Job summary
- Main area
- Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS)
- Grade
- Band 8a
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Home or remote working
- Job ref
- 287-PPU-7-25
- Employer
- Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Pharmacy Practice Unit
- Town
- Liverpool
- Salary
- £55,690 - £62,682 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 15/09/2025 23:59
Employer heading

QA Specialist - Specialist Pharmacy Service
Band 8a
Job overview
This vacancy is for the Specialist Pharmacy Service, based at the Pharmacy Practice Unit. (PPU). The PPU is a service hosted by Liverpool University Hospitals.
The SPS Quality Assurance team are seeking to recruit a highly motivated, enthusiastic and forward thinking individual to join our Hub team based at the Pharmacy Practice Unit in Liverpool.
The Quality Assurance Specialist will work as part of a national team in delivering successful patient outcomes by ensuring medicines that are bought, prepared and supplied in the NHS are evidenced based, safe, and are of high quality. This will involve working closely with the pharmaceutical Industry and NHS manufacturing and preparation units.
Main duties of the job
To deliver a range of specialist Quality Assurance duties as part of North the North West Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance team relating to:
Audit of unlicensed aseptic units.
Provision of advice and support
Development of best practice guidance
Quality assessment of medicines
Project management & delivery
Workforce training & development
Working for our organisation
The Specialist Pharmacy Service’s (SPS) national Quality Assurance Service supports the principles of medicines optimisation by developing and championing best practice and by ensuring continuous improvement through the implementation of quality risk management systems in NHS medicines manufacturing & preparation and NHS supply chain management.
The post will be hosted by Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust with remote working facilitating candidates to reside anywhere in the NW Region and beyond.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Audit of unlicensed aseptic units in accordance with EL 97(52).
Supporting Trusts in the design and validation and operation of clean rooms, facilities and equipment.
Supporting Trusts in applying for and maintaining their MHRA Specials licences, including provision of specialist advice during MHRA inspections.
Providing specialist advice to technical service managers with regard to sterility assurance, pharmaceutical microbiology, cleanroom technology, medicines formulation, stability and process validation Quality Risk Management of the Medicines Supply chain
To provide a highly specialist service to underpin the procurement of licensed and unlicensed medicines to NHS Trusts w to optimise the quality, safety and efficacy of medicines and related
products used by NHS Hospitals
Supporting licensed and unlicensed medicines contracting through development of service/tender specifications and technical agreements, assessment of suppliers through audit and evaluation of quality risk management systems to ensure compliance with service specifications and regulatory requirements, assessing the pharmaceutical quality of medicines and medical devices and their potential for medication error.
Evaluation of scientific and technical reports relating to medicines e.g. drug stability reports.
Providing on-going contract support by reviewing quality indicators and liaising closely with suppliers to resolve quality issues.
Facilitating the effective communication of drug alerts and recalls from the MHRA to Trusts.
Reviewing and assessing reports of defective medicines from Trusts, liaising with suppliers where required and submitting summaries to the national reporting system.
For full details, please refer to the attached job description
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Masters degree in Pharmaceutical Technology & Quality Assurance OR Masters degree in Pharmacy OR equivalent experience to Masters degree level
- Basic qualification in pharmaceutical sciences (BTEC) or an equivalent scientific qualification to same level
Desirable criteria
- Further qualification in risk management
- Member of a recognised body e.g. Royal Pharmaceutical Society
Experience
Essential criteria
- Extensive post qualification experience
- Extensive experience of Good Manufacturing Practice relating to pharmaceutical manufacturing and preparation
- Significant experience of risk management and quality management systems and their application
- Experience of auditing and self inspection to meet pharmaceutical regulatory requirements
- Experience in the planning and delivery of training (large and small groups)
- Experience of multi disciplinary working and to have evidence to demonstrate successful management of significant changes in complex environments
- Experience and evidence of successful development and implementation of policies and procedures to satisfy regulatory requirements
Desirable criteria
- Experience of quality assessment of pharmaceuticals
- Experience of supporting the outsourcing of medicines and services by the NHS
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Specialist knowledge of the regulatory and NHS standards and guidance relating to medicines manufacture and preparation.
- Specialist knowledge of the regulatory and NHS standard sand guidance relating to the safe storage and supply of medicines.
- Specialist knowledge of the standards and guidance relating to home care medicines services.
- Specialist knowledge of the principles of quality risk management as applicable to medicines manufacture and preparation.
- Specialist knowledge of clean-room design, technology and operation for pharmaceutical processing.
- Understanding of pharmaceutical quality control testing methods and their application to medicines manufacture and preparation
Desirable criteria
- Understanding of the regulatory and NHS standards and guidance relating to medicines procurement and supply
- Understanding of health and safety legislation as applicable to medicines manufacture and preparation.
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
Application numbers
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Mark Jackson
- Job title
- SPS QA Function Lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07887804621
- Additional information
Preferred method of contact is via email. Appointments by arrangement with Faye Black (PA) [email protected]
If you have problems applying, contact
- Address
-
L9 7AL
- Telephone
- 0151 706 4666
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