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Job summary

Main area
Programme Management
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 8a
Contract
2 years (Fixed Term post in line with Programme Plan)
Hours
  • Full time
  • Flexible working
37.5 hours per week
Job ref
287-DTC-22-26
Employer
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Aintree University Hospital
Town
Liverpool
Salary
£55,690 - £62,682 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
08/03/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust logo

Pharmacy Programme Manager - Medicines Automation

NHS AfC: Band 8a

Job overview

We are seeking an experienced Programme Manager to lead the Medicines Automation Programme at Aintree Hospital. Your work will directly improve patient safety, support clinical teams, and modernise how medicines are stored, accessed and managed across the hospital.

This role will oversee three key projects:
• Deployment of automated drug cabinets across all clinical areas
• Refurbishment of medicines rooms
• Clinical and digital change to support safer, more efficient medicines management

You will manage delivery across clinical, digital, and estates teams, ensuring strong governance, clear communication and timely implementation.

This role offers the chance to solve complex problems, coordinate diverse teams, and deliver a genuinely high‑impact programme that will change daily practice for thousands of staff and patients.

If you thrive in fast‑paced environments, enjoy leading large‑scale change and want to be at the forefront of digital medicines innovation, this programme offers the scope, visibility and challenge to make a real difference.

Main duties of the job

Main Duties of the Job

• Lead the full lifecycle of the medicines automation programme
• Coordinate multi‑disciplinary teams and external partners
• Oversee programme governance, reporting, risk management and benefits realisation
• Support clinical engagement, training, workflow redesign and digital adoption
• Ensure alignment with Trust priorities, including the future Electronic Patient Record

Working for our organisation

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust comprises Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital & 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.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Programme and Project Delivery

• Lead multiple large, inter‑related projects, ensuring clear plans, milestones, risks, and dependencies are managed throughout.
• Apply PRINCE2 and MSP methodologies to structure delivery and maintain high programme standards.
• Develop and maintain project documentation, business cases, benefits profiles, resource plans and progress reports.
• Ensure strong governance frameworks are in place to support decision‑making and assurance.

Performance, Quality and Risk

• Monitor progress against project initiation documents and business cases, adjusting plans as needed.
• Identify, evaluate and manage risks and issues, escalating concerns where necessary.
• Lead post‑implementation reviews and lessons‑learned exercises to improve future programme work.
• Develop and track Key Performance Indicators and Critical Success Factors across all programmes.

Stakeholder Engagement and Communication

• Work closely with clinical teams, senior managers, service leads, digital teams and external partners to support safe and effective delivery.
• Provide regular updates to stakeholders and present programme information to a wide range of audiences.
• Support cross‑organisational working, sharing best practice across departments and external NHS bodies.

Change and Benefits Realisation

• Support business change activities, including workflow redesign and process improvement.
• Ensure programmes align with organisational strategy and deliver measurable benefits in productivity, quality, safety and compliance.
• Facilitate the transition of new services and technologies into business‑as‑usual.

Management and Leadership

• Provide leadership to project staff and multi‑disciplinary teams, ensuring effective motivation, direction and communication.
• Manage performance, support staff development and contribute to the recruitment process.
• Oversee budgets associated with programme delivery, escalating cost pressures as required.

Professional Standards and Governance

• Ensure compliance with local and national policies, including equality, diversity, confidentiality, infection prevention and information governance.
• Provide training within areas of expertise and support audit readiness internally and externally.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Relevant first degree or equivalent
  • Relevant advanced Diploma, other higher degree or equivalent A clinical, nursing or therapies qualification for those projects requiring clinical expertise
Desirable criteria
  • Formal project management qualification (PRINCE2 Practitioner or MSP Foundation)

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience of working in a programme management environment
  • Substantial experience of managing a series of complex, large inter-related projects
  • Substantial experience of managing a series of complex, large inter-related projects
  • Substantial experience of using Microsoft Office applications
  • Working with colleagues at all levels including clinicians
  • Working on unfamiliar topics requiring rapid assimilation of new technical knowledge
  • Teaching and presentation skills
  • Experience of delivering change management initiatives
  • Analyses of non routine data, interpretation and resolution
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of working in a NHS environment

Knowledge

Desirable criteria
  • A good understanding of the application of information and IT systems to support patient care

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Ability to lead a team of diverse individuals to deliver programmes and projects to meet aims and objectives
  • Thorough understanding of the benefits of using Programme management standards and the ability to adapt these to meet the requirements of the programme.
  • Plan programmes and projects which impact across clinical and non clinical areas.
  • Ability to manage independently and make decisions in line with organisational Strategy and objectives.
  • Ability to check own and others work to ensure all products are of a high quality
  • Ability to frequently concentrate for prolonged periods of time, managing interruptions as appropriate.

Other

Essential criteria
  • Excellent interpersonal and facilitation skills
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills
  • Experience of dealing with and communicating complex and contentious information
  • Excellent negotiation, motivation and influencing skills
  • Ability to persuade senior managers and frontline staff of the importance of the project or programme
  • Ability to present programme and project management techniques and tools in a non technical format.
  • Ability to delivery presentations to a large audience

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Fair Employment Charter Status - Aspiring LevelNHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardTrust IDVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleInvestors in PeopleArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Carer confident logo, the employers for carers confident schemeDisability confident committedStep into health

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. Please complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Sarah Thompson
Job title
CCIO (Pharmacy & Medicines)
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07825 387 250
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