Job summary
- Main area
- Administrative and Clerical
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8a
- Contract
- Fixed term: 12 months (until 31 October 2026. Secondment only for NHS employees)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 990-EoE-16392-E
- Employer
- NHS England
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Victoria House
- Town
- Cambridge
- Salary
- £55,690 - £62,682 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 27/08/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Controlled Drugs Professional Manager (Clinical Role)
NHS AfC: Band 8a
Our Organisation
The NHS is building a culture that is positive, compassionate and inclusive – and we all have our part to play.
As employers we are committed to protecting and promoting the physical and mental health and wellbeing of all our colleagues. This underpins our values as set out in the NHS Constitution and supports us to be an Employer of Choice, while helping our colleagues to deliver high quality services for our patients and communities.
As a flexible employer, we want to support you to work in a way that is best for the NHS, our patients and you. Talk to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time, hybrid working or another flexible pattern. In addition, although the role advertised may have a ‘home’ office base indicated, we remain committed to supporting flexibility around workplace locations. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
We are an accredited Living Wage Employer which means that every colleague working for our organisation and third-party contractors will earn a real Living Wage. We are one of over 15,000 organisations, who voluntarily chose to pay the real Living Wage.
Job overview
Please note that this role is being advertised as fixed term until 31 October 2026.
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Medical Directorate in the East of England region, as a Controlled Drugs Professional Manager.
The post holder will support the Controlled Drugs Accountable Officer (CDAO), Medication Safety Officer (MSO), and the wider Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation function. You will oversee the supervision, management, and safe use of controlled drugs across healthcare settings in the East of England, as well as contribute to the national medication safety priorities.
Main duties of the job
As a Controlled Drugs Professional Manager, the post holder will work as part of a dynamic team in delivering an effective service supporting staff across the NHS England East of England Region to develop and deliver the statutory function.
The post holder will lead the provision of an efficient, effective and high quality professional and well co-ordinated CDAO service capable of meeting all statutory, regulatory and NHS requirements ensuring alignment with the activity of the organisation.
This role requires collaboration with diverse stakeholders, including health regulators, police forces, and healthcare providers. With a focus on patient safety, compliance, and innovation, you’ll ensure best practices in medicines safety and controlled drug regulations.
The post holder will define current processes, facilitate discussions and advise colleagues as to how best practice might be adopted in the definition of future processes, document those processes as they are agreed and oversee their delivery.
Working for our organisation
The NHS England board have set out the top-level purpose for the new organisation to lead the NHS in England to deliver high-quality services for all, which will inform the detailed design work and we will achieve this purpose by:
- Enabling local systems and providers to improve the health of their people and patients and reduce health inequalities.
- Making the NHS a great place to work, where our people can make a difference and achieve their potential.
- Working collaboratively to ensure our healthcare workforce has the right knowledge, skills, values and behaviours to deliver accessible, compassionate care
- Optimising the use of digital technology, research, and innovation
- Delivering value for money.
If you would like to know more or require further information, please visit https://www.england.nhs.uk/.
Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in-person.
Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.
If you are successful at interview, we will run an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) in the Electronic Staff Record system (ESR). This transfer gathers valuable information from a previous or current NHS employer to support the onboarding process, including; statutory and mandatory competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You will have the opportunity throughout the recruitment process to inform us if you do not consent.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The post holder will be responsible for:
- - Maintaining good working relationships with a broad range of partners including health regulators, police forces, integrated care boards and independent health providers.
- Effective management of a portfolio of work including, but not limited to:
- - review, investigation and actions related to reported concerns and incidents
- - private prescriber requests for CD identification numbers
- - applications to be authorised to witness the destruction of controlled drugs
- - periodic CD declarations
- - other medicines safety actions
- - providing advice and challenge to external investigators and NHS England colleagues
- - conducting on-site visits to healthcare providers with significant concerns to verify compliance with CD legislation and accepted best practice
- - providing specialist advice and clinical support relating to medicines safety, CDs and primary care ensuring relevant legislation and best practice guidance is referred to – particularly in general practice and community pharmacy
This post is advertised on a 1.0 WTE basis and we welcome applications from highly motivated and enthusiastic registered healthcare professionals with comprehensive experience and understanding of the management and use of controlled drugs.
Please refer to the job description and person specification for more details about this role and its accountabilities.
Secondments
Applicants from within the NHS will be offered on a secondment basis only, agreement should be obtained from their employer prior to submitting the application.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Health care professional currently registered with an appropriate health care regulator.
Knowledge and Experience
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of the regulations and practice around the safe management and use of controlled drugs in at least one health care setting.
- Experience of managing and motivating a team/virtual team and reviewing performance of the individuals.
- Experience of working in medicines optimisation or primary care (community pharmacy or general practice).
- Any other additional skills, knowledge or experience relevant to controlled drugs or medicines safety.
Skills and Capabilities
Essential criteria
- Ability to analyse complex facts and situations and develop a range of options.
- Ability to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult and contentious issues where there may be a number of courses of action, working to tight and often changing timescales.
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with flawless use of written English.
- Familiarity with a range of software and/or analysis tools e.g., Microsoft Office applications; ePACT2.
Values and Behaviours
Essential criteria
- Commitment to and focused on quality, promotes high standards in all they do.
- Able to make a connection between their work and the benefit to patients and the public.
- Works well with others, is positive and helpful, listens, involves, respects and learns from the contribution of others.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Jane Newman
- Job title
- Controlled Drugs Accountable Officer
- Email address
- [email protected]
List jobs with NHS England in Health Science Services or all sectors