Medicines Procurement Lead Technician

The Royal Marsden Nhs Foundation Trust; Sutton; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Medicines Procurement Lead Technician (Band 6) based in Sutton. You will lead procurement of licensed medicines, support Named Patient and Unlicensed medicines, and monitor procurement KPIs across hospital sites.

As a GPhC-registered pharmacy technician with hospital experience, you will line-manage two Purchasing Officers, coordinate contract changes, and provide training on the EPIC and dispensing systems.

Qualifications

• GPhC registration as a pharmacy technician is required.
• NVQ level 3/BTEC in Pharmaceutical Sciences or equivalent qualification.
• Minimum 3 years hospital pharmacy experience post-qualification.
• Experience in medicines purchasing, invoicing and EPIC system usage.

Responsibilities

• Lead procurement for licensed medicines across sites.
• Support procurement of Named Patient and Unlicensed medicines as needed.
• Coordinate contract changes in line with tenders and frameworks.
• Manage stock levels for high-cost drugs and resolve supply issues.

Skills

Leadership

Time management

Communication skills

Teamwork

Problem solving

Training/coaching

Education

GPhC registration as a pharmacy technician

NVQ level 3/BTEC in Pharmaceutical Sciences

Tools

EPIC purchasing system

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Outlook

Job description

Job summary

The Medicines Procurement Lead Technician is a Band 6 role within The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust's Clinical Services Division, based in Sutton. Reporting to the Drug Resource Manager and accountable to the Chief Pharmacist, the post is responsible for leading the procurement of licensed medicines and supporting the procurement of Named Patient and Unlicensed medicines.

The role combines operational procurement, financial administration, systems management and team leadership. Key responsibilities include line managing two Purchasing Officers, coordinating medicine contract changes, supporting high-cost drug stock management, resolving supply issues, processing invoices and monitoring procurement-related KPIs. The postholder also supports the EPIC Pharmacy system, acts as a super user for automated dispensing systems, and provides training to pharmacy staff.

The role requires strong organisational, communication and problem-solving skills, alongside the ability to work accurately under pressure and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams. Applicants must be GPhC-registered pharmacy technicians with relevant hospital pharmacy experience. The role also requires flexibility to work across sites and, when necessary, evenings, weekends and bank holidays.

Main duties of the job

• To lead in the procurement requirements for licensed medicines.
• To support as required the day to day procurement of Named Patient and Unlicensed medicines
• Work closely with Stores Manager, Named Patient & Unlicensed Medicines Lead Technician and Pharmacy Systems & Applications Manager.
• To manage and co-ordinate contract line changes in line with CMU regional/national tenders and frameworks.
• To assist in the setting of stock levels for high cost drugs (HCD's).
• Attend the North West London Purchasing Consortium.

About us

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world-leading cancer centre. Our role is to offer our patients the best cancer care available anywhere in the world, and to continue to make a global contribution to finding better ways of diagnosing and treating cancer. We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services. We have two hospitals - one in Chelsea, London, and one in Sutton, Surrey - as well as a Medical Daycare Unit in Kingston Hospital.

At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That's why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.

At the heart of the hospital is our dedicated team. We offer a stimulating and dynamic working environment, a wide range of staff benefits, learning and development opportunities and clear career pathways. There are opportunities to work flexibly across a range of areas and specialities and we welcome flexible working requests from point of hire to support employees work life balance. We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our on-going achievements.

Job responsibilities

For further information please refer to the job description and personal specification

• To coordinate the monthly stock check review for HCDs across all sites.
• To co-ordinate and manage the processing and payment of invoices in a timely manner and ensure RMH accounts are kept in good standing in liaison with the Pharmacy Systems Manager and Finance Accounts Payable team.
• To complete a monthly report on procurement related KPIs.
• Support in the addition of new medicines to Pharmacy Stock Control system (EPIC) in liaison with pharmacists following the required authorisation requirements.
• To assist in the provision of day-to-day support of the EPIC Pharmacy system.
• To support pharmacy staff in the everyday use of the EPIC pharmacy system.
• To be a super user for the pharmacy automated dispensing system.
• Provide education & training for Data Entry Officers when passing through the purchasingrotation.

Person Specification

Education/Qualifications

Essential

• GPhC registration as a pharmacy technician
• NVQ level 3/BTEC in Pharmaceutical Sciences or equivalent

Experience

Essential

• At least 3 years experience post qualification in hospital pharmacy
• Purchasing of medicines and invoicing experience and use of the EPIC purchasing system
• Staff management experience as a senior technician

Desirable

• Experience in Oncology Pharmacy Practice

Skills, Abilities & Knowledge

Essential

• Computer Literacy (eg: Microsoft Word, Excel (intermediate to advanced) and Outlook)
• Working knowledge/experience of writing SOPs
• Evidence of experience in Drug Utilisation Reviews
• Good organisational/time management
• Good interpersonal skills
• Contribute to the team
• Good communication skills (written and verbal)
• Good presentation and problem solving skills
• Demonstrate initiative: proactive and self motivated
• Ability to work under pressure whilst maintaining attention to detail and accuracy
• Ability to train/coach other members of staff
• Evidence of effective interpersonal skills with particular ability to liaise with multidisciplinary team members
• Evidence of working well in a team
• Ability to demonstrate self-motivation
• Ability to make decisions, organise and prioritise

Other Requirements

Essential

• Progressive and continuing professional development
• Positive and proactive approach Professional and welcoming manner Flexible and responsive to changing priorities Able to communicate confidently and constructively when required
• Works effectively with colleagues to achieve shared goals
• Good leadership qualities
• Able to work on both sites and to be flexible to meet the needs of the role

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.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).