Director of Pharmacy Operations

About us:

PurposeMed is a Canadian-founded healthtech company established in 2019 with a mission to improve access to complex care for underserved communities. We’ve combined our clinical roots with a drive to scale, and now our exceptional team provides specialized care to thousands of patients every month.

PurposeMed consists of Freddie, our complex care business unit, and partner pharmacy network, Affirming Care Pharmacy.

• Freddie improves sexual health through education, prevention, and treatment with a focus on the LGBTQ2S+ community. As the #1 rated PrEP provider in North America, we’re proudly dismantling barriers to sexual healthcare for patients across both Canada and the USA.
• Affirming Care Pharmacy provides discreet, specialty prescription delivery across North America. Operating from six central hubs—Calgary, Mississauga, and Toronto in Canada, and Los Angeles, New York City, and San Antonio in the US—the team provides patients with an integrated, end-to-end healthcare experience.

We are proud to be ranked #2 on Deloitte’s 2024 list of Canada’s 50 fastest-growing tech companies and recognized as one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures for two consecutive years. Driven by a strong mission, our team is passionate about making healthcare accessible to those who need it most—and we make sure to have fun along the way!

Permanent, full-time opportunity

Location: Remote (USA)

Travel Required : This role will require frequent travel (estimated two to three trips a quarter) to our existing pharmacy locations across the USA and Canada.

Though we have an office based in Calgary, Canada, and pharmacies in San Antonio, Los Angeles, and New York City, this is a remote position that is open to candidates across the United States.

Affirming Care Pharmacy San Antonio is located on the unceded and traditional territories of the Payaya people, part of the Coahuiltecan bands Indigenous to this region, and the homelands of the Tonkawa, Lipan Apache, and Comanche Nations. The city of San Antonio, also known as Yanaguana, remains home to many Indigenous Peoples from across the continent and around the world.

Who we hope to find:

We're looking for a Director, Pharmacy Operations to step in as the senior pharmacy leader for Affirming Care's US network. In this role, you will own how our pharmacies run, scale, and show up for patients nationwide. At PurposeMed, our group of Affirming Care Pharmacies doesn’t just provide a service; it’s the backbone of how we deliver accessible, affirming care. We need a leader with deep, hands-on experience running high-volume pharmacy networks to anchor our US expansion and architect the future of our operations.

Our pharmacy network runs on a national fulfillment hub in Texas alongside regional hubs in other states, all serving a growing wave of prescriptions from our HIV prevention and care service: Freddie. Your job is to make that network feel like one pharmacy: consistent, high-quality, and reliable no matter which site fills a given prescription. You'll report to the VP of Operations and make your mark by turning a set of individual pharmacies into one coherent, scalable operation that patients can count on.

In this role, you’ll make an impact by:

Running and Scaling our US Pharmacy Network

• Operating an efficient, high-volume national mail-order operation, with our Texas hub as the operational center of the network
• Owning the pharmacy operating model, including workflow design, fill throughput, turnaround times, and capacity planning—building it to scale as prescription volume from Freddie grows
• Bringing expert command of retail and mail-order fundamentals: dispensing accuracy, shipping logistics, refill management, and the service standards that make a pharmacy experience great
• Standing up each regional site as the primary fulfillment hub for its area, while keeping Texas as the largest national hub
• Standardizing processes, systems, and patient experience across every site, so quality never depends on which pharmacy fills a prescription

Owning Insurance, Coverage, and Billing

• Bringing a strong working understanding of the US insurance and coverage landscape, such as claims adjudication, prior authorizations, coordination of benefits, and the billing operations that keep a pharmacy financially healthy
• Monitoring and maintaining enrollment and pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) contracts so the operation stays compliant and in good standing
• Partnering with internal and external specialists on net-new PBM contracting and complex payer setup, knowing when to bring in expert support

Setting the Quality and Compliance Bar

• Owning quality assurance and regulatory compliance across the network, including incident management, root-cause analysis, corrective actions, and inspection readiness across multiple state boards and the DEA
• Building the standard operating procedure and quality backbone (procedures, version control, and training) for a defensible, inspection-ready operation in every state
• Designing for compliance by default, while respecting the statutory accountabilities of each site's Pharmacist-in-Charge (PIC)

