Senior Assistant Technical Officer - Stores and Distribution

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Liverpool; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS healthcare provider is seeking a Senior Assistant Technical Officer based at the Royal Liverpool Hospital Pharmacy Store. The successful candidate will oversee stock distribution services and supervise pharmacy assistants, ensuring adherence to professional standards and safety regulations. Ideal candidates will possess NVQ level 2 in pharmacy services, demonstrate leadership qualities, and have experience working in a healthcare setting. The role requires flexibility, excellent communication skills, and the ability to manage priorities effectively.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership qualities and experience in a pharmacy setting.
• Excellent communication skills necessary for supervising staff.
• Ability to handle and prioritize workload effectively in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Dispense and issue medicines from the Pharmacy Department.
• Order and supply pharmaceuticals for stock top-ups.
• Supervise and train pharmacy assistants to ensure quality of work.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Attention to detail

Flexibility

Education

NVQ level 2 in pharmacy services or equivalent

Job description

A Vacancy at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Are you an experienced Assistant Technical Officer who has completed NVQ level 2 in pharmacy services or equivalent Pharmacy qualification? At LUFHT may have the perfect opportunity for you.

We are looking for a Senior Assistant Technical Officer (SATO) who can act as a great role model, provide excellent training and demonstrate our trust values. You will be based at the Royal Liverpool Hospital Pharmacy Store and be required to work on site at the Royal Hospital. On a rota basis with other SATOs, you will be responsible for providing a stock distribution service to our Sexual Health and A&E departments, as well as supervising ATOs in our Pharmacy Store. You must be flexible to service demands and willing to work across the two Royal hospital sites.

You must be able to show great leadership qualities, a broad experience of working in a pharmacy and knowledge and understanding of working in a hospital. You must be able to manage and prioritise your own workload whilst delivering a safe and robust supply of medicines to the area you are responsible for.

We want to recruit a Senior Assistant Technical Officer who is enthusiastic, motivated who will work to our professional standards to provide an efficient and patient focused service.

You will be required to work across all LUHFT sites in line with service needs.

In the role as a Rotational Senior Assistant Technical Officer you must have excellent communication skills, attention to detail and be flexible as you will you will work within our dispensaries, stores and on wards alongside pharmacy teams including, pharmacy assistants, pharmacy technicians and pharmacists.

You will be required to supervise work of pharmacy assistants ensuring work is prioritised appropriately and play a key role in training and development of staff to maintain a quality and standards of work.

You will be required to participate in evening, weekend, and Bank Holiday working in keeping with the Pharmacy Directorate arrangements and the needs of the Trust.

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust comprises Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital & Royal Liverpool University Hospital.

We are part of NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, formed on 1 Nov 2024 from the coming together of LUHFT and Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust. The Group was born from a shared aim to improve the care we provide our patients.

UHLG is one of the largest employers in the region, with over 16,800 colleagues dedicated to caring for our communities - from birth and beyond.

For the 630,000 people across Merseyside, we are their local NHS. We provide general and emergency hospital care, alongside highly specialised regional services for more than two million people in the North West.

Aintree University Hospitalis the single receiving site for adult major trauma patients in Cheshire and Merseyside and hosts a number of regional services including an award-winning stroke facility.Broadgreen Hospitalis home to elective surgical, diagnostic and treatment services, together with specialist patient rehabilitation.Liverpool Women’s Hospitalspecialises in the health of women and babies, delivering over 7,200 babies in the UK’s largest single site maternity hospital each year. TheRoyal Liverpool University Hospitalis the largest hospital in the country to provide inpatients with 100% single bedrooms and focuses on complex planned care and specialist services.

For roles at Liverpool Women’s, visit theircareers page.

Key Responsibilities

1. Dispense and issue medicines from the Pharmacy Department including extemporaneously prepared products, controlled drugs, unlicensed medicines and clinical trials, in accordance with the policies, procedures and safe systems of work, which prevail in the department at the time.
2. Order and supply pharmaceuticals as part of the ward stock top‑up service.
3. Load medicines received into the automated dispensing machine.
4. Take lead responsibility for reception duties and direct workload and queries in the most appropriate staff members within the department and escalation if required.
5. Input data into the Pharmacy computer system to ensure all appropriate records are made and kept up to date.
6. Receive medicines into the Pharmacy Department and ensure that documentation and computer entry is carried out in a timely and accurate manner.
7. Investigate and resolve delivery discrepancies, liaising with invoicing staff, and suppliers, making appropriate records of all investigations and outcomes keeping line manager fully briefed about key operational matters.
8. Ensure that all pharmaceutical preparations are stored appropriately.
9. Rotate stock at the point of goods receipt.
10. Deal with more complicated enquiries referring to line manager if they are not commensurate with role.
11. Ensure that all unused medicines (if appropriate) returned to the pharmacy are recycled in accordance with the safe systems of work and always participate in the safe disposal of medicines in accordance with departmental procedures.
12. Manually handle IV fluids, bulk feed deliveries and manoeuvre cages and tote boxes for delivery towards/departments, outside clinics
13. Deliver medicines to ward and departments as required.
14. Deal with frequent interruptions eg telephone enquiries from internal and external customers.
15. Fix the robot when basic errors occur.
16. Participate in daily stock count
17. Issue medicines which are on “To‑Follows” list
18. Participate in development and project work in line with the objectives of the Trust and Pharmacy Directorate
19. Check picked stock items to ensure accuracy of medicines supplies on top up.
20. Train, supervise and assess support workers.
21. Deliver robot error training for pharmacy assistants and other staff who are new to the department in line with standard training plan.
22. Deliver training to pharmacy assistants and other staff as they rotate through areas of practice.
23. Deal with ad hoc stock requests as they arise (by telephone or portal) from wards/departments and outside clinics. These may be urgent and will need to be prioritised appropriately.
24. Supply emergency orders
25. Support pharmacy assistants with NVQ level 2 training where appropriate.
26. Prioritise work so that services meet their objectives.
27. Together with other members of staff to ensure that procedures are carried out in accordance with current legislation and regulations in respect of the Health and Safety at Work Act, COSHH and that other pertinent recommendations and standards are complied with.
28. Participate and co‑operate in weekend, Bank Holiday, Statutory Holiday, early morning and evening services as per departmental arrangements.
29. Undertake other reasonable duties commensurate with this role as required. This may be subject to change to meet the needs of our patients.
30. Work across site where required.
31. The post holder will be expected to adapt to changes that may occur, which may affect the current practices within the Pharmacy Department, such as the introduction of new equipment, procedures, policies, and hours of working.

This advert closes on Monday 22 Dec 2025