About the job

Job summary

The Community Pharmacy, Eyecare and Controlled Drugs team is responsible for driving transformation of services that are widely available to millions of people, and which have a real-world impact.

Community Pharmacy is a priority for the Prime Minister. He has driven the transformation of the sector and services, through the introduction of Pharmacy First, which will launch in early 2024. 

DHSC are recruiting for a new leader who can drive the next stage of transformation for the key area of Community Pharmacy, as well as working with NHSE to examine how we can transform eye care pathways across primary and secondary care to meet predicted future demand; and maintain the statutory controls and surveillance of controlled drugs used as medicines. 

As  Deputy Director Community Pharmacy, Eyecare and Controlled Drugs you will:

• Have the ability to work at pace, think strategically, engage in complex problem solving, and work with others in developing and delivering effective responses to both long term strategic and systemic problems as well as day to day contract concerns.

• Have strong personal resilience and determination. You will be able to use your judgment, drawing in outside expertise as needed to develop your advice. 

• Have a strong policy, analytical and leadership skills to be able to engage effectively across departmental boundaries at a senior level and engage Ministers NHS England, HMT and the Cabinet Office in developing solutions.

• Be an effective communicator, orally and in writing, and able to handle and balance a wide range of relationships, internally and externally, and to be credible at very senior levels, including with Ministers and other stakeholders.

• Lead a team of approximately 15 people.

Job description

Key Responsibilities: 

As Deputy Director Community Pharmacy, Eyecare and Controlled Drugs your key responsibilities will be to lead on all aspects of pharmacy policy, as well as eye care and controlled drugs, including:

• Oversight of the community pharmacy policy framework;

• Overseeing the successful delivery of Pharmacy First;

• Developing and delivering community pharmacy contractual framework reforms, and long-term strategy for community pharmacy services; 

• Leading negotiations with the Pharmacy sector on Community Pharmacy Contract;  

• Leading on the policy and legal framework for NHS pharmaceutical services; 

• Leading annual contractual negotiations with the community pharmacy sector; 

• Ensuring medicines legislation, professional/system regulation, NHS digital strategy/delivery and workforce planning support the effective provision of pharmacy services; 

• Oversight of the policy and legal framework for the safe and secure handling of controlled drugs;

• Leading on policy, legal framework and contract arrangements for primary care for optometry;

 

Person specification

It is important through your CV and Statement of Suitability that you give evidence and examples of proven experience of each of the following

Essential criteria:

• Ability to lead diverse team in an inclusive way to deliver a quality service in a fast paced way and the ability to formulate, lead, communicate and implement strategies, policies; and excellent policy and analysis skills, including being able to use data to inform decisionse: 
• Ability to work flexibly at pace and to make sound decisions in a complex, fast-moving environment;
• Ability to rapidly understand and get up to speed with new concepts, ideas and Ministerial priorities, bringing together the right people to understand the issues, the level of ambition and set the direction;
• Demonstrated ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels and to build effective relationships and networks across organisational boundaries;
• Experience in communicating with, engaging and influencing senior management and working collaboratively with senior management, including Ministers, senior central government officials, local councils, and other stakeholders. With the ability to secure confidence and trust of stakeholders, senior leaders and peers, demonstrating confidence in the provision of advice, and challenging strategies and decisions when appropriate;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with the ability to present complex and technical issues simply and effectively.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,000, Department of Health and Social Care contributes £7,290 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours.

To apply for this post please submit the following documents no later than 23:55 on Wednesday 10th January 2024.

1. A CV (which is for information purposes only) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
2. A Statement of Suitability (no more than 1250 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the criteria in the person specification.

Applications will be sifted against personal statements. Please note that your CV is for information purposes only and will not be scored.

Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only has limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification. 

As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say'. The information you provide when submitting your application will help us monitor our progress towards the Civil Service becoming the most inclusive employer by 2025.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.