Pharmacy Manager, Ambulatory Operations

The University of Texas at Austin · Ut Main Campus · $146,191 (stated in the posting)

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Job Details:

General Notes

Dell Medical School is seeking a Pharmacy Manager, Ambulatory Operations.

Purpose

The Manager, Pharmacy is responsible for overseeing the daily operations, clinical quality, regulatory compliance, and financial performance of ambulatory medication management services across a multi-site health system, with a focused scope spanning ambulatory surgery centers (ASC), outpatient clinics, imaging services, and infusion settings. This role serves as a working manager, actively participating in medication operational workflows to ensure safe, compliant, and effective medication management and optimal patient outcomes, while also building the medication management infrastructure and governance framework required to support both current ambulatory operations and future hospital services by bridging current and future-state operations.

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer for Hospital Planning & Operations, the role requires deep expertise in ambulatory pharmacy operations, 340B standards, controlled substance compliance, drug security, regulatory standards, investigational drug services, and clinic-based care delivery, while balancing direct clinical involvement with operational and financial stewardship, including inventory management, purchasing oversight, and quality improvement initiatives.

A key strategic priority for this role is the development and implementation of standardized medication management policies across all ambulatory settings, including centralized clinic prior authorization and medication refill management, while establishing scalable, system-wide capabilities that can extend into inpatient and acute care settings. This role also supports the development and oversight of investigational drug services (IDS) for clinical research and trials across Dell Medical School, including the infrastructure, governance, and financial sustainability needed to support the management of investigational products safely and compliantly throughout the study lifecycle.

As a working manager, this position leads by example, actively participating in service delivery, ensuring regulatory adherence, and driving continuous process improvement. As the organization grows, additional ambulatory sites and responsibilities will be added, with expansion into hospital services over time.

Responsibilities

Direct Medication Management Operations

• Oversees medication procurement, inventory, and distribution systems for all ASC, clinic sites, and clinical research inventory, maintaining safe and efficient workflows that align with clinic and ASC operations.
• Serves as pharmacist consultant of the ASC site.
• Monitors operational metrics to improve medication access, efficiencies and patient safety.
• Oversees medication management training programs.
• Leads quality improvement and patient safety initiatives including the development and operationalization of a Medication Management Oversight Committee; Identifies and drives process improvement across medication use systems.
• Oversees medication management policies enterprise-wide, including white/brown/clear bagging policy, patient assistance program governance, investigational drug service (IDS) , and drug security standards.
• Designs and implements scalable medication-use infrastructure and workflows that can extend beyond ambulatory settings to support future hospital clinical and clinical research operations.
• Defines the scope of IDS services, study acceptance and prioritization criteria, and decision pathways for determining when investigational products must be managed by IDS or through an approved affiliated or external pharmacy.

Ensure Ambulatory and Investigational Pharmacy Regulatory Compliance and Medication Safety

• Ensures compliance with inventory, controlled substance, and chain-of-custody regulations; oversees secure receipt of all pharmaceutical deliveries including direct chain-of-custody verification for controlled substance shipments.
• Tracks compliance with Federal and State regulations, including DEA, state board of pharmacy, USP, and accreditation standards (TJC, CMS) applicable to ASC, ambulatory clinic, pharmacy and imaging environments.
• Serves as primary contact for all HRSA 340B covered entity sites registered. 
• Implements 340B clinic and contract pharmacy initiatives, and oversees associated workflows, including inventory replenishment, contract pharmacy, and auditing processes.
• Implements and enforces medication safety policies including multi-dose vial labeling, refrigerated drug temperature excursion response, drug storage security standards, and medication management policies across all ambulatory and clinical research sites.
• Oversees controlled substance management across ASC, ambulatory and clinical research settings, including chain-of-custody receipt, access controls, anesthesia kit oversight, waste reconciliation, and diversion prevention program leadership; serves as the accountable pharmacy leader for DEA compliance in all applicable settings.
• Develops, standardizes, and maintains medication management policies, documentation systems, and audit programs across all ambulatory and clinical research locations; trends controlled substance discrepancy data by provider, drug, and setting to identify patterns and support regulatory reporting obligations.  
• Designs regulatory and compliance frameworks that can scale to support future inpatient and hospital operations.
• Tracks medication storage audit findings, controlled substance discrepancy trends, temperature excursion events, and waste reconciliation compliance across all sites.
• Tracks medication errors and adverse drug events and implements corrective actions.  
• Supports investigational pharmacy compliance with applicable FDA requirements, ICH Good Clinical Practice, state board of pharmacy requirements, DEA regulations, USP standards, IRB requirements, sponsor or contract research organization requirements, and institutional policies.
• Oversees inspection-ready investigational product records and supports sponsor monitoring, quality assurance reviews, audits, and regulatory inspections, including documentation and corrective actions related to protocol deviations, accountability discrepancies, temperature excursions, or other investigational product issues for products stored within UT Dell ambulatory clinics or departments.

