Radiopharmaceutical Scientist

Job overview

This is a 1 year fixed term maternity cover for an experienced Radiopharmacist/Radiopharmaceutical Scientist within the Radiopharmacy QA team at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, at the Sutton site of the hospital.

The post offers an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic, self-motivated Radiopharmacist / Radiopharmaceutical Scientist to develop their scientific skillset whilst contributing to running our comprehensive clinical Radiopharmacy service to the Trust and external hospitals. The key role for the post holder is providing support to the Principal Radiopharmaceutical Scientist in managing the Quality Management System and supporting radiopharmaceutical releasing function. The post-holder is required to work to extremely high standards of accuracy and have good time management skills. Successful applicants will be part of a friendly, supportive, and experienced team that provides high quality specialist services. 

Applicants must hold a suitable degree in a related scientific discipline. Previous experience in radiopharmacy is essential. Ideally, candidates must be registered, or eligible for registration, with either the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) or the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
Interested candidates may contact Stephen Howell or Daisuke Takeuchi on for an informal discussion in the first instance.

Main duties of the job

The Radiopharmaceutical Scientist/Pharmacist is a post designed to develop the scientist/pharmacist by enhancing their knowledge and skills and providing the depth of experience required to progress towards more senior posts in Radiopharmacy. The post holder will have a key role to play in technical operation of the Radiopharmacy and supporting Quality Assurance. 

The post holder will be required to work closely with the Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Cancer Research, Drug Development unit, various clinical units, Physics Department, and external collaborators to ensure the smooth running of clinical trials.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post-holder will be required to comply with relevant statutory requirements relating to the manufacture of radioactive medicinal products, including those related to Good Manufacturing Practice, as defined in The Rules and Guidance for Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Distributors (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency).

The post-holder will be required to comply with relevant UK and European legislation and guidelines such as Good Clinical Practice and ICH guidelines when dealing with Investigational Medicinal Products for Clinical Trials.
The post-holder will, jointly with the senior scientific Radiopharmacy team, maintain the comprehensive Radiopharmacy Quality Management System, including Standard Operating Procedures, validation activities, accurate recording of CAPA events and involvement in subsequent investigations.
 The post-holder will be involved in risk assessment of new processes/equipment, and high-risk materials.
The post-holder will be involved with in the feasibility assessment of new clinical trials in conjunction with the Head of Radiopharmacy and the Quality Controller.

Person specification

Education/Qualifications

Essential criteria

Bachelor or Master degree in Pharmacy or Chemistry or relevant science discipline

Postgraduate qualification in Radiopharmacy or Pharmaceutical Technology & Quality Assurance or Scientist Trainee Programme or equivalent knowledge & expertise in the field
Statutory professional registration or eligible to register with GPhC as a Pharmacist or HCPC as a Clinical Scientist or membership with RPS as a Pharmaceutical Scientist

Experience

Essential criteria

Minimum of 2 years experience, within conventional licensed Radiopharmacy or Pharmacy aseptic facility, with recent experience at Band 6 level in hospital setting or equivalent in Clinical Trials

Experience in aseptic preparation of radiopharmaceuticals.
Experience of developing new service or validating novel agent for clinical use

Desirable criteria

Experience in research and the use of analytical instrument e.g. HPLC

Experience as authorised releasing officer for radiopharmaceuticals. (
Experience in the manufacturing of PET or therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals.
Experience of involvement in clinical trial activities

Skills Abilities/knowledge

Essential criteria

Able to provide and support the training and development of radiopharmacy staff

Excellent written / oral communication skills
Able to produce complex reports and procedures / research documents
Able to communicate with staff at all levels from a wide range of disciplines
Excellent prioritisation, organisation and time management skills, evidence of ability to deliver objectives within a complex agenda
Able to work unsupervised and meet deadlines

Desirable criteria

Clear understanding of current NHS issues and a knowledge of the nuclear medicine development agenda

The Royal Marsden values diversity and is committed to the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority groups. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates with disabilities.

 As a Disability Confident Employer, we are working to create a workplace that enables all staff to reach their full potential. We are committed to this because we know that greater diversity and inclusion will lead to an even greater positive impact for the people we serve.

Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, we reserve the right to close any adverts before the published closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications. We advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment.

Flu Vaccination – What We Expect of our Staff

At The Royal Marsden we have an immune compromised patient population who we must protect as much as we can against the flu virus. Each year, seasonal flu affects thousands of people in the UK. Occurring mainly in winter, it is an infectious respiratory disease capable of producing symptoms ranging from those similar to a common cold, through to very severe or even fatal disease.

The wellbeing of our staff and patients is of the upmost importance to us, and it is the expectation of The Royal Marsden that all patient-facing staff have an annual flu vaccination, provided free of charge by the Trust.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.