Deputy Chief Pharmacist

Overview

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) is seeking an experienced deputy chief pharmacist to join ESNEFT in a strategic leadership role. You will play a pivotal part in leading, developing, and delivering high-quality pharmacy services, ensuring safe, effective, and economically responsible use of medicines across the organisation.

You will deputise for the Chief Pharmacist and provide leadership on medicines optimisation, commissioning, and financial management, working closely with Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), NHS England, and internal stakeholders. This role is central to shaping the Trust's medicines strategy, influencing prescribing practices, and supporting innovation in patient care while maintaining strong governance and compliance with national policies.

As a senior member of the pharmacy leadership team, you will drive collaboration across clinical, financial, and operational teams, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, patient-centred services. This role offers an excellent opportunity for a motivated leader with strong strategic, financial, and clinical expertise to make a significant impact on patient outcomes and service development.

This role requires a proactive, collaborative leader with the ability to balance strategic priorities with operational delivery in a complex healthcare environment.

• Provide senior leadership across pharmacy services, including deputising for the Chief Pharmacist and leading key strategic programmes.
• Lead on medicines optimisation, commissioning, and financial management to ensure safe, effective, and cost-efficient use of medicines.
• Oversee medicines governance, including formulary management, audit, and implementation of national guidance (e.g. NICE, NHSE policies).
• Work collaboratively with ICBs, NHS England, and internal teams to support commissioning, contracting, and introduction of new medicines.
• Lead and manage pharmacy teams across procurement, medicines information, digital services, and cost improvement programmes.
• Monitor and report on medicines usage and expenditure, identifying opportunities for efficiency and quality improvement.
• Provide expert advice to clinicians, supporting safe prescribing and optimal patient care.
• Contribute to training, development, and research activities, promoting continuous improvement and innovation.

We are ESNEFT and we provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients  own homes.

We are one of the largest NHS organisations in England, employing more than 12,000 staff.

We pride ourselves on supporting our staff. We offer a wide range of training and development opportunities, as well as flexible working options.

Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.

Our philosophy is that Time Matters to everyone. Across the Trust, we concentrate on improving the things we do and removing those which cause time delays for our staff and patients.

We are investing in our commitment to Time Matters with a partnership with leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic. This digital transformation will bring what s widely regarded as the world s best EPR system to ESNEFT, transforming life in hospital for staff and patients.

If you are passionate about patient care and want to develop your skills and knowledge, then we want to hear from you.

For full details of the responsibilities and duties of this role please see the attached job description.

• Masters level degree in Pharmacy
• Post Graduate Pre-registration year
• Membership of the General Pharmaceutical Council
• Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
• Accredited post-graduate/MSc
• Research degree (MSc,MRes,PhD) or…