Pharmacy Operations Manager

Summary: 
The Pharmacy Operations Manager runs the day-to-day business of Grace Health's pharmacy locations with the accountability and judgment of an owner-operator. This role owns consistency across sites: staffing, training, workflow, and administrative compliance, while working directly in the pharmacies on a regular, rotating basis to stay grounded in what each site needs. The Pharmacy Operations Manager partners with the Director of Pharmacy, site Pharmacists-in-Charge, pharmacy staff and outside departments to keep operations safe, compliant, efficient, and financially sound.

 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Multi-Site Consistency & Oversight

• Set and enforce consistent operational standards, workflows, and procedures across all pharmacy locations.
• Visit and evaluate each site on a regular basis; identify operational gaps and drive corrective action.
• Act as the go-to resource for site Pharmacists-in-Charge and staff on day-to-day operational issues.

Pharmacy Work Expectation

• Work a minimum of 20 hours per week inside Grace Health-owned pharmacies, on a rotating basis across sites.
• Use shift time to directly assess workflow, staffing adequacy, inventory practices, compliance, and patient experience firsthand.
• Be available to fill staffing gaps (vacation, sick leave, FMLA, call-offs) as needed, in addition to scheduled rotation shifts.
• During special project rollouts, this requirement may be adjusted based on direction of the Director of Pharmacy.

Staffing, Training & Team Support

• Build staffing plans based on prescription volume, hours of operation, and patient demand.
• Supervise designated pharmacy personnel; support hiring, onboarding, coaching, and performance management.
• Develop and maintain training and cross-training so any site can operate smoothly regardless of who is on shift.
• Monitor overtime, absenteeism, and productivity; address issues directly with site leadership.

Administrative & Regulatory Compliance

• Own the administrative backbone of pharmacy operations: DEA registrations, Board of Pharmacy licensing and renewals, and payer credentialing/enrollment for all sites.
• Track licensing, credentialing, and registration expirations proactively so nothing lapses.
• Ensure sites are audit-ready for DEA, Board of Pharmacy, HRSA, CMS, and 340B requirements; support inspections and audits directly.
• Maintain compliant recordkeeping, controlled substance procedures, and medication security practices; document and resolve medication errors and near misses.

Inventory & Financial Performance

• Oversee inventory management across sites, including annual inventory, purchasing patterns, and shrink/loss control.
• Monitor prescription volume, revenue, labor cost, and controllable expenses against budget.
• Partner with Finance and the Director of Pharmacy on budgeting and forecasting; flag variances early.
• Support 340B purchasing, inventory, and compliance in coordination with the 340B team.

Quality & Patient Experience

• Track core operating metrics such as wait times, turnaround time, return-to-stock, patient complaints and act when a site falls out of range.
• Investigate and resolve patient complaints and service issues in partnership with site leadership.
• Keep pharmacy teams focused on the quality metrics that drive third-party payer performance (e.g., adherence, star ratings, payer scorecards); build and monitor action plans to hit targets.

New Initiatives & Service Growth

• Assist the Director of Pharmacy in evaluating, planning, and launching new pharmacy initiatives and service offerings across sites.
• Support and take ownership of the build-out of new pharmacy locations and services as the department expands.

Other

• Represent the Pharmacy Department on organizational committees as assigned.
• Other duties as assigned.

Performance Expectations

Success in this role is measured against clear, ownership-style metrics, including:

• Prescription volume, capture, and patient retention
• Turnaround time and patient wait times
• Staffing coverage, overtime, and labor productivity
• Inventory turns, out-of-stock rate, and inventory expense
• Regulatory, licensing, and credentialing compliance (zero lapses)
• Budget adherence and controllable expense management
• Patient satisfaction and complaint resolution
• Quality STAR ratings and rankings with third-party payers

Other Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

 

• Grace Health recognizes that managing patient care is a team effort involving both clinical and non-clinical staff. All employees must embrace a team-based approach to patient care and understand that each role is important to our success.
• Team members must demonstrate excellent communication and coordination skills to provide quality patient care.
• Care coordination includes communication with community organizations, health plans, facilities, and specialists.
• Care team members must understand and embrace the concept of population health management and proactively address the needs of patients and families served by the practice.
• Team members must demonstrate the skills and knowledge necessary to communicate effectively with vulnerable patient populations.
• Team members must participate in Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) activities within the organization to ensure patients receive high-quality care.
• All team members will be involved in improving quality outcomes.
• Team members will participate in the review and evaluation of practice performance and help identify opportunities for improvement.
• Team members will participate in Grace Health's advocacy program.

 

General Duties:

 

• Follows all organizational policies and procedures, including administrative, clinical, quality assurance, and personnel policies.
• Maintains satisfactory attendance, including attendance at meetings and completion of assigned tasks.
• Maintains timely documentation of all work assignments.
• Maintains patient confidentiality.
• Routinely keeps the supervisor informed regarding attendance and job assignments.
• Demonstrates flexibility and the ability to multitask.
• Works effectively and efficiently.
• Works cooperatively with providers, administration, and peers.

Qualification Requirements:
 
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to support and advance Grace Health's mission while satisfactorily performing each essential duty. The requirements listed below represent the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.
Skills:

• Ability to be a resource for others and work with providers in the community, as well as knowledge of community resources.
• Ability to effectively engage clients by telephone or in person.
• Knowledge of HIPAA confidentiality requirements as they relate to health care and, specifically, behavioral health.
• Ability to offer understanding and respond effectively and with sensitivity to special populations, such as those defined by race, ethnicity, language, age, sex, sexual orientation, economic standing, disability, migrant and seasonal worker status, homelessness, people living with HIV/AIDS, and others.
• Knowledge of Word Processing software and database programs such as Excel, and the ability to enter information within the Electronic Medical Record.

Education and/or Experience: 

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy and Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, or a related field — or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Current pharmacist licensure in the state of practice, if the position requires pharmacist licensure for the duties assigned.
• Demonstrated experience in pharmacy operations and staff leadership.
• Experience in a retail, ambulatory, community health center, or other outpatient pharmacy setting.
• Proven ability to manage priorities and staff across multiple locations.

Preferred

• Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD).
• Multi-site pharmacy leadership experience.
• FQHC or other safety-net healthcare experience.
• 340B pharmacy operations experience.
• Experience with payer credentialing and DEA/Board of Pharmacy administrative processes.

Physical Demands:          

The physical demands described herein represent those that must be met by an employee to perform the essential functions of this job successfully.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear.  The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, sit, and use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls.  The employee occasionally is required to reach with hands and arms, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl, and taste or smell.

The employee must occasionally lift and /or move up to 50 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

 

Work Environment:

Grace Health is a faith-based, federally qualified health center (FQHC). We provide primary healthcare services to underserved, underinsured, and uninsured individuals throughout southeastern Kentucky. Our mission is "to show the love and share the truth of Jesus Christ to southeastern Kentucky through access to compassionate, high-quality primary healthcare for the whole person."

The work environment characteristics described herein are representative of those employees encounter while performing the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

The noise level in the work environment is typically moderate.

 

Grace Health provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.