Senior Director Clinical Pharmacy Services

Newport News, Virginia

Job Description

As our pharmacy services continue to expand in scope, complexity, and system-wide impact, we are thoughtfully strengthening and advancing our leadership structure to support this growth. This role reflects our commitment to operational excellence, clinical innovation, and strategic alignment across the organization - ensuring our teams have the guidance and resources needed to thrive. Through this intentional investment in leadership, we are positioning our pharmacy services for sustained success in an increasingly complex healthcare environment.

The Pharmacy Clinical Services Senior Director provides strategic, operational, and evidence-based clinical leadership for clinical pharmacy programs across all care settings including inpatient, ambulatory, retail, specialty, infusion, and long term care. This role is responsible for designing, implementing, and evaluating clinical initiatives that improve patient outcomes, optimize medication use, support quality and safety goals, and ensure regulatory compliance and cost effectiveness. The Senior Director establishes the vision for clinical pharmacy advancement and serves as the primary clinical pharmacy expert to executive leadership, collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to drive evidence-based practice, innovation, and system-wide medication management excellence.

What you will do

• Clinical Governance & Strategic Decision-Making: Lead and set the strategic direction for assigned system clinical committees and workgroups, guiding evidence reviews, clinical practice standardization, and programmatic decision-making that shapes medication-use strategy system-wide
  
• Clinical Standards & Evidence-Based Practice: Establish and advance system-wide evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, protocols, collaborative practice agreements, and care pathways to optimize medication therapy across all settings
  
  
  
  
• Clinical Service Delivery & Patient-Centered Excellence: Ensure delivery of high-quality clinical consultations, therapeutic drug monitoring, and system-wide medication management services, guiding the clinical team to consistently provide patient-centered clinical excellence
  
• Formulary Strategy & Value-Based Medication Use: Collaborate with service-line leaders and the Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee to support formulary strategy, optimize drug utilization, and promote cost-effective medication therapy
  
  
  
  
• Quality Improvement, Research, & Best Practices: Champion the development and implementation of system-wide quality, safety, and research initiatives, including performance improvement projects, medication-use evaluations, audit programs, and drug therapy studies- building a culture of innovation and continuous learning
  
• Clinical Informatics & Practice Innovation: Partner with pharmacy informatics teams, physicians, operational & clinical leaders to design, review, and approve medication-use workflows, order sets, documentation tools, and clinical decision support systems that elevate safety, efficiency, and clinical practice innovation.
  
  
  
  
• Workforce Development & Clinical Competency: Provide oversight of standardized onboarding, clinical competencies, residency and student learner programs, and professional development pathways, ensuring a high-reliability workforce and cultivating future clinical leaders
  
  
  
  
• Professional Leadership, Best Practices, and National Engagement: Actively engage in national networks and benchmarking collaboratives to bring leading-edge practices to Riverside.
  

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelors Degree, or higher in Pharmacy (Required)
  

Experience

• 5 years progressive leadership experience within a health system (Required)
  
• 5 years clinical pharmacy experience within a health system (Required)
  
• 1 year completion of ASHP PGY-1 residency (Required)
  
• 1 year completion of ASHP PGY-2 Residency (Preferred)
  

Skills and Abilities

• Strategic leadership and vision-setting skills to design, implement, and scale enterprise clinical programs that advance outcomes, safety, innovation, and value-based care
  
• Advanced clinical pharmacy knowledge across various care settings
  
• Comprehensive understanding of regulatory and accreditation requirements (CMS, DNV, USP, State Boards) related to clinical practice, medication management, and safety programs
  
• Strong command of quality improvement and research methodologies, including medication use evaluations- MUEs, performance improvement frameworks, audit structures, and clinical outcomes evaluation
  
• Exceptional communication, collaboration, and influence skills, enabling effective engagement with executives, physicians, service lines, and interdisciplinary teams
  
• Advanced data interpretation and decision-making skills, including the ability to analyze clinical, operational, and financial information to guide practice and policy
  
• Ability to lead change and drive innovation, fostering adoption of best practices, new technologies, and continuous improvement across the health system
  
• Ability to build, coach, and develop high-performing clinical teams, including clinical leaders, pharmacists, residents, and learners, while cultivating a culture of accountability and growth
  
• Ability to integrate informatics and medication-use technology into clinical practice, partnering with pharmacy informatics and operational leaders to optimize workflows, order sets, and clinical decision support
  

Licenses and Certifications

• Licensed Pharmacist - Virginia Department of Health Professions (VDHP) Licensed in State of Virginia within 60 Days(Required)
  
• Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) - Board of Pharmacy Specialties within 2 Years(Required)
  
• CPR/BLS Certification - American Heart Association/American Red Cross/American Safety and Health Institute (AHA/ARC) (Preferred)
  

To learn more about being a team member with Riverside Health System visit us at