NHS Lothian
259201 (KMc) Service Delivery Manager
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Pharmacy Service Delivery Manager
NHS Lothian Pharmacy & Medicines Service
Waverley Court
Band 8a | 1.0 WTE | 36 Hours | Permanent
£65,125 - £70,303
(including weekend and public holiday commitment where required)
Are you a senior operational leader who can translate strategy into safe, consistent and resilient service delivery across a complex healthcare system?
We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Service Delivery Manager to join NHS Lothian's Pharmacy & Medicines Service within the Enterprise Operations portfolio. This is a pivotal opportunity to lead the operational infrastructure that supports safe, effective and responsive pharmacy services across NHS Lothian sites.
As Service Delivery Manager, you will provide system-wide leadership for operational service delivery and business functions across Pharmacy and Medicines. The postholder will work peripatetically across Lothian pharmacy sites. This is a highly visible leadership role requiring a regular presence across NHS Lothian pharmacy locations. You will build relationships with site teams, clinical leaders and corporate colleagues while providing consistent operational leadership across multiple locations. Travel between sites will form a routine part of the role, enabling responsive support to services and alignment with wider organisational priorities.
The role offers a broad and strategically important portfolio of responsibilities, including:
- Visible operational leadership across pharmacy services and all NHS Lothian sites.
- Leadership of the Service Delivery Management Team, including line management of Assistant Service Delivery Managers and professional leadership of integrated business support functions.
- Ownership, maintenance and delivery oversight of the Pharmacy Assurance Framework and Annual Operational Plan.
- Directorate-wide governance across workforce, finance, estates, IT, Health & Safety, administration, assurance and performance reporting.
- Budget holder responsibility for the Service Delivery operational staffing budget and oversight of financial governance processes supporting Pharmacy and Medicines Service budgets.
- Development and implementation of operational policies, standard operating frameworks and cross-site assurance controls.
- Coordination of service improvement, audit schedules, risk management, business continuity, emergency planning and performance recovery activity.
- Implementation of new national and organisational policy requirements within Pharmacy and Medicines Service.
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You will work closely with Heads of Pharmacy, clinical leaders, site management teams and corporate colleagues to resolve complex operational challenges, support whole-system pressures, and ensure Pharmacy and Medicines Service has the operational infrastructure required to deliver excellent patient care.
Why This Role Matters - Strategic Intent
The Service Delivery Manager is a cornerstone role within Enterprise Operations and a key enabler of NHS Lothian Pharmacy and Medicines Service's new operating model. The post provides the leadership required to replace fragmented site-based operational arrangements with a consistent, service-wide management function.
This Role Has Been Designed To
- Establish and lead the foundational service management stream for Enterprise Operations.
- Strengthen operational consistency, governance and resilience across all pharmacy services.
- Enable clinical leaders and lead pharmacists to focus on redesigned strategic, professional and clinical leadership roles.
- Provide performance oversight, assurance controls and escalation routes that support safe and sustainable service delivery.
- Support implementation of workforce, finance, digital, governance and service improvement priorities.
- Drive standardisation and continuous improvement across complex operational, business and support functions.
- As Service Delivery Manager, you will directly contribute to maintaining safe, high-quality pharmacy care by ensuring teams have the leadership, systems, processes and operational support needed to deliver reliable services for patients across Lothian.
About You
We're looking for a credible, resilient and collaborative senior operational leader who can work effectively across a complex organisation and influence at multiple levels. You will bring:
- Professional qualifications: A degree in a relevant discipline such as business administration, health service management or operational leadership, with postgraduate or equivalent experience in project management, service improvement, operational leadership, business administration or healthcare management.
- Operational leadership experience: Significant operational management experience within a complex healthcare, NHS or public sector environment, including service planning, performance management and implementation of change.
- People leadership capability: Proven experience of leading multidisciplinary teams, managing staff across multiple sites and supporting workforce deployment, recruitment governance, engagement and development.
- Governance and performance expertise: Experience of risk management, audit and assurance, Health & Safety, operational policy development, performance reporting and compliance frameworks.
- Financial and business management experience: Experience of managing budgets, authorising expenditure, developing business cases and supporting robust financial governance.
- Analytical skills: Ability to interpret complex operational, workforce, financial, assurance and risk data to inform decisions and drive improvement.
- Communication and influencing skills: Excellent interpersonal, negotiation and conflict-resolution skills, with the ability to engage senior clinical, operational and corporate stakeholders.
- Resilience and judgement: Ability to make sound decisions under pressure, manage competing priorities and handle sensitive or contentious issues with professionalism and discretion.
- Collaborative approach: A commitment to NHS Lothian values, teamwork, continuous improvement and supporting services that enable excellent patient care.
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You must be comfortable working across multiple sites, adapting to differing operational environments and building effective relationships with a broad range of stakeholders. Previous experience of leading services across geographically dispersed teams and managing priorities within a complex, multi-site organisation would be desirable.
Above all, you will be motivated by the opportunity to help build the future operating model for Pharmacy and Medicines Service, strengthening the operational foundations that allow clinical teams to deliver the best possible outcomes for patients.
About NHS Lothian
NHS Lothian covers Edinburgh City, East Lothian, Midlothian and West Lothian. We are the second largest health system in NHS Scotland and one of only four teaching Boards. We have strategic partnerships with local Universities, Local Authorities and our four Integration Joint Boards. We serve a population of 900,000, providing a range of primary, community based and acute hospital services. We also provide regional and national services across a range of clinical specialties.
The vision for the Pharmacy & Medicines Service is to deliver clinically led, person-centred services to ensure patients across Lothian get the best from their medicines and pharmacy services. We are focussed on creating an environment where each person in the team has the opportunity to flourish, develop and make best use of their skills.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
For comprehensive details regarding the responsibilities of this position and the qualifications we are seeking, please consult the job description and person specification.
If you're curious about the role, the team you will be joining, or the opportunities that come with it, we would love to hear from you. Feel free to reach out to the hiring manager for an informal chat; it is a great opportunity to ask questions and see how this role could fit with your career goals.
For further information please contact: - Head of Pharmacy, Enterprise Operations
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