Chief Pharmacist
East of England Ambulance ServiceLetchworth Garden City, East of England
Overview
This is a emergency services role (permanent) with East of England Ambulance Service based in Letchworth Garden City. The advertised salary is £79,504 to £91,609. Applications close on 13 October 2026. GovJobs has indexed this vacancy from its official source — use the apply button to view the full advert and apply directly.
Job description
We are seeking an exceptional and visionary Chief Pharmacist to lead the strategic development of medicines optimisation across a progressive NHS Ambu...
The Chief Pharmacist is responsible for developing and delivering the Trust's medicines strategy and ensuring compliance with all relevant legislation, professional standards and NHS requirements.
- Act as the Trust's Chief Pharmacist.
- Provide expert pharmaceutical advice to the Board and Executive Team.
- Lead medicines optimisation, medicines governance and controlled drugs management.
- Ensure compliance with Care Quality Commission (CQC), General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), NHS England and controlled drugs regulations.
- Develop innovative approaches to medicines use within pre-hospital and urgent care services.
- Work with the MSO to lead antimicrobial stewardship and medicines safety programmes.
- Oversee medication incident reporting, investigations and learning.
- Establish effective medicines governance systems across all clinical services.
- Work collaboratively with Integrated Care Systems (ICSs), acute trusts, community providers and commissioners.
- Lead and develop the pharmacy and medicines management workforce.
- Support research, innovation and digital transformation initiatives relating to medicines management.
For further information and to discuss any aspects of the role, please contact Andy Cooke, Current postholder. Email: Andrew.cooke@eastamb.nhs.uk Mobile: 07761 446966 or Paul Gates, Deputy Chief Paramedic (Line manager) at paul.gates@eastamb.nhs.uk
You'll have the opportunity to work in one of the most diverse regions in the country, with the vibrant capital city just a stone's throw away and the invigorating North Sea coast to the east.
The East of England offers a unique blend of innovation and opportunity, surrounded by picturesque countryside, historic towns, and quick access to both the bustling capital and serene coastlines.
At EEAST we bring together all our skills to provide 24 hour, 365 days a year urgent care to those in need of emergency and non-emergency medical treatment and transport in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.
We are always looking to innovate our approaches and work together to offer the best possible patient care across our counties.
We aim to represent and value the diversity of our local communities through our workforce and service provision. We therefore positively encourage applications from under-represented groups, such as Black, Asian, or other ethnic groups, individuals with a Disability, or LGBTQ+ individuals who meet the specific criteria.
We at EEAST want to support our employees achieve a balance between work and other priorities, such as caring responsibilities, family commitments, further learning, and other interests. We therefore welcome flexible working requests.
Essential: - Pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council.; - Member of the Royal College of Pharmacy (RCPharm).; - Specialist knowledge acquired through postgraduate Diploma Level or equivalent training/experience
Desirable: - Hold a leadership or management qualification relevant to the NHS at Diploma or Master's Level.
Essential: - Significant experience in a leadership and management role.; - Significant post-registration pharmacy practice in a hospital or primary care/community setting.; - Experience of developing Patient Group Directions (PGDs).; - Significant experience of managing drug expenditure
Essential: - Full UK driving licence (up to 3 points may be considered dependent upon point code) including C1.
How this role compares
We hold 13 police & emergency vacancies in East of England that publish a salary, and their median advertised starting figure is £49,387. This role pays more than about 77% of them.
There are 163 police & emergency roles open across the UK on GovJobs right now, 13 of them in East of England.
You have 10 days left to apply. Police & emergency adverts we hold typically run for around 30 days, so this is a shorter window than usual.
East of England Ambulance Service has 11 other vacancies open on GovJobs, with a breakdown of what they pay and the kinds of roles they recruit for.
These figures are calculated from the vacancies GovJobs currently holds, not from official pay statistics. They are a guide to the market, not a valuation of this post.
How to apply
GovJobs does not take applications or send your details to the employer. Use the apply button to open the official Nhs Jobs advert, then check the employer's instructions, attachments, person specification and closing time before applying.
This listing was last checked on 2 Oct 2026, 01:11. If the official advert has changed or closed, report it and we will review the listing.
Why this listing is on GovJobs
GovJobs indexes public-sector vacancies from official sources, normalises the title, employer, location, salary and deadline, and links back to the source so you can verify the advert yourself.
The source for this role is Nhs Jobs. Applications stay on the official employer or source website, not on GovJobs.