Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and highly motivated Radiopharmacist / Radiopharmaceutical Scientist to join the Radiopharmacy team at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, based at the Sutton site. The Radiopharmacy holds both MS ’Special’ and MIA(IMP) licence.
This role offers an excellent opportunity to further develop your specialist scientific expertise while contributing to the delivery of a comprehensive and high-quality clinical radiopharmacy service, supporting both the Trust and external healthcare providers.
The successful post holder will play a key role in supporting the Principal Radiopharmaceutical Scientist in the production, quality control, and release of radiopharmaceuticals. The role requires a high level of accuracy, attention to detail, and strong organisational and time management skills, working in a highly regulated environment.
You will join a friendly, supportive, and experienced multidisciplinary team committed to delivering safe, effective, and innovative radiopharmacy services.
Key Requirements
• A degree in Pharmacy, Radiopharmacy, or a relevant scientific discipline
• Demonstrable experience working in a radiopharmacy setting (essential)
• Registration, or eligibility for registration, with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), or Science Council
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to work to strict regulatory standards
Main duties of the job
To provide a key role in the provision of the comprehensive clinical Radiopharmacy service to the Trust. The work of the Radiopharmacy includes dispensing and quality control of diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals, clinical trials and in vitro measurements. The post-holder will play an active role in the management of the QMS system and supervising/supporting junior staff in the day-to-day operation. The post-holder is required to work to extremely high standards of accuracy and safety and at times will be expected to work alone.
The post holder will be required to work closely with the Nuclear Medicine, Physics and Pharmacy Department and a range of external customers/suppliers to ensure the smooth running of Radiopharmacy service
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
1. The post-holder will be required to comply with relevant statutory requirements relating to the manufacture of radioactive medicinal products, including those related to Good Manufacturing Practice, as defined in The Rules and Guidance for Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Distributors (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency).
2. The post-holder will, jointly with the senior scientific Radiopharmacy team, maintain the comprehensive Radiopharmacy Quality Management System, including Standard Operating Procedures, validation of premises and processes, accurate recording of CAPA events and involvement in subsequent investigations.
3. The post-holder will be involved with the training of staff in accordance with the Radiopharmacy training program, as part of the overall Radiopharmacy Quality Management System.
4. The post-holder will, jointly with other members of the senior scientific Radiopharmacy team, be involved with the development and provision of a complex radiolabelling service (including radiolabelling of peptides for therapeutic applications).
5. The post-holder will, jointly with other members of the senior scientific Radiopharmacy team, be involved in development and delivery of the radiopharmaceutical services.
6. The post-holder will, jointly with other members of the senior scientific Radiopharmacy team, be involved in a range of clinical trial related activities.
Person specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential criteria
7. Bachelor or Master degree in Pharmacy or Chemistry or relevant science discipline or equivalent experience
8. Postgraduate qualification in Radiopharmacy or Pharmaceutical Technology & Quality Assurance or equivalent knowledge & expertise in the field
9. Statutory professional registration or eligible to register with GPhC as a Pharmacist or HCPC or Science Council as a Clinical Scientist
10. IR(ME)R training record
Desirable criteria
11. Membership of an appropriate professional body (Royal Pharmaceutical Society of GB, Royal Society of Chemistry, Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine)
Experience
Essential criteria
12. Minimum of 1-2 years experience, within conventional licensed Radiopharmacy or Pharmacy aseptic facility, with recent experience at Band 6 level in hospital setting
13. Experience in aseptic preparation of radiopharmaceuticals.
14. Experience of quality assurance of aseptic preparation services.
15. Experience of developing/maintaining a Quality Management System, including investigation of errors and deviations
16. Demonstrable track record of achieving objectives set by senior management.
Desirable criteria
17. Experience as authorised releasing officer for radiopharmaceuticals.
18. Experience in the manufacturing of PET or therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals
19. Experience of managing staff
20. Experience of involvement in clinical trial activities
21. Experience in introducing new services in clinical setting
Skills Abilities/knowledge
Essential criteria
22. Able to accurately perform complex calculation and interpret complex data.
23. Able to provide and support the training and development of radiopharmacy staff
24. Confident at making informed decision
25. Excellent written / oral communication skills
26. Able to produce complex reports and procedures / research documents
27. Able to communicate with staff at all levels from a wide range of disciplines
28. Clear understanding of national radiopharmacy / pharmacy / nuclear medicine standards
29. Excellent prioritisation, organisation and time management skills, evidence of ability to deliver objectives within a complex agenda
30. Able to work unsupervised
Desirable criteria
31. Clear understanding of current NHS issues and a knowledge of the nuclear medicine development agenda
Other Requirements
Essential criteria
32. Able to work early (5:00-13:30) and late shift (08:30-17:00) for prolonged period of time if requested to do so and to be flexible to meet the needs of the role
33. Able to work on own initiative, be innovative and develop the role
34. Able to work well and calmly under pressure
35. Reliable and good team worker
36. Good general health, not claustrophobic
37. Highly computer literate
38. Positive approach and enthusiasm
39. Resilience
Desirable criteria
40. Have a UK driving licence
The Royal Marsden values diversity and is committed to the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority groups. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates with disabilities.
As a Disability Confident Employer, we are working to create a workplace that enables all staff to reach their full potential. We are committed to this because we know that greater diversity and inclusion will lead to an even greater positive impact for the people we serve.
Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, we reserve the right to close any adverts before the published closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications. We advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment. Please ensure your information is accurate to avoid errors with processing your application
Flu Vaccination – What We Expect of our Staff
At The Royal Marsden we have an immune compromised patient population who we must protect as much as we can against the flu virus. Each year, seasonal flu affects thousands of people in the UK. Occurring mainly in winter, it is an infectious respiratory disease capable of producing symptoms ranging from those similar to a common cold, through to very severe or even fatal disease.
The wellbeing of our staff and patients is of the upmost importance to us, and it is the expectation of The Royal Marsden that all patient-facing staff have an annual flu vaccination, provided free of charge by the Trust.
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.