Job summary
A fantastic opportunity has emerged for a passionate and highly motivated technician to lead our exceptional education and training service to pharmacy technicians and support staff. You will have a dynamic, proactive nature, keen to embrace the everchanging world of workforce and its development. The post holder will understand apprenticeships/competency-based programmes and be equipped to support all types of learners in innovative ways. You will possess highly developed communication and organisation skills as there will be a requirement to liaise and work with internal and external bodies that lead on education and workforce. There will also be an expectation to actively support the implementation of the department workforce strategy with others leads in the department.

Main duties of the job

• To act as the NHSE Education Programme Director (EPD) for Pre-registration Trainee Pharmacy Technicians (PTPTs) and line manage allocated Pharmacy Technicians.
• To provide operational direction, support and input to the Pharmacy ETWD (Education, Training and Workforce Development) team, support the continuous professional development of Pharmacy Technicians and provide oversight, guidance and support to Pre-registration Trainee Pharmacy Technicians (PTPTs) and Assistant Technical Officers (ATOs) within the Pharmacy Department.
• Lead on the co-ordination of NVQ Level 2 and Level 3, Functional Skills and equivalent BTEC qualifications for Pharmacy staff and oversee training and development for Pharmacy Services in the department.
• To strategically implement apprenticeship opportunities, secure appropriate funding through the Trust apprenticeship levy and any additional government funding to support staff and trainees.
• To liaise with external Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with regards to facilitating work-based learning throughout their respective apprenticeship programmes.
• To provide educational and pastoral support to apprentices and trainees, including teaching sessions and formative assessments.
• To work in collaboration and support the Lead Pharmacist - Education, Training & Workforce Development as required.

About us
Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.

Details
Date posted: 04 August 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 6
Salary: £47,951 to £56,863 a year per annum Inclusive of HCAs
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 220-WHT-4149
Job locations: Whittington Heath NHS Trust, Magdala Avenue, London, N19 5NF, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
Please see the Job description and person specification for further details about this role
Essential Criteria: BTEC/NVQ level 3 in Pharmacy Services Management/Leadership qualification or equivalent relevant experience demonstrated by working at a senior level responsible for managing staff, services or resources (Equivalent to degree level Training qualification or equivalent relevant experience (e.g. educational supervisor accreditation) demonstrated by acting in a senior roles responsible for staff training and development (equivalent to degree level)
NVQ (QCF) Assessing Vocational Achievement qualification (Level 3) or equivalent qualification but must have significant experience assessing on the Pharmacy Service Skills QCF Framework

Person Specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential

• Registered Pharmacy Technician
• BTEC/NVQ level 3 in Pharmacy Services
• Training qualification or equivalent relevant experience (e.g. educational supervisor accreditation) demonstrated by acting in a senior roles responsible for staff training and development (equivalent to degree level)
• NVQ (QCF) Assessing Vocational Achievement qualification (Level 3) or equivalent qualification but must have significant experience assessing on the Pharmacy Service Skills QCF Framework

Desirable

• Management/Leadership qualification or equivalent relevant experience demonstrated by working at a senior level responsible for managing staff, services or resources

Skills and abilities
Essential

• Ability to work independently and at a strategic level
• Excellent organisation and prioritisation skills
• Good problem-solving abilities.
• Able to talk professionally to patients, students and staff and manage challenging situations appropriately.
• Enjoy teaching and presenting information.
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy

Knowledge and Experience
Essential

• Knowledge and experience in pharmacy technician and support staff education and training (including validation and evaluation) in an NHS environment gained through significant relevant post qualification experience. To include NVQ (QCF), Underpinning knowledge
• Experience of training, mentoring, and facilitating the training of staff
• In-depth knowledge of Education and Training specific role
• Experience of designing, facilitating, and implementing suitable teaching programmes to meet training needs
• Experience and understanding of pharmacy technician and support staff developments and national pharmacy drivers
• Experience of dealing with difficult or complex situations
• Experience of managing staff e.g., recruitment / appraisal / training / leadership / motivation / sickness absence

Personal Qualities
Essential

• Proven teaching (individual and small group) and mentoring abilities required to inform, negotiate motivate, persuade, discipline and empathise with students and staff
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills (including presentation skills) with learners, pharmacy staff within other sections, Trust education and training staff national awarding bodies, finance providers
• Patience when training staff that have different learning styles and level of ability
• Has a positive approach and is able to involve and motivate others
• Desire for self-development and improvement of others
• Able to use own initiative Innovative and forward thinking

Desirable

• Ability to work as part of a regional and integrated care systems (ICS) stakeholder team

Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab). From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details
Employer name: Whittington Hospital NHS Trust
Address: Whittington Heath NHS Trust, Magdala Avenue, London, N19 5NF, United Kingdom
Employer's website: Apply through our website

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Lead Pharmacist, Education, Training and Workforce, Minal Shivaanand, minal.shivaanand@nhs.net, 02072883010