Lead Pharmacy Procurement Specialist

Job description

Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain's leading healthcare providers.

The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation.

Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.

Barts Health supports the Pregnancy Loss Pledge and commits to supporting their staff through the distress of miscarriage.

We are dedicated to being an outstanding place to work and will work with you to get the best experience. We know flexible working is not a one size fits all and will mean something different to everyone. We are inclusive, so if you are interested in flexible working, please speak to the recruiting manager.

Job overview

Lead Pharmacy Procurement Specialist (Band 8a)
Location: The Royal London Hospital
We are offering an exciting opportunity for an experienced and motivated Pharmacist or Pharmacy Technician to step into the role of Lead Pharmacy Procurement Specialist.
About the role:
In this leadership position, you will oversee our pharmacy procurement and invoicing teams, ensuring the safe, cost-effective, and sustainable supply of medicines. Working closely with senior pharmacy leaders, finance teams, and national procurement bodies, you will be instrumental in:
• Developing and implementing innovative procurement strategies to optimise value and minimise waste
• Leading medicines efficiency projects aligned with the Trust's cost improvement targets
• Managing relationships with suppliers and stakeholders across the NHS, regional consortia, and industry
• Ensuring compliance with governance, legal, and regulatory standards, including Good Distribution Practice
• Supporting and inspiring your team to deliver high-quality, responsive services

The successful candidate will be based at the Royal London hospital but may be required to work at any of the Barts Health NHS Trust sites.

Main duties of the job

We are seeking a motivated and forward-thinking individual who:
• Has experience in pharmacy procurement and or stock control within an NHS or healthcare setting
• Demonstrates strong leadership and team management skills
• Possesses a good understanding of procurement regulations, medicines governance, and finance
• Has excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across teams and departments
Essential:
• Current registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council as a Pharmacist or Pharmacy Technician
• Enthusiasm for professional development and making a positive impact within the Trust
The Pharmacy Department at Barts Health is one of the largest in the country and covers a population of 2.5 million. We provide clinical pharmacy and medicines optimisation services from our five hospital sites across the City of London, East and Northeast London.

The successful candidate will work as part of a multidisciplinary team comprising of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy assistants, clinical staff and other operational leads.

At Barts Health, we recognise and celebrate the value of our staff. Therefore, dedication to creating and maintaining an outstanding working environment for all staff is essential. In return, you will have access to excellent training and development opportunities.

Working for our organisation

Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain's leading healthcare providers.

Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.

We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are underrepresented within Barts Health at this band.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.

We are dedicated to being an outstanding place to work and will work with you to get the best experience. We know flexible working is not a one size fits all and will mean something different to everyone. We are inclusive, so if you are interested in flexible working, please speak to the recruiting manager.

To discuss this role further please contact :

Jas Minhas, Service Manager - Pharmacy Procurement & Distribution | [email protected]

Tejal Patel, Deputy Chief Pharmacist - Shared Services | [email protected]

Person specification

Experience

Essential criteria

• Significant post-qualification experience in hospital pharmacy procurement
• Significant experience and knowledge of the pharmacy management system (CMM)
• Significant experience of managing teams

Skills

Essential criteria

• Specialist knowledge of medicines procurement and supply chain management
• Demonstrates vision and innovation with the ability to implement change through effective strategy and planning
• Project management skills
• Demonstrates ability to lead and manage self effectively and independently
• Demonstrates ability to Lead and manage teams

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Understands the current landscape of supply chain management and how to effectively operate within it
• Understanding of stock control systems
• Demonstrates a good understanding of patient safety initiatives

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• MPharm or equivalent / NVQ L3 Pharmacy Services and BTEC Pharmaceutical Sciences or equivalent
• Registered as a pharmacist or pharmacy technician with the General Pharmaceutical Council

Desirable criteria

• Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) Diploma

Other

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of current best practice in Good Distribution Practice

Visa Sponsorship Information

This role is subject to UK immigration requirements. Where sponsorship is required, applicants must meet the eligibility criteria for a Skilled Worker visa in accordance with current UK Visas and Immigration rules, including any salary, qualification, and role-specific requirements applicable at the time of appointment. Candidates who require sponsorship will only be considered where the post is eligible and where all sponsorship criteria can be met. Evidence of the right to work in the UK will be required before appointment. Please note that for roles employed under Agenda for Change Terms and Conditions, the High-Cost Area Supplement (HCAS) is not included when calculating the basic salary for the purposes of sponsorship.

We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment where staff treat one another with dignity and respect. We aim to create an equitable working environment where every individual can fulfil their potential.

As an Equal Opportunities Employer we actively support applications from individuals' who apply under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme and will process your application as appropriate.

We reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once a sufficient number of applications has been received and we regret that we are unable to provide notification if your application is unsuccessful.

After applying via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into our preferred Third party recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs.

By applying for this post you are agreeing to Barts Health NHS Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Barts Health is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and to child protection. The Trust aims to ensure as far as is possible that anyone, paid or unpaid, who seeks to work in our organisation and who gains access to children, is safe to do so. As such, you may be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Check as part of the recruitment process if appointed to a post with direct access to children or vulnerable adults.

Barts Health promotes active travel as part of its goal to reach Net Zero. Each site is accessible by public transport and the Trust has a cycle to work scheme and some sites have Brompton Hire Pods.

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