Job summary
- Main area
- Pharmacy Education
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8b
- Contract
- Fixed term: 6 months (until 31st March 2027 - Secondment only for current NHS employees)
- Hours
- Part time
- Job share
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 990-NW-EC5157-E
- Employer
- NHS England
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- 3 Piccadilly Place
- Town
- Manchester
- Salary
- £66,582 - £77,368 pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 24/09/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Training Programme Director: Foundation Trainee Pharmacist
NHS AfC: Band 8b
Our Organisation
We share the core values set out in the NHS Constitution, which all colleagues are expected to demonstrate.
We support you to work in a way that is best for the NHS, our patients and you and your colleagues. 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.
Job overview
An opportunity has arisen for appointment to the role of Training Programme Director: Foundation Trainee Pharmacists within the North West School of Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation. The role will enable the successful candidates to work as part of the team to support pharmacy education reforms, and on a number of well-established work streams within the Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation Workforce transformation agenda in the region.
We are looking for a pharmacy professional with experience of community pharmacy to work with training providers and educational supervisors, to support the infrastructure to develop quality assured programmes to ensure a consistent approach to medicines education and training, across sectors. The role will enable the successful candidate to work as part of the School team, and with other NHSE professional leads to support Foundation Pharmacist training, through both new and well-established work streams.
Main duties of the job
This post is one within a team supporting training across the North West of England, accountable through the Head of Foundation School, to the Pharmacy Dean, School of Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation. The post-holder is responsible for providing professional leadership, together with expertise, advice and support to:
- Contribute to development of a School of Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation strategy and operational plan. The post-holder will lead locally on the foundation trainee pharmacist programme, with a focus on community pharmacy organisations.
- Lead on the development of policy, process and infrastructure to support workplace learning as a key component of the training programme, in close liaison with the Head of School and Pharmacy Dean.
- Lead on quality management of the training programme in selected areas.
- Actively manage and support local employer- based Educational Supervisors linked to the training programme, through leadership and facilitation of networks, in all sectors and leading cross sector opportunities.
- Provide professional expertise and input into multi-professional training.
Working for our organisation
NHS England has a wide range of statutory functions, responsibilities and regulatory powers. These are focused on supporting the wider NHS to deliver high quality care, as well as doing those things that are best done once for the whole NHS.
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.
In March 2025, the Government announced that NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care will increasingly merge functions, ultimately leading to NHS England being fully integrated into the department.
If you currently work within the NHS and 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 our offices.
Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.
We cannot offer visa sponsorship for any vacancies.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Applicants should be registered pharmacists and will need prior experience in developing and delivering training in clinical environments and must be able to demonstrate all essential requirements as listed in the job description.
You can find further details about the job, organisational structure, recruitment profile, expected outcomes and benefits information 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
- Educated to Masters’ level, or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area, in Pharmacy and healthcare leadership
- Registered with General Pharmaceutical Council.
- Extensive knowledge of healthcare education management or commissioning, acquired through post graduate diploma or equivalent experience or training.
Knowledge and experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of working as a senior pharmacy professional, with extensive knowledge of pharmacy and medicines optimisation.
- Highly developed subject matter expertise, including knowledge of NHS policy, educational policy and healthcare leadership and management.
- Demonstrated experience of leading training or work programmes in highly complex and challenging environments.
- Experience of developing and implementing policy and programmes to support the delivery of team and organisational objectives and business plans.
- Evidence of planning and delivering programmes and projects on time and within budget where impact of delivery extends beyond own area of work.
- Knowledge, understanding and experience of managing professional support for trainees/ learners and multi-professional faculty development, and associated professional teams.
Skills, Capabilities & Attributes
Essential criteria
- Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills.
- Able to work as part of a team and operate effectively in a multidisciplinary environment. Seeks out different styles and methods of communication to assist longer terms needs and aims.
- Demonstrates sound judgement in the absence of clear guidelines or precedent, seeking advice as necessary from more senior management when appropriate.
- Is an active and valued participant in development groups.
- Encourages best practice across the organisation with appropriate use of networks.
- Persuasive and effective negotiator, displaying high levels of political astuteness to achieve outcomes in difficult and contentious situations.
Values and Behaviours
Essential criteria
- Demonstrates strong leadership to improve performance and make a difference by focusing on goals. Empowered and enabled to deliver.
- Committed to involving all staff in developing positive and innovative approaches to business challenges.
- Empowers staff to take control, make decisions and act on innovative ideas.
- Works in a way that complies with legislation, organisational policy and procedure in relation to health, safety and risk management, and ensures others do the same.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Stephen Doherty
- Job title
- Head of Foundation School
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07584541561
- Additional information
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