Chief pharmacist

🔹 We're Hiring: Locum Chief Pharmacist (mental health) 📍Berkshire | 🕒 37.5 hours/week | 📅 8-month secondment | 💼 NHS Band 9

Are you a seasoned pharmacy leader with a passion for strategic impact and clinical excellence? One of our NHS clients based in Berkshire is looking for an experienced and visionary Chief Pharmacist to lead their pharmacy services.

This is a high-profile, strategic role offering the opportunity to shape medicines optimisation across the Trust, influence policy, and collaborate with academic partners—all while leading a dedicated team of professionals.

✨ What You’ll Do As Chief Pharmacist, you’ll:

Provide strategic leadership for the Pharmacy Department

Act as the Trust’s Accountable Officer for Controlled Drugs

Represent the Trust with distinction within the General Pharmaceutical Council

Lead medicines optimisation, including budget setting and formulary development

Ensure clinical trials are managed in line with national standards

Support key meetings by setting agendas and advising chairs

Oversee the Pharmacy Clozapine Service and contribute to research initiatives

Collaborate with the University of Reading on academic practice and joint research

📍 Location: Berkshire

🎯 What We’re Looking For

GPhC registration

Master’s degree in Pharmacy

Extensive NHS experience is essential

Proven leadership at a senior pharmacist level

Strong people management and departmental leadership skills

Deep understanding of medicines governance, clinical trials, and optimisation strategies

💬 Why Join ? Our Client is an outstanding organisation where care quality, teamwork, and continuous improvement are at the heart of everything they do. Their vision:

“A great place to get care, a great place to give care.”

If you’re ready to lead with purpose and make a lasting impact, we’d love to hear from you.

📨 Start Date: ASAP 📅 Contract End: 31 May 2026 📍 Location: Berkshire

Please note : a full JD is available on request.


Do you have the relevant experience? If so, please send across your updated CV and advise on your availability for one of the above roles asap. Should you not be available (or not have the relevant experience), please feel free to recommend your pharmacy colleagues to me for the above and any other hospital locum work in the UK. Please see more details regarding our referral bonus below.

Please contact me if you would like to apply for this role for yourself or for a friend.

P.S. We offer £300 referrals for new placed candidates (1st £300, 2nd £500, 3rd £650) - so let me know if you have a friend who would be perfect for the above role!