Senior Pharmacist / Senior Pharmaceutical Scientist

Liverpool University Hospitals Nhs Foundation Trust; Liverpool; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust invites applications for a Senior Pharmacist / Senior Pharmaceutical Scientist to lead aseptic production activities within the Aseptic Production Unit. You will oversee quality assurance of unlicensed medicines, release of products, and compliance with current pharmaceutical manufacturing rules.

The role involves supervising staff, contributing to development and risk assessment, and working with Leads to drive safe, efficient service

Qualifications

• Experience with aseptic preparation/manufacture processes.
• Understanding of GMP/GDP guidelines.
• Strong leadership and training abilities.

Responsibilities

• Validate production processes to ensure aseptic medicine standards.
• Contribute to product development and quality review processes.
• Attend local and regional meetings representing the APU.
• Supervise pharmacists, scientists, technicians and students; provide training.
• Perform risk assessments and guide team to ensure compliance with medicines legislation.
• Deputise for Lead Pharmacists (Technical Services) as required.

Skills

Leadership

GMP knowledge

Analytical skills

Planning & organisation

Communication skills

Problem solving

Education

MPharm degree

MSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences (STP)

Job description

Senior Pharmacist / Senior Pharmaceutical Scientist

Pharmacy Aseptic Services
Aseptic Production Unit
Band 7 (37.5 hours per week) + EDC

We are a major acute teaching Trust offering a wide range of clinical specialities, including tertiary referrals for HIV and Renal Medicine.

We have a highly regarded Aseptic Production Unit (APU) at the Trust with a Manufacturing site licensed in June 2023. You will work closely with our Aseptic Service Leads to help steer the quality facilitating programmes at the production unit. This post generates an opportunity for a Pharmacist / Scientist to join an expanding team delivering the pharmaceutical needs of patients at the Trust and across the NHS. The post holder will be expected to focus on the need for Aseptic Production Services with responsibilities for efficient and safe service provision.

Support for appropriate further clinical and technical development, is available.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will contribute to overseeing the operational quality aspects of the production processes, in a cost effective and efficient manner, assuring the quality of all unlicensed medicines manufactured and prepared at the Aseptic Production Unit (APU).

The post holder will ensure timely release of prepared and manufactured unlicensed medicines and will certify all unlicensed medicines as having been prepared or manufactured in compliance with current Rules and Guidance for Pharmaceutical Manufacturers.

About us

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust comprises Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital and 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 Hospital is 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 Hospital is home to elective surgical, diagnostic and treatment services, together with specialist patient rehabilitation.

Liverpool Women’s Hospital specialises in the health of women and babies, delivering over 7,200 babies in the UK’s largest single site maternity hospital each year.

The Royal Liverpool University Hospital is 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 their careers page.

Job responsibilities

• Participate in validating the production processes to ensure compliance with the required standards in aseptic preparation of medicines.
• Contribute to product life cycle processes including Product Development and Product Quality Review.
• Attend meetings (local and regional) when required to represent the APU.
• Supervise less experienced pharmacists, scientists, technicians and students and provide training where necessary.
• Will trouble shoot and undertake risk assessments in order to guide the team to ensure compliance with medicines legislation.
• Deputise for the Lead Pharmacists (Technical Services) as required.

Essential qualifications

• M Pharm Degree or equivalent Or Honours degree in pharmaceutical sciences, chemistry or similar scientific subject if combined with further education and training such as the MSc Scientist Training Programme (STP) in Clinical Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Registered General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) Member or/and HCPC/ RPS

Desirable qualifications

• Technical qualification such as Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Technology, Quality Control, Engineering, Manufacturing
• Post graduate certificate or diploma in a relevant pharmaceutical field

Essential knowledge

• Knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practice and the regulations surrounding Pharmaceutical Manufacture.
• Knowledge of clean room design and functioning
• Highly developed Professional knowledge, underpinned by theory and experience

Desirable knowledge

• Specialist knowledge of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Processes including equipment and facility design, construction, validation and testing
• Knowledge of: Aseptic preparation of medicines, Terminal Sterilisation processes, QA/QC services
• An understanding of medicines management procedures
• Knowledge of product licensing and medical devices registration

Essential experience

• Experience of product development
• Evidence of working within GMP/GDP guidelines
• COSHH Regulations and Health and Safety at Work Act
• Evidence of significant, relevant and on-going personal CPD

Desirable experience

• Experience of Pharmaceutical Manufacture in either a hospital or industrial environment or previous experience of managing aseptic dispensing services

Essential skills

• Leadership and motivational skills
• Problem solving and analytical skills
• Planning and organisational skills; ability to prioritise demands on service and plan workload of self and others
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills; ability to communicate with a range of people such as technicians, pharmacists, engineers, clinicians and customers

Desirable skills

• Change management
• Project Management skills

Essential other

• Capable team worker with ability to create and sustain good relationships
• Able to deal with constant interruptions, multiple pressures and at times aggression
• Methodical with attention to detail

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer contact

Head of Manufacturing Services: Shakeel Herwitker, [e-mail], 01517062454

Closing date

29 October 2026