time management

Advanced communication

Multidisciplinary collaboration

Clinical information literacy

Education

NVQ3 / BTEC in Pharmaceutical Sciences

GPhC registration

Accredited Checker

NVQ Assessor (A1/A2) & Verifier

Management qualification

Job description

Employer Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site St Nicholas Hospital Town Gosforth Salary £49,387 - £56,515 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 29/09/2026 23:59

Band 7

Hello!

We are so delighted you are considering coming to work with us at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW).

We know the power of looking into an organisation, one you might want to work in, or one where you are going to get help, and being able to say, ‘I’ve seen somewhere I can fit in and be myself.’ We’re on a journey to make the Trust an inclusive employer, representative of the community we serve and we want more of our community to consider applying for jobs with us.

Opportunities for you

Spanning east to west coasts from Northumberland to Cumbria and from the Scottish Borders down to Middlesbrough we’ve got exciting new opportunities available at every level and in every area.

We offer flexible working, helping work fit around family and caring responsibilities, or training and development needs and there’s lots on offer in the way of benefits, such as, lease cars, childcare schemes, staff discounts, season tickets for travel and a cycle to work scheme. All this in a vibrant workplace supported by the following staff networks.

• Cultural diversity staff network
• Disabled staff network
• LGBT+ staff network

We also have a number of staff support groups which are open to any staff to attend. These Include:

• Armed Forces and Veterans Staff Network
• Mind, Health and Wellbeing Community
• Menopause toolkit and cafes and staff carer support group

We offer fantastic personal development opportunities through our Collective Leadership Programme and other Organisational Development initiatives. Whatever you are looking for, you will be joining a supportive, friendly team, offering varied and interesting roles, with opportunities for career progression.

We’re always seeking to improve as an organisation. Do you want to be part of that?

Please note that it is a requirement of this Trust that all external applicants pay for their own DBS certification if a DBS check is required for the post. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first monthly pay

Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Pharmacy Technician to work within the pharmacy senior leadership team within the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) Pharmacy department.

This role includes:

Management of the Trust-wide medication supply service to all wards, units and clinics, supplied by the CNTW and NTW Solutions Pharmacy Departments

Leading a team of Pharmacy Technicians, Pharmacy ATOs and Pharmacy Support staff who contribute to the safe and effective supply of medicines across all localities of CNTW

Working as part of the senior leadership team within the Pharmacy department, ensuring the work of the operational team is reported and represented

Managing and developing safe, secure and cost-effective medicines management within Trust Dispensaries

Developing, promoting and monitoring key performance indicators in relation to the Dispensary and medicines supply chain

Managing the cost-effective and safe procurement of medicines

Undertaking the duties of the Lead Technician – Medicines Systems in their absence.

Undertaking the duties of the Specialist Technician – Dispensary Services in their absence

Main duties of the job

- Leadership, service management and co-ordination of medicines procurement, storage and supply across the Trust, ensuring safe, effective, innovative and efficient operations, in accordance with medicines legislation and Trust policies

- Oversight of Procurement, Stores and Dispensary teams, and development and implementation of Trust and service objectives including national drivers and quality improvement initiatives

- Leadership and line management responsibility of Dispensary, stores and procurement staff, including training and mentoring

- Recruitment and workforce planning

- Provision of cover for managers within Dispensary and medicines systems teams

- Management and monitoring of Departmental operational audits and governance standards providing assurance of performance as well as development, maintenance and reporting of key performance indicators

- Management of Pharmacy input into Trust-wide initiatives including seasonal vaccination programmes

- Accredited checking Technician duties according to rota

- Medicines incident investigation, trend analysis and action plan implementation

- Development and maintenance of departmental Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

Working for our organisation

We aim to attract and retain a diverse, talented and committed workforce, who are caring and compassionate, and therefore able to meet the demands of the modern NHS now and in the future. In return we can offer a dynamic working environment in which to build a career.

NHS Employees identified as at risk of compulsory redundancy and those eligible for the NENC Re-Deployment careers hub will receive prior consideration.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please find attached job description for full details.

We welcome your application.

Person specification

Education and Qualification

• Qualified Pharmacy Technician (NVQ3 / BTEC in Pharmaceutical Sciences) with post qualification experience.
• Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council
• Qualified Accredited Checker of dispensed items
• Qualified NVQ Assessor (A1) (A2) and verifier.
• Significant Management Qualification. Degree level or NVQ4/Diploma level

Knowledge and Experience

• Evidence of commitment to CPD as a minimum to meet mandatory requirements of the General Pharmaceutical Council
• Substantial practical experience of managing staff within Hospital Pharmacy environment at senior manager level.
• Qualified to Trust Management and Leadership Programme
• Significant experience of managing ward, pharmacy and technical services
• Experience of managing within or appropriate technical function in an NHS environment
• Experience in management of technical staff
• Experience of promoting medicines incident reporting and gain participation of Nursing Managers
• Excellent knowledge of dispensary & procurement processes
• Experience of working in a purchasing post within a large organisation
• Working Knowledge of management of pharmacy computer systems
• Experience & knowledge of licensing systems for medicines

Skills and Competencies

• Proficient in the use of pharmacy computer systems
• Evidence of managing teams, including delegating and implementing change management
• Ability to motivate and gain participation of individuals in the pharmacy team
• Excellent organised time management and communications
• Ability to work as an acknowledged member of a multidisciplinary team
• Ability to deal with potentially difficult / aggressive patients in mental health wards
• Ability to understand clinical information, e.g. performance indicators and targets, and to act on these as appropriate

Please note, due to changes implemented by the Government to the UK immigration policy, individuals who require a Health and Care Visa or a Skilled Worker Visa may no longer be eligible for sponsorship where the UKVI salary threshold is not met or if the occupation is not included in the updated Immigration Salary List (ISL). Applicants must check their eligibility to be employed in any role they are interested in applying for, prior to completing an application for employment. Any applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria will not be progressed.

Please ensure to check out all of the supporting documents linked to this advert, for useful information about working for us, information from our Chief Executive and much more.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Name Steven Routledge Job title Lead Pharmacy Technician - Medicines Supply Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 01912456606