Assistant Director - Pharmacy Operations

Type of Position: Senior Professional Staff - Clinical
Work Shift: Day Shift (United States of America)

About the role

The Assistant Director of Pharmacy for P&T and Formulary Management provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for the health system’s Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee and the broader formulary system. This role helps ensure that the medication-use process is safe, evidence-based, and cost-effective. The manager leads the development of pharmacy policies, coordinates medication-use evaluations (MUEs), and supports the implementation of policy and formulary changes.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a core leader on the P&T Committee and related medication stewardship subcommittees, coordinating the development, review, and implementation of medication-use policies and procedures.
• Serve as the primary coordinator for the P&T Committee, including setting agendas, coordinating the preparation of evidence-based monographs, and ensuring accurate documentation of minutes and decisions.
• Coordinate the clinical and economic evaluation of new drug entities and therapeutic classes, utilizing a formal grading system to assess the quality of evidence.
• Manage the formal disclosure process for committee members and requesting practitioners to ensure unbiased decision-making.
• Oversee the "living document" of the formulary, including regular therapeutic class reviews and the management of drug shortages and therapeutic interchanges.
• Monitor non-formulary medication usage to identify opportunities for formulary improvement and assess internal compliance with medication-use policy.
• Ensure effective communication of formulary, policy, and medication-use process changes to all stakeholders.
• Support the development and execution of an annual organization-specific MUE plan focused on high-risk, high-cost, or high-volume medications.
• Lead interdisciplinary teams in conducting MUEs using performance improvement models such as FOCUS-PDCA to identify variances in care and implement corrective actions.
• Present MUE findings and recommendations to the P&T Committee, ensuring that data drives clinical policy changes.
• Draft and review all system-wide medication-use policies.
• Ensure all medication-use policies and processes comply with The Joint Commission (TJC), CMS, DEA, and state board of pharmacy regulations.
• Collaborate with nursing and medical leadership to standardize medication administration protocols and clinical practice guidelines across all sites of care.
• Collaborate with academic institutions to provide robust training and rotation opportunities for pharmacy residents, student interns, and pharmacy technician trainees within the scope of medication-use policy.
• Support professional development and education efforts for pharmacy department employees related to medication-use process, policy, and professional practice.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Graduate of an ACPE-accredited School of Pharmacy with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree or PharmD.
• Licensed Registered Pharmacist by the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy.
• Advanced proficiency in literature evaluation and biostatistics.
• Strong project management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication for presenting to medical staff leadership.
• Knowledge of FOCUS-PDCA or similar quality improvement methodologies.

Qualifications

• Minimum Qualifications:
  • 6 years of applicable experience, including 2 years of progressively responsible experience related to pharmacy management (PGY1 and PGY2 residency both equate to 3 years of experience).
• Preferred Qualifications:
  • Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.).
  • Experience in a large multi-hospital health system or academic medical center.
  • Board Certification (e.g., BCPS).

Benefits

• Health: Medical, Dental and Vision plans available for qualifying staff and family.
• Holiday, Vacation and Sick Leave.
• Education discount for staff and dependents (undergraduate only).
• Retirement: Up to 10% matched contribution from UAMS.
• Basic Life Insurance up to $50,000.
• Career Training and Educational Opportunities.
• Merchant Discounts.
• Concierge prescription delivery on the main campus when using UAMS pharmacy.

Pre-employment Screening Requirements

• Annual TB Screening.
• Criminal Background Check.
• Substance Abuse Testing.

Physical Activity

• Constant Physical Activity: Hearing.
• Frequent Physical Activity: Manipulate items with fingers, including keyboarding, Sitting, Standing, Talking, Walking.