Lead Quality Assurance Officer
Closing date: 23 April 2026.
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.
Please see below for the detailed job description of the role.
Main duties of the job
The Lead Quality Assurance Officer plays a vital role in ensuring the safe, compliant, and high‑quality production of medicines within our Pharmacy Aseptic Services. This is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact on patient care by safeguarding the quality standards that underpin every product we manufacture.
In this role you will contribute directly to maintaining and improving our Quality Management System (QMS), support day‑to‑day quality operations, and drive continuous improvement across the service. Your expertise will help ensure our teams operate in line with regulatory expectations, uphold Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), and deliver high‑quality, timely outputs for patients and clinical teams.
You will be a key member of our multidisciplinary team, working closely with Pharmacists, Technicians, and Senior Quality Assurance Officers. Reporting to the Senior QA Officer(s), you will supervise and support QA staff, coordinate document control processes, lead investigations and audits, and contribute to quality reviews and departmental reporting. Collaboration is central to this role—work across pharmacy units, liaise with internal and external stakeholders, and act as a champion for quality principles throughout the service.
Job responsibilities
* Lead and coordinate day‑to‑day maintenance of the QMS (document control, compliant review cycles, version management).
* Supervise and support QA staff during daily operations, ensuring tasks are allocated effectively and staff are developed to meet service needs.
* Oversee investigations into quality events such as deviations, complaints and environmental monitoring excursions, and ensure CAPAs and deadlines are clearly defined and tracked.
* Participate in internal and external audits, quality reviews and reporting, contributing to continuous improvement across aseptic services.
* Participate in the Saturday morning service rota and/or the technician on‑call rota, including bank holidays.
* Work weekends, late nights and bank holidays as per rota; cover flexible working hours according to rota.
Qualifications, knowledge and experience
* Undergraduate degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, Biology, Microbiology, Biomedical Sciences (or equivalent level of experience in GMP Quality Assurance / Quality Control) OR Registered Pharmacy Technician by GPhC OR Registered Science Technician (Apprenticeship Standard – Level 3 Diploma in the Principles of Aseptic Pharmaceuticals Processing) in the UK by the Science Council.
* Experience supervising teams and ensuring high standards of performance and workflow.
* Ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines while maintaining required standards.
* Experience in GMP related to the production of sterile medicines.
* Experience developing and implementing SOPs and policies.
* Demonstrates ability to work effectively under pressure.
* Proficiency with a range of information technology programmes, including Microsoft Office.
* Good organisational skills, effective time management and prioritisation of workload.
* Use initiative, recognising professional boundaries.
* Work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
* Strong accurate communication skills in English, both verbally and in writing.
* Maintaining continuous professional development requirements or training portfolio.
* Experience in preparing and presenting at meetings.
* Detailed knowledge of QA and QMS including audits, validation, investigations (microbiological, deviations and complaints) and change management.
Trust Values
* Patients First
* Always Improving
* Working Together
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and requires a submission to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Salary
£39,959 to £48,117 a year (pro rata).
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