Deputy Head of Pharmacy Clinical Trials

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Fulfil your potential in hospitals that make history:

Charing Cross, Hammersmith, St Mary's, Queen Charlotte's & Chelsea and Western Eye.

With five world-renowned hospitals, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust is full of opportunity if you are looking to develop your healthcare career.

We are an NHS Trust of approximately 16,000 people, providing care for over a million and a half patients from north west London and beyond every year.

We have a rich heritage and an ambitious vision for the future of our patients and local communities.

With our partners, Imperial College London, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, we form Imperial College Academic Health Science Centre, one of 6 academic health science centres in the UK, working to ensure the rapid translation of research for better patient care and excellence in education.

We are proud of our heritage in innovation and we are early adopters of new insights in technologies, techniques and treatments for improving health.

Job overview

As Deputy Head of Pharmacy for Clinical Trials, you'll lead a fast-paced, innovative service overseeing both commercial and non-commercial trials. You'll ensure drug delivery meets the highest standards of safety, compliance, and quality-aligned with ICH-GCP, GMP, and national/international regulations. Working closely with the Head of Pharmacy Clinical Trials & ATMPs, you'll help maximise trial participation and patient benefit, while supporting the Trust's reputation for research excellence.

This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of clinical trials at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. You'll lead the development of SOPs, training programmes, and guidance for pharmacy and Trust staff, ensuring seamless collaboration across departments including R&D, haematology, and clinical research units. Your strategic input will influence policy and service development locally and nationally, while maintaining strong financial governance and providing expert pharmaceutical advice.

You'll join a passionate, forward-thinking team known for its inclusive culture and commitment to patient-centred care through cutting-edge research. If you're ready to lead with purpose, contribute to national best practice, and grow within a supportive and ambitious environment-this is the role for you.

Main duties of the job

• Lead and Collaborate: Partner with Pharmacy Clinical Trials, R&D, and wider Trust teams to deliver strategic goals for ATMPs and clinical trials.
• Drive Quality and Performance: Manage quality improvement plans and resolve complex clinical trial issues to ensure patient safety and service excellence.
• Champion Change: Lead updates to policies and procedures, promoting a culture of transparency, learning, and continuous improvement.
• Engage Stakeholders: Work with clinicians, sponsors, patients, and regulators to support service delivery and resolve challenges.
• Ensure Compliance: Oversee trial setup and conduct, ensuring alignment with national and international regulations and acting as a key governance lead.
• Lead and Manage Teams: Oversee recruitment, HR, and daily operations of the clinical trials pharmacy team, ensuring GCP and GMP standards.
• Strategic Planning: Assess trial feasibility, manage risks, and support business cases and readiness for new therapies.
• Financial Oversight: Manage budgets, contracts, and equipment, ensuring safe use and effective supplier engagement.
• Quality and Accreditation: Maintain quality systems, support JACIE accreditation, and respond to audits and recalls.
• Leadership and Representation: Act as Deputy Management Representative, mentor staff, and lead cross-departmental planning.

Working for our organisation

At Imperial College Healthcare you can achieve extraordinary things with extraordinary people, working with leading clinicians pushing boundaries in patient care.

Become part of a vibrant team living our values - expert, kind, collaborative and aspirational. You'll get an experience like no other and will fast forward your career.

Benefits include career development, flexible working and wellbeing, staff recognition scheme. Make use of optional benefits including Cycle to Work, car lease schemes, season ticket loan or membership options for onsite leisure facilities.

We are committed to equal opportunities and improving the working lives of our staff and will consider applications to work flexibly, part time or job share. Please talk to us at interview. .

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. For both overviews please view the Job Description attachment with the job advert

Person specification

Education

Essential criteria

• Registered as a pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council Extensive post-graduate studies and or experience in pharmacy clinical trials delivery in the UK

Desirable criteria

• Diploma/MSc in Pharmacy Practice or equivalent
• Appropriate management courses
• GMP training

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience in the set up and management of commercial and non-commercial clinical trials in a pharmacy context. Comprehensive experience as a hospital pharmacist, to include at least dispensary/ aseptic and ward experience and active experience of using a wide range of healthcare electronic systems
• Substantial experience in managing teams and influencing stakeholders and demonstrated ability to input into local, regional or national groups

Desirable criteria

• Service management/departmental management
• Experience of working in an aseptic unit, oncology or haematology

Skills

Essential criteria

• Extensive knowledge of current UK medicines legislation, GCP and GMP in relation to clinical trials and medicines. Able to continually update and apply knowledge of changes in legislation and guidance to real world situations
• Experience of managing change and able to identify opportunities for improvement and development of the service, day-to-day and at a strategic level, to meet patient and organisational needs
• Demonstrated excellent analytical, verbal, numeric and written

Desirable criteria

• MSOffice and other relevant computer programmes at an advanced level •

Please ensure you check your emails regularly as this is how we will communicate with you throughout the recruitment process. If you are shortlisted you will be contacted by email and text message (if you provide a mobile contact number).

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Documents to download

• Job Description (PDF, 792.3KB)
• Functional requirements (PDF, 472.6KB)
• Our Strategy 2023-25 (PDF, 230.4KB)