Assistant Quality Assurance Manager

This vacancy is not eligible for Visa Sponsorship. Please do not apply unless you have another means of establishing a right to work, or you are already employed by the NHS and would transfer to the pay point above the base of a Band 7.

Whether your background is in pharmaceutical manufacturing or any other medical quality management or auditing field; few organisations offer the impact of NHS Blood and Transplant. You will work with teams the length and breadth of the country to implement ever‑improving best practices. In doing so, making sure our blood, tissue and organ donations safely save millions of lives.

NHSBT has the vision of ‘saving and improving patients’ lives. This role will support this vision by providing you with the challenge and opportunity to play a key role in the maintenance, development, and continual improvement of the NHSBT Quality Management system thereby ensuring our products and services are safe.

You will be an important member of a small local Quality Assurance team working as part of a wider regional team with opportunities to work with many other operational departments in the organisation.

A background in pharmaceutical or medical quality management would be useful in this exciting role but not essential. It’s important you are also a consummate professional who can build strong relationships and ask the right questions while keeping an objective view of the work.

• Working with the Quality Assurance Managers and Quality Project Specialists to maintain compliance with all relevant licensing and accreditation standards and improve service delivery to customers by working in partnership with all stakeholders.
• Developing subject matter expertise in quality management system processes and deliver training of these processes to the wider Quality Directorate.
• Deputising for the Quality Manager and Regional Quality Manager as required.
• Day to day involvement with colleagues of varying levels of seniority in many departments and centres regarding all elements of the Quality system including adverse events, audit non‑conformities, change control & validation, concessionary issue and recalls.
• Developing relationships with external organisations and ensuring that any external requirements are incorporated safely into the Quality system.
• Producing reports and leading quality review meetings with department managers as well as facilitating meetings to investigate adverse events to their root cause and identify effective actions to prevent re‑occurrence.
• Participating in Operational Improvement events using LEAN principles and projects or workshops to identify areas for and methods to improve the services we provide.

You will be required to travel throughout the UK and spend some time away from base, which will involve working irregular hours and overnight stays when required, with prior notice.

• Extensive experience of working in a regulated environment e.g. Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, or equivalent.
• Experience of quality audit and use of Quality Management Systems.
• Understanding of relevant UK legislation and guidelines, e.g. Good Manufacturing Practice, Good Practice Guidelines for Blood Transfusion, ISO
  15189, General Data Protection Regulations and Freedom of Information; and any other appropriate statutory guidelines.
• Experience of working with information technology using Microsoft Office packages (Word, Excel and PowerPoint), or equivalent Systems.

• Master’s level qualification. OR equivalent relevant, demonstrable qualification or knowledge and experience equivalent to Master’s level.
• Basic Management Qualification or short courses in line management. OR relevant experience in managing others.
• Demonstrate commitment to own Continued Professional Development (CPD).

It takes all types of people to deliver the kind of service that saves and improves lives. At NHS Blood and Transplant, you’ll join a team of more than 6,000 people who are making a genuine difference to communities, families, friends, relatives and more across the UK. We play a unique and special role…