Lead Pharmacist – Children’s and Young People Cancer Network
NHS AfC: Band 8b
Contract 12 months (Fixed‑term)
Hours: Full time, Flexible working, Compressed hours, 37.5 hours per week
Site: Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Town Birmingham
Salary: £66,582 – £77,368 per annum
Closing: 17/06/2026 23:59
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and motivated oncology pharmacist to join the West Midlands Children’s and Young People’s Cancer Network as the Network Lead Pharmacist. The new regional role will provide strategic and clinical leadership for Children’s and Teenage & Young Adult (TYA) cancer pharmacy services across the West Midlands, working closely with Principal Treatment Centres, Paediatric Oncology Shared Care Units (POSCUs), TYA Designated Hospitals, the Cancer Alliance and NHS England.
The postholder will lead and support key regional workstreams relating to systemic anti‑cancer therapy (SACT) governance, medicines optimisation, protocol standardisation, ePrescribing/ChemoCare development, workforce development and quality improvement. The role offers the opportunity to shape and influence regional cancer pharmacy practice, improve consistency of care, and support safer and more effective CYP and TYA cancer services across the Network.
Applicants should be experienced oncology pharmacists with strong leadership, communication and influencing skills, alongside significant experience in cancer services, SACT governance and multidisciplinary working. This is an ideal opportunity for an ambitious senior pharmacist seeking to develop regional and network‑level leadership experience within specialised cancer services.
Main duties of the job
The postholder will provide strategic, professional and clinical pharmacy leadership across the West Midlands Children’s and Young People’s Cancer Network, supporting safe, consistent and evidence‑based medicines practice for children, teenagers and young adults receiving cancer treatment.
Key responsibilities include leading regional work relating to SACT governance, protocol standardisation, medicines optimisation, and strengthening ePrescribing across Principal Treatment Centres and Paediatric Oncology Shared Care Units (POSCUs). The role will support the development of regional governance processes, interpretation of SACT data, reduction of unwarranted variation, and implementation of network‑wide improvements aligned to national service specifications.
The postholder will work closely with pharmacy, medical, nursing and operational teams across multiple organisations, providing expert advice on complex oncology pharmacy issues, supporting workforce development and education, and contributing to service development, quality improvement and business planning across CYP and TYA cancer services.
Qualifications
* MPharm or equivalent or BPharm/BSc Hons for those qualified before 2002
* Registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council
* Postgraduate Diploma/MSc in Clinical Pharmacy or Independent Prescriber
* Member of relevant national specialist pharmacist group and active in developing specialist pharmacy practice
* Qualified as a pharmacist independent prescriber and actively prescribing in practice
* Holds a position of office in a relevant national network / specialist pharmacist group
* Leadership and/or management qualifications
* MSc in clinical pharmacy or higher research degree (MPhil or PhD)
* Postgraduate qualification in relevant clinical speciality
* Training undertaken to obtain further clinical skills, e.g. clinical examination
* Evidence of practice at advanced stage II, as part of the RPS Advanced Pharmacy framework, or working towards credentialing
* Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
Experience
* Experience of developing and implementing medicines and service‑related policies for a speciality / directorate and managing risk.
* Experience of leading projects and managing change, with evidence of completed outcomes.
* Publication of audit/research/clinical work at national level.
* Experience of working actively on national groups.
* Experience of leading and delivering a clinical pharmacy service to a directorate / cluster of services.
* Experience of excellent leadership and management skills.
Analytical and Judgement Skills
* Works with a high level of professional autonomy.
* Experience of assessing and minimising risk associated with service provision and within medication processes.
* Experience in making judgements involving highly complex facts, requiring critical evaluation, interpretation and options appraisal.
* Able to critically analyse information and evidence and communicate findings clearly in simple terms.
* Evidence of incorporating innovative and best practice into current practice.
* Assessing/adjudicating at national level.
Professional / Managerial / Specialist Knowledge
* Ability to be flexible and manage change in a complex healthcare environment.
* Motivated by desire to improve patient outcomes.
* Excellent organisational skills, able to motivate others, manage time effectively and work to deadlines, even under pressure.
* Positive thinker, problem solver, ability to think laterally to develop new ideas.
* Ability to plan and organise new services and development of existing services.
* Self‑motivated to a high level.
* Skills to assist in departmental and service level budget planning for resources (e.g. staff, medicines).
Personal Skills / Abilities and Attributes
* Good level of computer literacy and word processing / keyboard skills.
* Sound Word, Excel and Power‑point skills and ability to retrieve information from the internet.
Other Requirements
* Well‑motivated, conscientious, accurate and reliable.
* Professional, credible, accountable, responsible and confident.
* Commitment to life‑long learning and professional development.
* Prepared to work flexible hours over 7‑day shifted pattern of work.
* Ability to concentrate for long periods of time.
Sponsorship
Visa sponsorship is only available for certain roles in line with current UKVI regulations. Please ensure the role you are interested in meets the criteria for sponsorship before submitting your application.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
We understand that some applicants may choose to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist in preparing their application materials. While this is not discouraged, we kindly remind candidates that all submissions must be truthful and accurately reflect your own experiences and suitability for this role. Personal integrity and authenticity are central to our recruitment process. We value honesty and appreciate applications that are genuine and representative of the individual behind them.
Reasonable Adjustments
BWC is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, committed to fostering an inclusive environment for those with a disability, long‑term health or mental health condition. The Disability Confident scheme means we actively encourage applications from people with disabilities, long‑term health or mental health conditions, and we want to ensure our recruitment practices are inclusive and accessible to all. Our aim is to get the best out of every individual and if successful for interview, you will be asked if you require any reasonable adjustments (special requirements). We will strive to support and accommodate these requests where possible.
Safeguarding
As a Trust employee you are required to comply with all legislation and guidance relating to safeguarding children and adults with care and support needs, and promoting their health and welfare. You are required to inform the Head of Safeguarding of any safeguarding concerns about your own children or children you live with. This information will be treated in a confidential manner.
Employer certification/accreditation badges
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
#J-18808-Ljbffr