Job Description

What if your pharmacy expertise could take you closer to the development of new medicines?

Take your pharmacy career beyond ward work or patient-facing practice, and into a new path supporting the medicines of tomorrow.

This role places you where new medicines begin their journey. You will liaise directly with sponsors and international clients on investigational medicines before they reach the market, contributing to technical discussions and formulation decisions that can influence preparation, dosing and complex study planning.

Working in our cGMP-licensed pharmacy, you will combine clinical research with pharmacy production and project delivery. For pharmacists looking to move beyond traditional hospital practice or broaden their existing research experience, this is an opportunity to develop specialist capabilities highly valued across the pharmaceutical industry.

This is a full-time, permanent, on-site role at Fortrea’s Clinical Research Unit in Drapers Yard, Leeds, conveniently located just a seven-minute walk from the train station.

WHY IS THIS JOB DIFFERENT?

This is a distinctive research pharmacy role in the UK, placing you at the heart of first-in-human clinical research.

At Fortrea Leeds, the clinic and cGMP-licensed pharmacy operate under the same roof. You will work alongside specialist pharmacy, clinical and quality teams, preparing and handling investigational medicinal products just steps away from where first-in-human dosing takes place.

This integrated environment enables real-time collaboration and gives you direct insight into how pharmacy decisions contribute to live clinical studies.

You will see the impact of your work throughout the study lifecycle, gaining experience that is rarely available in traditional pharmacy settings.

IN THIS JOB YOU WILL

• Support study set-up, including pharmacy manuals, batch records, preparation logs, and dose and component calculations, ensuring investigational medicines are ready for study start.
• Assist with the management of clinical trial productions through meetings with sponsors, vendors, clinic staff and function coordinators to ensure the delivery of IMP in line with the clinical trial protocol
• Work hands-on in pharmacy production, supporting the accurate preparation, assembly and dispensing of study medicines used in first-in-human trials.
• Prepare investigational medicinal products in a clean room environment, applying aseptic techniques and cGMP requirements during live early-phase clinical studies.
• Work closely with the Pharmacy Team, operating in pairs to support pharmacy production, study readiness and the safe handling of investigational products and materials.
• Use, check and maintain pharmacy equipment in line with MHRA and GMP requirements, ensuring it remains fit for purpose and ready for clinical research activity.
• Monitor storage and environmental conditions for investigational products and materials, protecting product integrity and maintaining regulatory compliance.

WHAT YOU BRING

Essential Qualifications

• A Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) degree from an accredited university
• Registered Pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) in the UK
• Postgraduate qualification in Pharmaceutical Technology and Quality Assurance (PTQA), aseptic services, clinical trials, or a related discipline, or equivalent specialist experience in the preparation, handling or management of investigational medicinal products or sterile medicines gained within regulated pharmacy environments.

The professional experience we need

You will bring solid post-registration experience supporting clinical research pharmacy activities, investigational medicines, or other cGMP-regulated pharmacy services gained within hospital, biopharmaceutical, or clinical research environments.

Your experience may include one or more of the following:

• Clean room environments: hands-on aseptic preparation, operator/verifier responsibilities, final release activities, or aseptic equipment management.
• Investigational medicinal products handling: receipt, preparation, dispensing, accountability, storage, reconciliation, or other clinical trial pharmacy activities.
• GMP-regulated environments: experience gained through hospital aseptic units, clinical research facilities, manufacturing, preparation activities, or quality-driven pharmacy services.

You have developed strong professional judgement and are comfortable working independently within regulated pharmacy environments.

This role may particularly suit pharmacists with experience at Band 7 or Band 8 level, or equivalent, who are looking to take their specialist expertise into clinical research.

ABOUT FORTREA

Fortrea brings more than 40 years of clinical research experience to four Clinical Research Units across the UK and US, working together as one global team.​

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For pharmacists, this is a rare opportunity to follow an investigational medicine beyond preparation and dispensing, witnessing dosing and safety research in real time. The precision you bring to the pharmacy will help move new medicines forward for patients worldwide.

If you want to apply your pharmacy expertise at the point where new medicines first reach humans, we’d like to hear from you.

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Learn more about our EEO & Accommodations request here.