Lead Technician - Technical services

Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHSFT; Runcorn; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS trust in Runcorn is seeking an experienced Lead Technician to join the New Aseptic unit. This role requires leadership skills to manage a skilled team and ensure the highest standards of safety, quality, and efficiency in pharmaceutical care. Responsibilities include overseeing operational management, conducting training, and coordinating the workflow of staff. Ideal candidates should have a register as a Pharmacy Technician, relevant qualifications, and a strong background in NHS settings. Competitive opportunities for career growth are included.

Benefits

Opportunities for career growth

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• Experience of working in an NHS hospital pharmacy setting.
• Experience of working in an Aseptic unit or GMP facility.
• Training of Aseptic services staff.

Responsibilities

• Manage and inspire a skilled team in the aseptic unit.
• Ensure safety and quality standards in pharmaceutical care.
• Oversee operational management of the aseptic unit.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Problem-solving

Information technology skills

Education

Professional registration as a Pharmacy Technician

NVQ Level 3 in Pharmacy Services or equivalent

Management qualification

Final Accuracy Checking Certificate in Technical Services

NVQ A1 workplace assessor

Job description

Lead Technician - Technical services

Go back Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHSFT

The closing date is 22 December 2025

Are you ready to take the next step in your career? We're looking for a motivated Lead Pharmacy Technician to join our New Aseptic unit and help shape the future of our service.

Play a key role in launching and developing a new purpose built aseptic facility.

Manage and inspire a skilled team, ensuring the highest standards of safety and quality.

Drive process improvements and implement best practices in technical services.

What we’re looking for?

An Experienced Pharmacy Technician with strong leadership, communication, and problem‑solving skills.

What do we offer?

Opportunities to influence service design and innovation.

What will you be responsible for?

Responsible for operational management of the aseptic unit. To co‑operate with the aseptic staff to ensure safe, effective, economical and timely pharmaceutical care for all patients receiving aseptically prepared products from the department. To supervise the receipt, storage of all raw materials including bulk solutions – this needs to be carried out in line with good manufacturing practice (GMP), departmental policy and procedures, in accordance with strict regional guidelines.

Main duties of the job

1. Conduct training to ensure that technical staff are aware of and adhere to standard operating procedures (SOPs), Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and the requirements of regional procedures, this includes ensuring that the relevant validation tests are performed.
2. Manage the human resources needs of support workers in the aseptic unit, undertaking their appraisal and personal development planning, monitoring sickness and performing return to work interviews.
3. Plan the daily rotas ensuring optimum use of resources in line with safe and efficient practices.
4. Write and review standard operating procedures (SOPs) and submit them to the lead pharmacist technical services for approval in a timely fashion.
5. Develop and amend worksheets and labels ensuring they are authorised prior to use.
6. Support the lead pharmacist technical services in the control of worksheets, labels and SOPs.
7. Be involved in the recruitment process and jointly participate in the selection criteria interviewing and appointment of new technical and support staff to the aseptic unit.

About us

Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a caring and compassionate organisation that is both ambitious and innovative. We are committed to delivering the best outcomes for our patients and providing a positive experience for our staff.

We aspire to be outstanding for our patients, our communities and our staff and are committed to being a great place to receive healthcare, work and learn.

Straddling the neighbouring boroughs of Warrington and Halton we are part of the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care system. Our hospitals are ideally situated to meet the growing healthcare needs of the 330,000 population of these boroughs.

Warrington Hospital is home to our emergency, critical care and maternity services; Halton Hospital focuses on elective procedures and the Runcorn Urgent Treatment Centre, although many services are offered at both sites and in community hubs.

A CQC‑rated 'good' organisation with 'outstanding' features, we are working towards university hospital status, having achieved teaching hospital status in 2019.

We employ nearly 5,000 people from over 80 nationalities, striving to be a diverse, inclusive employer and recognised leader in equality. We support flexible working and welcome flexible applications. Proud of our many accreditations, we are embedding an anti‑racist approach in all we do.

Job responsibilities

1. Responsible for being the team leader within the aseptic unit, coordinating all work and the appropriate distribution of staff for workload to ensure that production continues to be as efficient and of the highest quality possible. This responsibility is shared between all senior technicians.
2. Always liaise closely with the lead pharmacist for technical services and escape decisions to them appropriately.
3. Manage and organise the flow of work daily in one of the following work streams within the aseptic unit - dispensing and cytotoxics.
4. Provide cover for other team members when necessary, during times of absence.
5. Co‑ordinate and lead activities involved in producing medication for parenteral use including cytotoxic preparations, complex nutritional fluids, clinical trial material and using specialist skills and techniques to ensure all orders/tasks are fulfilled in a timely manner.
6. Be responsible for training and assessment of Assistants and Technicians.
7. Be responsible for developing and maintaining training for Technical and Support staff within Aseptic Services.
8. Review workload daily in accordance with departmental capacity plan, to ensure the safe provision of the service.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• oProfessional registration as a Pharmacy Technician with the General Pharmaceutical Council, or relevant registration
• oNVQ Level 3 in Pharmacy Services/BTEC or Science manufacturing Technician (SMT) or equivalent
• oManagement qualification (or equivalent experiential learning achieved via experience of managing or supervising a team)
• oFinal Accuracy Checking Certificate in Technical Services
• oNVQ A1 workplace assessor

Experience

• oExperience of working in an NHS hospital pharmacy setting.
• oExperience of working in an Aseptic unit or GMP facility.
• oExperience of working with high‑cost medication and dose banding of chemotherapy.
• oHave attended the Aseptic Preparation & Dispensing of Medicines (APDM) Course or equivalent.
• oTraining of Aseptic services staff.

Skills, knowledge and competencies

• oUnderstanding of hospital pharmacy working practices.
• oGood information technology skills.
• oGood written and verbal communication skills.
• oParticipated in service audit.

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.

Address

Warrington and Halton Hospital (Halton Site)