Job summary
- Main area
- Pharmacy
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8a
- Contract
- Fixed term: 11 months (until 31 March 2027 - Secondment only for current NHS employees)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 990-C&G-EC1549-E
- Employer
- NHS England
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- NHSE Office in London, Warrington or Leeds
- Town
- London, Warrington or Leeds
- Salary
- £55,690 - £62,682 per annum (exclusive of London Weighting)
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 31/03/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Medicines Assurance Manager
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
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Medicines Assurance Manager to join the Pharmacy Team within the Medicines Procurement & Supply Chain (MPSC) function of the Medicines Value & Access sub‑directorate, part of the Commercial & Growth Directorate.
The postholder will work closely with the Deputy Director of MPSC to support delivery of the national medicine’s resilience strategy. This will include managing secondary care medicines shortages and leading key resilience workstreams such as the UK‑held buffer stock programme and the joint MHRA/Medicines UK Project Revive.
This role offers an excellent opportunity for a pharmacy professional to gain experience in national medicines governance pathways and to work collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders, including the MHRA, DHSC, Medicines UK and UKHSA, alongside clinicians from across NHS England.
If you are currently working in a clinical or procurement role within an NHS trust or similar organisation and are interested in a secondment or fixed‑term opportunity, we would be delighted to hear from you.
The office base for this role can be London, Warrington or Leeds.
The role will require some travel across sites on an infrequent basis.
The role is being offered as a fixed term contract or secondment opportunity for Maternity leave cover. Initially the opportunity will be offered until 31st March 2027, however there is a possibility this will be extended until the 31st May 2027.
Main duties of the job
As a Medicines Assurance Manager, the post holder will work as part of a dynamic team in delivering an effective service supporting managers and staff across Medicines Procurement & Supply Chain to support management of medicines shortages and quality assurance of medicines being tendered.
In particular the postholder will:
- Manage all tiers of medicines shortages relating to Medicines Procurement & Supply Chain frameworks in line with Guide to Managing Medicines Shortages.
- Undertake internal and external stakeholder engagement to mitigate any issues arising from medicines shortages.
- Develop communications to the NHS regarding medicines shortages.
- Develop and present papers at national medicines groups.
- Lead engagement with suppliers with respect to supply chain.
- The role supports the business in driving transformation as well as value for money in planning, commissioning and service. The role is designed to build a combination of subject matter expertise and technical skills to develop a strong service delivery.
- To develop business plans and provide expert strategic and policy advice and guidance on all areas of the National Director’s portfolio.
Working for our organisation
Our staff bring expertise across clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial specialisms — enabling us to design and deliver high-quality NHS services.
We lead the NHS in England 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 people can develop and make a difference
- 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
Earlier this year, the Government announced that NHS England will gradually merge with the Department of Health and Social Care, to create a smaller, more strategic centre that reduces duplication and waste.
If successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the process.
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.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
You can find further details about the role, including key responsibilities and accountabilities, alongside the organisational structure and person specification in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.
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
- BTEC National Certificate in Pharmaceutical Sciences and NVQ level 3 in pharmacy services or approved equivalent qualification or Pharmacy Degree.
- Educated to masters level or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area.
Knowledge & Experience
Essential criteria
- Good understanding of medicine supply chain and management of medicine supply issues.
- Have an understanding of the background to and aims of current healthcare policy and appreciate the implications of this on engagement.
- Have an appreciation of the relationship between the Department of Health and individual provider and commissioning organisations.
Skills, Capabilities & Attributes
Essential criteria
- Must be able to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information, negotiate with senior stakeholders on difficult and controversial issues, and present complex and sensitive information to large and influential groups.
- 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.
Values and Behaviours
Essential criteria
- 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.
- Consistently looks to improve what they do, look for successful tried and tested ways of working, and also seeks out innovation.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Ezabelle Ayele
- Job title
- Medicines Assurance Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Additional information
For further information about the role or for an informal conversation, please contact Ezabella Ayele by email - [email protected]
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