SPS Assistant Chief of Staff

We are looking for an experienced pharmacy technician or pharmacist with a passion for developing and implementing strategy, managing operations and governance systems. You will build strong working networks across the service and demonstrate the values we expect. Within this post, we will support your future development to grow into a Chief of Staff or Operations Lead role either within SPS or elsewhere within the NHS., We have an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and experienced registered pharmacy professional (Band 8c) to join NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS). This is a new post, establishing a cross function role within the senior management team, managing operations and governance systems for the service. You will work with all SPS functions as well as colleagues in NHSE, DHSC and the local health economy (ICBS)., The primary role is to support the NHS SPS Chief of Staff to formulate, refine and implement SPS organisational strategy, policy and deliver of SPS corporate objectives. The Assistant Chief of Staff will:

• be responsible for governance processes within the service, between the senior leadership team and the individual functions of the service.
• Support the Head of SPS by steering, coordinating and ensuring delivery of activities related to the functions of the SPS, including setting and monitoring performance KPIs.
• represent the view of the NHS SPS Chief of Staff at the highest level, in their absence, at key strategic meetings.
• participate in executive decision making and facilitate and support strategic discussions regarding the development of the SPS considering current and evolving NHSE strategic objectives.
• be highly flexible and be able to exercise robust judgement with regards to prioritisation of activities as the needs of the NHS SPS change in response to the environment in which the service operates.
  
  Pharmacist or Pharmacy Technician (Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council)
• Professional knowledge acquired through vocational masters degree in pharmacy plus one year pre-reg training or equivalent plus specialist knowledge acquired through diploma level experience
• Postgraduate qualification to a masters degree level in a relevant healthcare related area
Desirable criteria
• Post-graduate level original research and/or publication in an area relevant specifically to the delivery of Medicines Optimisation, Extensive experience as a practising pharmacist / pharmacy technician, including recent experience in a senior role, managing staff or a service
• Experience of working with Medicines Optimisation and/or medicines decision making groups within the NHS (e.g. Area Prescribing Committees or equivalent)
• Experience of working with a diverse range of stakeholders
Desirable criteria
• Experience of working with medicines commissioning and decision making structures at a national level
• Experience of working in a complex matrix type working environment, within a diffuse national organisation, You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
  
  The NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS) is commissioned by NHS England and delivered in line with the NHS SPS Specification (December 2021). We provide leadership and specialist input across the system, supporting the NHS to develop best practice systems of work related to buying, making and using medicines.
Our strengths are borne out of connecting national expertise with policy teams and arm's length bodies to ensure consistency and high standards. The service supports both regional and local connections to ensure that the service outputs resonate with and support local NHS organisations which deliver care to patients. The key successes of SPS are through the development and delivery of their "Do Once and Share" methodology.

The Trust is committed to promoting a healthy work-life balance and achieve fair, equitable and consistent practice. We welcome flexible working requests and will consider a variety of flexible working arrangements from day one of your employment. Not all roles are suitable for every flexible working opportunity all of the time. Flexible working options may include reduced hours, compressed hours, fixed shifts, time back in lieu and home working. The Trust is committed to promoting equality and diversity; we value the contribution of individual talent, skills, knowledge and experience and aim for a workforce demography representative of the local community. We encourage applicants from the following groups that are currently under-represented in our workforce black, Asian and minority ethnic, lesbian, gay, bisexual and Transgender (LGBTQ+), disabled, male and age 16-24. Trust policy requires that the cost of submitting & processing the successful applicant/s DBS application be recovered via salary deduction following start in post. The amount of £18+£5 (standard disclosure) or £38+£5 (enhanced disclosure) will be deducted from salary, in manageable monthly instalments for up to 3 months following commencement of employment. Bank posts require upfront payment. From April 2017, Skilled visa applicants and their adult dependant(s) will be required to provide a criminal record certificate from each country they have lived in consecutively for 12 months or more in the past ten years. Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa. This organisation has a zero-tolerance approach to the abuse of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All staff must ensure they adhere to the organisations safeguarding children and adults' policy and comply with the Local Safeguarding Children and Adult Board procedures. Staff should be mindful of their responsibility to safeguard children and adults in any activity performed on behalf of the organisation in line with the requirements of statutory guidance and legislation. All employees (and volunteers)are expected maintain their safeguarding knowledge and skills by completing mandatory safeguarding training which includes understanding and recognising the signs of abuse and neglect and taking appropriate action. As an organisation, we have adopted the Merseyside Domestic abuse workplace scheme which supports our staff who are experiencing Domestic Abuse /any forms of sexual violence. If you have any personal requirements that will enable you to participate in our recruitment process please contact a member of the Recruitment Services by phone on at the earliest opportunity to ensure that measures can be put in place to enable your application for this post. Please note: new entrants to the NHS will commence on the first pay point of the relevant band. For agenda for change banded roles; salary payments will reflect the 2023/24 pay scales. The 2024/25 pay scales will be paid in October 2024 including any backpay due. Therefore should the successful applicant start in post prior to October, the salary will initially reflect the 2023/24 pay scales.