Scaling the Pharmacy Team & Partnering Cross-Functionally Across PurposeMed

• Leading, developing, and holding accountable the PICs and site managers across the network, with clear expectations and a deliberate performance cadence
• Building a pharmacy leadership bench that can run sites independently as we scale
• Coaching site leaders to develop their own teams, not just manage tasks
• Serving as the connective tissue between pharmacy and our Clinical, Patient Experience, Tech, Finance, and People teams, so pharmacy stays aligned with the wider patient journey
• Representing the pharmacy operation to the executive team with clear, decision-ready communication that surfaces issues, trade-offs, and recommendations
• Recommending on headcount, budget, capital, and technology needs, with clear rationale and sequencing

We need someone who has:

• 8+ years in US pharmacy operations, including 2+ years running a multi-site operation
• A pharmacy degree (PharmD or equivalent) is strongly preferred; we're also open to candidates who bring the right hands-on pharmacy operations experience in its place
• Deep, hands-on experience running an efficient, high-volume US mail-order or retail pharmacy
• Fluency in the US coverage landscape on the operational side (claims, prior authorization, coordination of benefits), plus enough contracting awareness to manage PBM relationships and know when to bring in specialists
• A track record of standing up or scaling pharmacy sites and integrating existing operations without breaking them
• The instincts of a systems thinker who turns individual pharmacies into a coherent network, and a people builder who measures success partly by how well their sites run without them

It would also be great if you have:

• Active pharmacist licensure in one or more of Texas, California, New York, or Florida
• A working knowledge of the 340B Drug Pricing Program (we're not a covered entity, but the familiarity helps)
• Familiarity with mail-order or digital pharmacy accreditation standards, such as those from URAC (Utilization Review Accreditation Commission), the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC), or the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP)

Compensation:

• $180,000 - $210,000 USD a year
• The compensation listed above refers to a yearly base salary that may vary depending on a candidate's relevant qualifications, knowledge, competencies and work experience, and other factors including market conditions. Base pay is just one aspect of our total rewards at PurposeMed—see our other exciting benefits below!

Do you think you could be our next Director of Pharmacy Operations? We look forward to seeing your application!

#LI-Remote

Why you should join us:

• Be part of a team of great people who don’t take themselves too seriously. While we’re serious about the problems we solve, we believe in having fun along the way.
• Make an impact, every single day. We’re providing compassionate, affirming care to many people who have never received the proper support before.
• Be confident in bringing your whole self to work. Inclusivity is core to how we take care of our patients, our teammates, and ourselves. We create spaces that are safe and affirming.

What we’re offering (based on full-time, permanent roles in Canada & the USA):

Along with the benefits below, we offer additional programs and supports designed to help you feel your best—both at work and outside of it.

• Work flexibly within a team that’s remote friendly; we believe that work should fit around your life*
• 20 vacation days and a team that will remind you to use them!
• Annual winter break closure
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision care from your first day of work—we cover 100% of your premiums, with coverage available for dependents
• 8 health/sick days
• Extended mental health coverage
• $20,000 of lifetime coverage for gender-affirming care and procedures (Canada)
• $500 learning fund to use towards courses and other professional development
• Our unique People Potential program, in which you'll partner with your manager to identify opportunities to grow and achieve your full potential

If you are looking for a place that sparks your creativity, helps others, and will push you to be your best, then you’ll love PurposeMed.

PurposeMed is committed to being an equal-opportunity employer, and we highly encourage those from excluded and marginalized communities to apply. This includes groups such as (but not limited to): Indigenous, Black, and racialized communities, trans and non-binary, LGBTQ2S+, disabled, and HIV-positive people. You don’t have to check every single box above. If the job description gets you excited and you think you could contribute your expertise to our team—we hope you’ll apply!

*Most of our roles are performed virtually from home across Canada and the USA. Team members working onsite at Affirming Care pharmacies do need to be physically present.