Lead Quality Specialist

NHS Blood and Transplant; Scotland; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS Blood and Transplant is seeking a Lead Quality Specialist to oversee and enhance the quality management system. You'll work within the Quality Directorate, leading a team to ensure compliance and safety standards are met while driving innovative practices in a collaborative environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in developing and implementing Quality Management Systems.
• Proven leadership skills in a quality assurance environment.
• Strong understanding of safety regulations and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Develop and monitor an effective quality management system.
• Lead quality assurance specialists and manage quality improvement initiatives.
• Provide safety compliance and regulatory expertise.

Skills

Quality Assurance

Regulatory Compliance

Risk Analysis

Leadership

Education

Degree in Life Sciences or related field

Job description

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At NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), quality is at the heart of everything we do. We are looking for a Lead Quality Specialist who will be responsible for developing, implementing, and monitoring an effective, safety-focused, and compliant quality management system (QMS). You will be assigned to one of our organisational Directorates or functions such as Technical Assurance, Blood Supply, Clinical Services, Plasma, Quality Management Systems, etc., whilst providing support for other areas of the organisation and other directorates if needed.

You will be a key member of the Quality senior management team (Q-SMT), supporting the Quality Directorate in achieving its strategic objectives, while also ensuring our core business activities are maintained and improved. Working with us, you will be required to horizon scan, provide guidance and support based on best practices, and develop an innovative culture of collaboration.

You will also lead a team(s) of Quality Assurance specialists, providing leadership and guidance within their roles.

Main duties of the job

You will be required to:

1. Carry out informed questioning and challenging, trend analysis triangulation, risk awareness, proportionate response, and proactively engage with quality improvement.
2. Provide visible senior leadership and oversight of the quality and safety agenda in collaboration with other stakeholders, e.g., Risk, Business Continuity, Clinical Governance, ensuring real improvements for patient and donor safety.
3. Lead portfolio(s) or key programmes of work within a Directorate or across the organisation, supporting quality management, improvement, and safety system approaches as designated.
4. Provide line management of staff, teams, or functions within the portfolio or across a matrix.
5. Provide safety compliance and regulatory expertise to operational areas for business-as-usual activities and when developing new services and products.
6. Take ownership and accountability for the status of the QMS aligned with the supported Directorate, ensuring it is maintained and developed.
7. Develop, implement, monitor, and improve the necessary quality expertise and systems primarily for the supported Directorate(s) to deliver an efficient, effective, nationally consistent, and accredited QMS and GMP system. Ensure a validated QMS is always maintained to provide safe and efficacious products and services for patients and donors.
8. Support the Assistant Director of Quality and Regulatory Compliance in developing and delivering a Quality Strategy that supports NHSBT's delivery and safety focus.