Head of Pharmacy Operations
Medical Cannabis Industry
Leicester
This role requires 5 days onsite.
Our client is one of the largest and fastest growing medical cannabis clinic and pharmacy groups in
the UK.
Established in 2023, the business was founded by a board of experienced GPs who had already built and managed large patient populations within traditional healthcare. The business idea came when one of the doctors in their network began privately prescribing medical cannabis and saw first hand where the system was falling short. They recognised that patients needed safe, regulated access delivered through a properly structured operation led by clinicians who understood both medicine and scale. Having seen the positive clinical outcomes, the board committed to building a regulated structure that could responsibly increase patient access to medical cannabis.
Today, the company employs around 65 people. The clinic team operates fully remotely, delivering
consultations and ongoing care through a digital first model. The clinic operates alongside its own
attached pharmacy, giving the business full control of prescribing, dispensing and delivery within one regulated structure. Around 25 employees sit within the pharmacy team, managing dispensing and logistics, with medication prepared onsite and dispatched directly to patients' homes. The model is efficient, compliant and not patient facing in a retail sense.
The business has also developed its own patient platform, allowing patients to manage appointments, prescriptions and treatment plans digitally. Clinicians have structured access to records and prescribing workflows, ensuring the operation runs smoothly behind the scenes.
They are widely recognised as:
● One of the most affordable medical cannabis providers in the UK
● One of the highest rated clinics based on patient reviews
● One of the most operationally efficient providers in the space
Now entering their next stage of growth, patient volumes are increasing, systems are evolving and
teams are expanding. The business is scaling with strong clinical governance and looking to increase operational foundations to support long term growth in a regulated healthcare environment. To help them on this journey they are now looking to hire a Head of Pharmacy Operations, to lead the integrated Pharmacy.
Role Description:
Our client is hiring a Head of Pharmacy Operations to take full operational ownership of the pharmacy and dispensary function. The business has scaled quickly. Patient volumes are increasing, the model is proven, and the foundations are strong. What is now needed is a senior operational leader who can bring structure, pace and accountability to the next stage of growth. This is a non-pharmacist leadership role, designed for someone who thrives in regulated, high volume healthcare environments and knows how to drive performance through people, process and data. You will work closely with the Superintendent Pharmacist, senior clinicians and executive leadership. Clinical leaders will retain responsibility for safety and governance. Your focus will be ensuring the pharmacy operation runs efficient, smoothly, compliantly, with clear performance standards whilst retaining a commercial focus. The current team is extremely experienced within healthcare and governance and therefore we need someone who understands business growth, and is more commercially focused, to help take the company to the next level.
This role requires someone comfortable operating in established healthcare teams and confident
enough on GPhC regs to challenge constructively when needed. You should be able to implement
structure, introduce measurable KPIs, improve workflows and elevate day to day operational discipline without compromising clinical standards. It is hands on, visible and influential. You will be expected to lead from the front, bring energy to the team and create a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
This is not a maintenance role. It is an opportunity to shape how the pharmacy function operates as the business enters its next stage of growth.
Responsibilities:
Operational Leadership
● Lead the day-to-day operations of the pharmacy, dispensary, and dispatch teams.
● Translate growth plans into robust, scalable operating models.
● Own workflows, resourcing, scheduling, capacity planning, and operational delivery.
● Identify and fix bottlenecks before they impact patients, clinicians, or revenue.
People, Performance & Culture
● Lead and develop large, multidisciplinary teams (technicians, dispensary staff, dispatch team
members).
● Set clear expectations, KPIs, and accountability at every level.
● Build confident middle managers and supervisors who can run their areas without escalation.
● Create a culture of ownership, pace, quality, and continuous improvement.
Commercial & Operational Performance
● Own operational KPIs, SLAs, dashboards, and reporting.
● Improve efficiency, throughput, and cost control while maintaining quality and compliance.
● Partner with leadership on forecasting, growth readiness, and service expansion.
● Ensure operations actively enable commercial growth, not constrain it.
Compliance & Governance (as an enabler)
● Ensure pharmacy operations consistently meet GPhC, controlled drug, and governance
requirements.
● Work in lock-step with the Superintendent Pharmacist on audits, inspections, and risk
management.
● Embed compliance into processes - not as bureaucracy, but as good operations.
Systems, Process & Improvement
● Drive continuous improvement across SOPs, systems, automation, and tooling.
● Act as a bridge between operations, tech, clinical, and leadership teams.
● Support the rollout of new services, pathways, and products from an operational standpoint
Preferred Qualifications and Skills:
Essential - You must have experience working in a Pharmacy / Dispensary
● Proven experience in operations leadership, within a large pharmacy/dispensary environment,
but more broadly within:
○ Pharmacy operations
○ Healthcare services
○ Regulated healthcare environments
○ Or high-volume healthcare service/logistics settings
● Track record of leading large teams (50+ people).
● Knowledge of GPHC regulations
● Strong people-management skills - confident, calm, decisive, fair, resilient
● Comfortable running operations through data, KPIs, and processes.
● Experience working alongside regulated professionals (pharmacists, clinicians, or equivalent).
Desirable (but not required)
● Experience in e-commerce operations, online pharmacy, or telehealth services.
● Exposure to controlled drugs, complex supply chains, or compliance-heavy environments.
● Health-tech, digital health, or scale-up experience.
● Knowledge of CQC regulations
● Experience within Medical Cannabis or unlicensed medicines
You do not need to be a pharmacist. You do not need clinical qualifications
In return, our client is offering:
● Base Salary between £50,000 - £80,000
● All legal UK Benefits
If you would like more information on this role, please email me a copy of your CV to
or apply through this site.