Senior Director - Acute Care Pharmacy

The University of Kansas Hospital; Kansas City (KS); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Kansas Health System is seeking a Senior Director of Acute Care Pharmacy to lead inpatient pharmacy operations across six sites. This executive role directs strategic planning, quality improvement, and financial performance for more than 1,000 beds, ensuring safe medication use and regulatory compliance.

Reporting to the VP of Pharmacy, the Senior Director will develop standard practices, advance automation, mentor leadership teams, and drive innovation to support system-wide

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Pharmacy.
• High School Diploma.
• Preferred: Pharmacy Doctorate in Pharmacy, Health Administration or Business Administration.
• Preferred: Completion of an accredited pharmacy residency.
• Preferred Licensure: Licensed Pharmacist - State Board of Pharmacy.

Responsibilities

• Create and implement a long-term pharmacy strategy focused on safe patient care and revenue.
• Lead continuous improvement for high-quality, efficient pharmacy services.
• Develop standardized labor and automation models based on patient volume.
• Guide financial operations including contracting, pricing updates, and billing.
• Foster collaborations with peers to meet medication safety, automation, and compliance requirements.
• Stay current with industry standards and serve as SME in leadership and business development.
• Provide leadership to recruiting, onboarding, coaching, and performance management.
• Analyze financial data to support departmental objectives.
• Support the health system’s educational mission with the School of Pharmacy.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Healthcare management

Pharmacy operations

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor\'s Degree in Pharmacy

High School Diploma

Pharmacy Doctorate (preferred)

Job description

Job ID: R-56977 Site Location: Bell Hospital

Position Summary / Career Interest

The Senior Director, Acute Care Pharmacy provides strategic, operational, and clinical leadership for inpatient pharmacy services across the Kansas City Division of The University of Kansas Health System. This leadership role is accountable for the delivery of safe, high-quality, and efficient pharmacy services supporting more than 1,000 inpatient beds across six hospital pharmacy operations, including three pharmacies. Reporting to the Vice President of Pharmacy and Health Professions, the Senior Director is responsible for establishing strategic direction, driving operational excellence, and ensuring regulatory compliance across all acute care pharmacy services. Success in this role requires strong collaboration and partnership with Pharmacy Directors, Senior Directors and pharmacy leaders across all health system markets to advance system-wide goals, standardize practices, optimize resource utilization, and promote innovation. The Senior Director serves as a key leader in fostering alignment across markets while balancing the unique operational needs of each location. A focus on culture, patient safety, quality outcomes, workforce engagement, and long-term sustainability is essential. Direct leadership responsibilities include oversight and development of Acute Pharmacy leadership team, ensuring effective succession planning, talent development, and leadership growth across the department. The ideal candidate is a collaborative and visionary healthcare leader with the ability to translate strategic priorities into operational results while advancing the mission, vision, and values of the health system.

Responsibilities and Essential Job Functions

• Creates short- and long-term industry-leading pharmacy strategy that is focused on providing care/services safely for our patients while increasing system pharmacy prescription capture rate and associated revenue. Strategy will be focused on improving patient experience within the health system, implementing operational efficiencies and actions focused on providing a best-in-class patient care and experience.


• Develops, maintains, communicates and executes a vision and plan for continual improvement and provision of exceptional quality pharmacy services.


• Develops and maintains system standardized pharmacy labor and automation models that are based on patient volume and patient experience, with a focus on leveraging available resources.


• Provides guidance for the financial operations through recommendations for appropriate contracting, use of prescription assistance programs, establishment of billing, appropriate pricing updates, and assures quality functions for financial performance success.


• Foster collaborative relationships with peers and stakeholders to understand and meet medication safety, and pharmacy automation and compliance requirements for the Pharmacy and support services for the health system.


• Maintain and apply current knowledge of industry standards, best practices, trends, and advancements to serve as SME in thought leadership, business development, and other efforts as needed.


• Provides effective leadership and strategically identify, internalize, and communicate the critical success factors necessary to support organizational goals.


• Develop and empower teams to achieve goals and objectives through effective hiring, onboarding, development, coaching, and performance management practices.


• Effectively uses the appropriate financial concepts and tools to analyze situations and make financial decisions that support the achievement of short and longer-term departmental objectives.


• Supports/coordinates the health system’s educational mission with the School of Pharmacy.


• Must be able to perform the professional, clinical and or technical competencies of the assigned unit or department.


• These statements are intended to describe the essential functions of the job and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities. Skills and duties may vary dependent upon your department or unit. Other duties may be assigned as required.

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelors Degree in Pharmacy


• High School Graduate

Preferred Education and Experience

• Pharmacy Doctorate Pharmacy, Health Administration or Business Administration


• Completion of an accredited pharmacy residency

Preferred Licensure and Certification

• Licensed Pharmacist - State Board of Pharmacy

Knowledge Requirements

• Membership in regional & national pharmacy organization(s)

We are an equal employment opportunity employer without regard to a person’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity and sexual orientation), national origin, ancestry, age (40 or older), disability, veteran status or genetic information.