Description Job Description Would you like an exciting opportunity to work in an interesting and relevant policy area, engaging with a range of internal and external stakeholders across a wide breadth of pharmacy related topics? As a Pharmacy Policy Manager, you will work on areas that support the core activities of the community pharmacy network, such as medicine shortages, as well as standalone projects and advise and inform pharmacy related work led by other partners and stakeholders across Scotland. Community pharmacy services play an important part by: improving healthcare access for the public as they do not need an appointment to see their pharmacist decreasing workload for GP and nursing colleagues therefore freeing up their time to see patients with more serious complaints making best use of the workforce by more fully using the skills of community pharmacists and their teams. Responsibilities Supporting the management of medicine shortages, including communications to the NHS, engaging with key internal and external stakeholders and ensuring good governance of the process. Responding to requests from Ministers, Communications and colleagues, ensuring the development of timely and high quality briefing on relevant aspects of medicines policy. Supporting aspects of financial reporting and governance arrangements that underpin the pharmacy policy commitments. Supporting the ePharmacy and Digital Prescribing and Dispensing Pathway (DPDP) programme which is a key part of the primary care reform work. Supporting the policy officer in the initial drafting and reviewing of MiCase and FOI responses, PQ answers, medicine shortage communications, secretariat responsibilities for meetings with key stakeholders and regular maintenance of the team’s policy core brief document. Line management of one policy officer. Responsibilities Success Profile Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of skills, experience and behaviours candidates will be assessed on. Technical / Professional Skills: Finance (Practitioner Level) You can find out more about the skills required here: Policy Profession Standards Annex. Experience: Prior experience of planning, monitoring and continuously improving policy delivery. Behaviours: Working Together (Level 3) Changing and improving (Level 3) You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours, here: Behaviour levels - Success profiles: candidate guide - gov.scot How to apply Apply online, providing a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 1500 words) which provides evidence of how you meet the skills, experience and behaviours listed in the Success Profile above. If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview and presentation Assessments are scheduled for w/c 18 August 2025 however this may be subject to change. Qualifications About Us The Scottish Government is the devolved government for Scotland. We have responsibility for a wide range of key policy areas including: education, health, the economy, justice, housing and transport. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles. Our staff are part of the UK Civil Service, working for Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver vital public services which improve the lives of the people of Scotland. We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer. As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules. About Pharmacy and Medicines Division Our Division, which is part of the Chief Medical Officer’s Directorate, is led by the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, Professor Alison Strath, and has responsibility for the governance of the safe, efficient and effective use of medicines in NHS Scotland and for NHS pharmaceutical practice in the community, primary care, secondary care and public health. The Unit is headed by Head of Pharmacy Policy and there is a Team Leader, four Senior Policy Managers, one Policy Manager (this post) and one Policy Officer. You will work closely with a diverse range of stakeholders across the UK, including Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS), Health Boards, NHS National Services Scotland (NSS), Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS), Public Health Scotland (PHS), and the other Devolved and UK Government officials to progress policy and drive forward improvement in this high profile and high priority area. Working Pattern and Location You will be based in St Andrew’s House in Edinburgh although hybrid working will apply, however some attendance in the office and travel to meetings will be required. The post is a full-time role, but people with different working patterns are encouraged to apply, and we will assess proposed working patterns against the business requirements for this post. Our standard hours are 35 hours per week. If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for, please contact us. Equality Statement We are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation. Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them. Further information Find out more about our organisation, what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website. Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes.