256446 (LF) Assistant Service Delivery Manager

NHS Scotland; Edinburgh (IN); On-site; USD 43,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS Lothian Pharmacy & Medicines Service is recruiting an Assistant Service Delivery Manager to provide visible operational leadership across multiple hospital sites, coordinating business support functions and improving service delivery. The role focuses on workforce planning, governance, and performance reporting to ensure safe, high‑quality pharmacy services.

Based at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh or Western General Hospital, the post offers Band 6 terms, 36 hours, and a permanent contract

Qualifications

• Degree in a relevant discipline with evidence of continuing professional development.
• Operational management experience in healthcare, NHS or public sector.
• Leadership in managing staff and coordinating services across sites.
• Experience supporting governance, risk, finance, workforce planning and audits.
• Analytical skills to interpret operational, workforce and financial data.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills with stakeholders.
• Resilience and adaptability in a fast-paced healthcare environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead operational delivery and coordinate pharmacy services across sites.
• Oversee workforce planning, rota management and service resilience.
• Manage HR, finance, administration and performance reporting functions.
• Governance, risk management, Health & Safety and compliance activities.
• Drive service improvement, performance monitoring and standardised processes.
• Support digital readiness and implementation of new systems and technologies.
• Collaborate with clinical and operational colleagues to resolve challenges.

Skills

Operational leadership

Workforce planning

Governance & risk

Performance reporting

Stakeholder engagement

Clinical liaison

Communication

Education

Degree in health service management

PM/QI qualifications advantageous

Job description

Assistant Service Delivery Manager

NHS Lothian Pharmacy & Medicines Service

Either at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh or the Western General Hospital

Band 6 | 1.0 WTE | 36 Hours | Permanent

(including weekend and public holiday commitment)

NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.

AI tools like ChatGPT or Copilot can be great for planning and preparing your application—but your answers must be your own.

• Show us the real you: Your application should reflect your skills, experience, and motivations authentically.
• Use AI wisely: It’s fine to use AI for ideas or to check spelling and grammar, but don’t let it write your answers.
• Why this matters: Applications that rely on AI-generated content may be withdrawn. By applying, you confirm your responses are based on your own knowledge and achievements.

Tip: Think of AI as a helper, not a substitute. We want to understand you—not an AI tool.

To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service. Further information on what NHS Scotland Boards are required to do to check this as well as what your responsibilities include can be found in the further information for this vacancy.

Please note: we anticipate a high level of interest in this position and may close the vacancy early once a sufficient amount of applications are received. Therefore, please make sure you complete and submit your application at an early stage.

We will fully support disabled candidates, and candidates with long-term conditions or who are neurodivergent by making reasonable adjustments to our recruitment policy and practices.

This post requires the post holder to have a PVG Scheme membership/record. If the post holder is not a current PVG member for the required regulatory group (i.e. child and/or adult) then an application will need to be made to Disclosure Scotland and deemed satisfactory before they can begin in post.

Are you an experienced operational leader who thrives in a dynamic environment and is passionate about supporting the delivery of high-quality healthcare services?

We are seeking two motivated and proactive individuals to join NHS Lothian's Pharmacy & Medicines Service as Assistant Service Delivery Managers within the Enterprise Operations portfolio. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in ensuring the smooth, safe and effective operational delivery of pharmacy services across NHS Lothian Hospital Sites. Base locations will be the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh or Western General Hospital.

As Assistant Service Delivery Manager, you will provide visible operational leadership across designated pharmacy sites, acting as the first point of contact for non-clinical operational matters. Working closely with the Service Delivery Manager and wider leadership team, you will help coordinate business support functions, workforce planning, governance activities and service improvement initiatives to support consistent service delivery across all settings.

The Role Offers a Diverse Portfolio Of Responsibilities, Including

• Operational leadership and coordination of pharmacy services across multiple sites.
• Workforce planning, rota management and service resilience.
• Management of business support functions spanning HR, finance, administration and performance reporting.
• Governance, risk management, Health & Safety and compliance activities.
• Service improvement, operational performance monitoring and implementation of standardised processes.
• Supporting digital readiness and implementation of new systems and technologies.

You will work closely with clinical and operational colleagues to resolve day-to-day challenges, develop solutions to service pressures, and contribute to the continued development of NHS Lothian's Pharmacy & Medicines Service.

Why This Role Matters - Strategic Intent

The Assistant Service Delivery Manager plays a vital role within the Enterprise Operations function, supporting the delivery of safe, responsive and efficient pharmacy services across NHS Lothian.

This Role Has Been Designed To

• Strengthen operational consistency across pharmacy services.
• Support delivery of workforce, performance and governance priorities.
• Ensure effective coordination of business support functions.
• Enable data-driven decision making through performance monitoring and reporting.
• Contribute to service improvement, transformation and operational resilience.
• Support clinical teams through effective operational leadership and problem solving.

As Assistant Service Delivery Manager, you will contribute directly to maintaining high-quality pharmacy services and ensuring teams have the operational support required to deliver excellent patient care.

About You

We're looking for an experienced operational leader who can work effectively across a complex organisation and build strong relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. You will bring:

• Professional qualifications: Degree in a relevant discipline such as business administration, health service management or a related subject, together with evidence of continuing professional development. Project management or quality improvement qualifications would be advantageous.
• Operational management experience: Experience working in an operational or administrative management role within a healthcare, NHS or public sector environment.
• Leadership capability: Experience managing staff, coordinating service delivery and supporting teams across multiple sites or functions.
• Governance and performance expertise: Experience supporting compliance, risk management, finance processes, workforce planning, service audits and performance reporting.
• Analytical skills: Ability to interpret operational, workforce and financial data to support decision-making and service improvement.
• Communication and influencing skills: Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to engage effectively with colleagues across clinical, operational and corporate services.
• Resilience and adaptability: Ability to manage competing priorities, respond to operational challenges and work effectively in a fast-paced environment.

Collaborative approach: A commitment to teamwork, service improvement and delivering high-quality support services that enable excellent patient care.

Above all, you will be motivated by supporting the effective running of pharmacy services and helping teams deliver the best possible outcomes for patients.

About NHS Lothian

NHS Lothian covers Edinburgh City, East Lothian, Midlothian and West Lothian. We are the second largest health system in NHS Scotland and one of only four teaching Boards. We have strategic partnerships with local Universities, Local Authorities and our four Integration Joint Boards. We serve a population of 900,000, providing a range of primary, community based and acute hospital services. We also provide regional and national services across a range of clinical specialties.

The vision for the Pharmacy & Medicines service is to deliver clinically led, person-centred services to ensure patients across Lothian get the best from their medicines and pharmacy services. We are focussed on creating an environment where each person in the team has the opportunity to flourish, develop and make best use of their skills.