Overview
On 1 April 2026, NSS and NES became one national organisation focused on continuity today and a stronger, more connected service for tomorrow. As part of this transformation, NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) and NHS Education for Scotland (NES) have joined to form Public Services Delivery Scotland (PSD Scotland). This new organisation will play a pivotal role in supporting renewal and the long-term sustainability of health and care services across Scotland.
Flexible Location: PSD Scotland is a remote-friendly employer with staff based throughout Scotland. We support office-based and hybrid working arrangements. We welcome conversations about alternative working patterns during the application process to discuss.
Work Pattern: Permanent, Full Time, 36 hours per week
You must have eligibility and entitlement to work in the UK, which is required to be maintained throughout your period of employment.
Who We Are
PSD Scotland unites expertise from NES and NSS to accelerate national programmes that support the NHS to deliver better care, now and in the future. We support staff with education and training, provide tools and data to improve services, and run vital national functions such as procurement, logistics and blood, tissue and cell services.
The Pharmacy team within Public Services Delivery Scotland (PSD Scotland) has national responsibility for the commissioning, quality assurance and delivery of postgraduate pharmacy education and training in Scotland. The team is accountable through the Executive Medical Director to the PSD Scotland Board, and through the Board to the Scottish Government. PSD Scotland Pharmacy provides strategic leadership across sectors, working with health boards, community pharmacy, universities, regulators and national partners to ensure education and training meet workforce, service and regulatory requirements, in line with standards set by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
The Opportunity
This is a fantastic opportunity to join the team responsible for the quality assurance, development and delivery of the Foundation Training Year (FTY) programme for trainee pharmacists undertaking their final year of training prior to registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). For this post, 4 days per week (28.8 hours) will be dedicated to the FTY workstream. You may be required to work across PSD Scotland pharmacy workstream for the other 1 day per week (7.2 hours), as required.
This is an exciting period for the initial education and training of pharmacists (IETP). From the 2025-26 training year, PSD Scotland has been delivering the new GPhC accredited programme, which sees the majority of trainee pharmacists join the register as independent prescribers, in line with the GPhC Standards for the Initial Education and Training of Pharmacists.
The Senior Educator is a varied role with a real opportunity to shape the future of FTY. The role supports trainee pharmacists, FTY supervisors (designated supervisors and designated prescribing practitioners), employers and other colleagues across Scotland with all aspects of FTY. Tasks include development, organisation and delivery of the FTY core curriculum, approval of training sites and FTY supervisors, providing initial training and ongoing support to FTY supervisors and one-to-one support for trainee pharmacists who require it during the training year. This role will work collaboratively across PSD Scotland and the NHS Scotland pharmacy service, bringing pharmacy education and training expertise to the national context, promoting and supporting educational developments in the Foundation Training Year and beyond.
This post involves hybrid working. Our preferred base is Forest Grove House, Aberdeen, but alternative bases will be explored if the post holder can commit to regular travel to Forest Grove House for approximately seven times in the training year. Attendance at Forest Grove House is essential for face-to-face FTY training days, approximately seven times in the training year. Occasional attendance at other regional offices may also be required.
Match with Your Interests
Do you want to work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders across Scotland to play a lead role in supporting national training initiatives that provide education and development opportunities for the pharmacy workforce? Do you enjoy leading initiatives that promote career and development opportunities for the pharmacy workforce? Do you want to play a key role in enhancing the learning and development experiences of the pharmacy workforce, particularly the Initial Education and Training (IET)? Do you enjoy working at pace and being adaptive in an ever-changing environment? Do you enjoy building relationships and a shared vision for the future to support change and innovation?
Working within the PSD Scotland Pharmacy team, you will bring your skills and experience to collaborate across multiple workstreams to effect real change within the pharmacy workforce in Scotland.
What We Love To See
Senior Educators offer a broad range of skills and experience. If you can offer some or all of these, we’d love you to apply:
* Pharmacist Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
* Significant experience as a pharmacist practicing in any sector (community, hospital, primary care)
* Experience supervising Trainees/Learners in practice
* Experience working in an educationally focused environment
* Understanding of key factors and practices essential to high-quality learning and education and how these are embedded and continually enhanced
* Experience working collaboratively and flexibly within a team and in multidisciplinary environments
* Proven communication, interpersonal, negotiating, influencing and facilitation skills at a senior level, with the ability to communicate sensitive and complex information
* Demonstrate honesty, integrity, care and compassion when dealing with others, using tact and persuasion when necessary
* Ability to work on own initiative, organise and prioritise workloads, and meet strict deadlines
Benefits Which Matter
As a valued employee of NHS Scotland, you can enjoy an extensive range of benefits including:
* Life-work balance with opportunities for flexible and hybrid working
* Generous NHS pension scheme
* Annual incremental salary progression (up to the maximum of the salary band) plus annual NHS salary scale review
* Annual Leave – 27 days increasing with service plus 8 public holidays
* NHS discounts and more
Diversity and Inclusion
Developing a successful national service for Scotland means considering the diverse needs, perspectives, and backgrounds of everyone in Scotland. We are focused on hiring the very best talent and actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds. Our aim is to ensure that everyone is treated fairly, with respect, and has a positive recruitment experience—regardless of the outcome.
We welcome applications from all under-represented groups, including racially minoritised people and disabled people. It is not essential to be in a Senior Educator role right now—you may be returning from a career break (e.g., maternity, paternity, caring) or coming from another field. Your experiences can bring a fresh perspective to our work.
If you are considering applying and would like to discuss the opportunity, any adjustments or alternative work patterns, please contact Leanne Murphy or Gail Craig, Principal Leads for Foundation Training Year programme at pharmacy@nes.scot.nhs.uk.
Next Steps
All applicants who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e-mail. In person or online interviews (including the presentation) will take place in the week commencing 1 June 2026. The presentation topic will be sent to candidates selected for interview. For further information, please refer to the Job Information Pack below. The deadline for applications is 23:59 on the closing date. CVs will not be accepted.
Please note: if offered the role, you will be expected to attend the office prior to your start date to complete face-to-face pre-employment checks. If you require adjustments, please let us know. There are legal requirements to demonstrate permission to work in the UK, which may involve visa arrangements. For questions about the recruitment process, please contact the East Region Recruitment Service at EoS.ERRS@nhs.scot.
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