Pharmacist Specialist - North East

Care Quality Commission; Remote; GBP 55,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A regulatory body for health and social care is seeking a Pharmacist Specialist to join their Medicines Optimisation team. This role includes leading engagements with NHS trusts, providing expert support during investigations, and ensuring safe and effective use of medicines. Candidates must be registered pharmacists with at least 5 years of clinical experience. This position offers a homeworking allowance and requires regular travel within North East England.

Benefits

Annual leave starting at 27 days per year

Training and development opportunities

Wellbeing initiatives, such as gym discounts

NHS pension scheme with employer contributions

Discount schemes for services and products

Qualifications

• Registered pharmacist with clinical care experience in health or social care settings.
• Led work to improve medicines management in different care environments.
• Ability to translate technical information into clear advice.

Responsibilities

• Lead engagements with NHS trusts to reduce risks and share best practices.
• Support inspectors during complex investigations providing expert advice.
• Deliver training and guidance to colleagues and stakeholders.

Skills

Pharmacy registration and experience

Expertise in medicines optimisation

Clear communication of complex issues

Education

Registered pharmacist with at least 5 years’ experience

Job description

Grade A - £55,172 (National) – There is also an additional homeworking allowance of £600 per annum for those working from home. Please note for part time roles – this will be pro rata.

Contracted Hours: Full time 37 hours per week. Part time hours will be considered (minimum 4 days per week)

Contract Type: Permanent

Location: Home-based – North East England (Please note that this role will include regular travel within the North East)

Closing date: Sunday 11 January 2026 at 11.59 pm

Assessment Date: Monday 26 or Tuesday 27 January 2026

*The assessment centre will be in Newcastle upon Tyne

What to expect at assessment

• A short written exercise
• A brief presentation (prepared in advance - we’ll send you the details)
• A relaxed interview

We aim to keep things welcoming and supportive. If you need any adjustments, just let us know!

If you're curious about the role or just want to find out a bit more before applying, we’d love to have an informal conversation. No pressure, no commitment—just a chance to ask questions, get a feel for the team, and see if it’s the right fit for you.

Contact: Fiona Atkinson, Medicines Manager at [e-mail] or Hayley File, Medicines Manager at [e-mail]

Make a difference

Every role at CQC contributes to our mission. If you’re looking for a new role in CQC’s Medicines Optimisation team that gives a true sense of meaning and purpose, then you’ve found it! As a Pharmacist Specialist, you’ll use your pharmaceutical expertise to help ensure medicines are used safely and effectively across health and social care services.

You’ll be working with inspection teams and with external partners to improve how medicines are managed in health and social care settings. Your advice and leadership will help protect people and promote better outcomes.

Therole

As a Pharmacist Specialist in CQC’s Medicines Optimisation team you will:

• Lead engagements with NHS trusts, helping to reduce risks and share good practice.
• Support inspectors during complex multi‑agency investigations, providing expert advice to make regulatory decisions.
• Provide expert support on medicines optimisation to help teams make sound, evidence‑based decisions.
• Lead on medicines risk related to medicines use across regulated services, helping CQC take action where needed.
• Deliver training and guidance to colleagues and stakeholders to build understanding and improve practice.

Show us

We will be looking for specific skills, knowledge and experience in your application form:

• Pharmacy registration and experience: You’re a registered pharmacist with at least 5 years’ experience in clinical care across health or social care settings.
• Expertise in medicines optimisation: You’ve led work to improve how medicines are managed and can apply your knowledge to different care environments.
• Clear communication of complex issues: You’ve translated technical information into clear advice for a range of audiences.

Bring your expertise to a role in CQC that really makes a difference.

Apply today to join a workplace where your impact is felt every day.

Compliance

To progress your application, you’ll need to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK. Without a valid right to work you won’t be eligible for the role.

We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role. Some roles may also be subject to a satisfactory DBS check.

Next steps

If you apply, you’ll need to create a profile and complete an online application form. Your application will be completely anonymous. Please see information for applicants for more details on the process. We contact every applicant to let them know the outcome of their application, so you will hear from us whether or not you are shortlisted.

You can read the full details of the role in the Job Description.

The Benefits

• Annual leave starting at 27 days per year, rising to 32.5 days with service, plus bank holidays (usually 8 days per year).
• Training and development opportunities.
• Wellbeing initiatives, such as gym discounts and meditation.
• NHS pension scheme, with around 14% employer contribution.
• Discount schemes (including eligibility for a Blue Light card, at a cost of £4.99 and valid for 2 years), reward vouchers, car leasing and more!

Please see benefits page for the full list.

Equity for all

We know job descriptions can feel intimidating. Research shows they can cause some people to doubt whether they’re a good fit. This happens more often to people from underrepresented groups (e.g. ethnic minority backgrounds). If this role interests you, we encourage you to apply. Your unique perspective, skills, and experience could be exactly what we need.

We want every candidate to feel supported and able to do their best. If you need adjustments to our process, we’ll work with you to remove any barriers. Visit our accessibility page for more on this.

If you’d like to chat, please contact [e-mail]. Please note, if you have previously informed us of adjustments you need for interview or within your role these are not carried over and must be discussed for each individual application you make.

We promote a workplace where fairness, respect and inclusion are a priority. Diverse teams make our work better, help us deliver our mission and make our culture stronger. See our ED&I page for more about this.

We welcome applications from everyone, and colleagues can find support and community among our many employee networks. This includes people of any:

• Age
• Sex
• Gender identity or expression
• Sexual orientation
• Religion or belief
• Ethnicity
• Disability

Values and vision

We are guided by our core values, which shape our work and our culture.

Excellence – being a high-performing organisation.

Caring – treating everyone with dignity and respect.

Integrity – doing the right thing.

Teamwork – learning from each other to be the best we can.

We are a disability confident employer and a carer confident employer.

A Note on AI

• AI can support research, structuring and refining your writing, but your application must reflect your real skills and experience.
• Spell‑checking and condensing word counts are great ways to use AI effectively.
• Do not copy and paste AI generated answers. These will not help you stand out; remember we want to hear about your skills and experience.
• Providing false and insincere examples goes against our core values of honesty and integrity and may lead to your application being withdrawn or termination of your employment.