Financial and Business Operations

• Controls pharmaceutical inventory and supply chain costs across ASC and clinic settings; drives consolidation of purchasing to a primary wholesaler and leverages specialty GPO agreements to optimize contract pricing for in-clinic administered specialty drugs.
• Establishes inventory levels and maintains responsibility over inventory management activities in all areas where medication is stored.
• Analyzes financial and operational performance metrics.
• Analyzes medication revenue cycle and reimbursement data for ambulatory and procedural services and implements improvement opportunities.
• Tracks 340B savings and ensures that workflows are compliant with 340B regulations and optimize patient access.
• Negotiates with vendors through GPO agreements and ensures cost-effective sourcing.
• Negotiates agreements for all medication-related equipment and supplies, including 340B contract pharmacies.
• Develops and maintains an IDS fee schedule and study-specific cost estimates for services provided by pharmacy services; supports sponsor budget negotiations and ensures accurate billing, invoicing, and cost recovery for investigational pharmacy services, supplies, equipment, storage, and staff effort.

Collaborate with Clinical, Clinical Research, and Administrative Stakeholders

• Serves as the accountable pharmacy leader for medication management governance across ambulatory and future inpatient settings, partnering with physicians, nurses, compliance, legal, risk management to integrate pharmacy services across ambulatory and future hospital operations, and serving as the  pharmacy liaison for provider-controlled substance oversight and credentialing requirements.
• Participates in clinical committees and care coordination initiatives.
• Provides pharmacotherapy expertise and medication guidance.
• Leads pharmacy support and investigational pharmacy services; supports related education and residency programs.
• Reviews clinical trial protocols, pharmacy manuals, and related study documents to identify medication safety, staffing, equipment, space, storage, workflow, technology, and budget requirements for studies involving investigational products.

Strategy and Innovation

• Leads the design of medication management frameworks required for future inpatient and hospital operations, including formulary strategy, medication-use policy design, controlled substance programs, and investigational drug services.
• Leads evaluation and implementation of automated dispensing technologies, including ASC controlled substance management.
• Leads Epic medication management strategy to optimize medication management systems. Supports system-wide clinical protocols, investigational drug, and formulary management.
• Develops longer-term ambulatory clinical services model that optimizes clinical pharmacist support to drive outcomes and support patient access.
• Represents pharmacy services in organizational strategic planning initiatives, including ASC and ambulatory expansion efforts; contributes pharmacy governance infrastructure in preparation for expanded scope with new hospital facility.
• Participates in hospital planning efforts, providing pharmacy input while maintaining focus on current operations.
• Coordinates IDS development with the Clinical Trials Office, IRB, research administration, contracts, compliance, nursing, investigators, clinical departments, Epic, CTMS, and affiliated clinical partners to align research pharmacy services with institutional workflows.
• Partners with Epic, CTMS, and research technology teams to build study-specific workflows for medication ordering, participant assignment, documentation, accountability, billing, and reporting.

MARGINAL OR PERIODIC FUNCTIONS:

• Represents the organization during regulatory surveys, accreditation reviews, and external audits.
• Represents investigational pharmacy services during sponsor qualification visits, site initiation visits, monitoring visits, closeout visits, research audits, and FDA or other regulatory inspections.
• Participates in pharmacy residency, student, and professional education programs.
• Supports disaster preparedness, emergency response, and business continuity activities.
• Leads special projects involving medication utilization, technology implementation, or service expansion.
• Presents operational, quality, and compliance results to executive leadership and governance committees.

• Adheres to internal controls and reporting structure.

Performs related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES

Collaborate

• Builds partnerships across administrative, clinical, and research teams to achieve shared goals.
• Partners with physicians and nursing leadership
• Integrates pharmacy services into patient care models
• Engages stakeholders across clinical and administrative teams

Manages Complexity

• Solves complex problems using multiple data sources.
• Coordinates clinical, operational, and regulatory priorities.
• Manages competing demands in a 24/7 environment.
• Resolves workflow inefficiencies and safety concerns.
• Navigates 340B program complexity, including covered entity eligibility, contract pharmacy. arrangements, and HRSA compliance requirements.
• Interprets clinical trial protocols, pharmacy manuals, and investigational product handling requirements and translates them into safe, compliant, and practical workflows.

Develops Talent

• Builds team capability through coaching and development.
• Mentors pharmacists and technicians.
• Identifies skill gaps and provides development opportunities.
• Supports succession planning.

Communicates Effectively

• Delivers clear, impactful communication across audiences.
• Explains medication protocols to clinicians and patients.
• Communicates expectations and performance feedback.
• Facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Requires a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from an accredited institution

 with at least 5 year(s) of experience in

• Progressive leadership experience in a health system.

• Experience in ambulatory, perioperative, or outpatient procedural pharmacy settings with demonstrated knowledge of DEA controlled substance regulations, USP standards, and state board of pharmacy requirements.
• Experience in 340B regulatory standards.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

According to Executive Order No. GA-48 of the State of Texas: for all positions that research, work on, or have access to critical infrastructure as defined in Section 117.001(2), Business and Commerce Code, it is required that both candidates for employment and employees have the ability to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Master's Degree in Business Administration (MBA), Healthcare Administration (MHA), Public Health (MPH), or related field with at least 7 year(s) of experience in

• Progressive leadership experience in a health system.
• ASHP CPEL (Certified Pharmacist Executive Leader) certification.
• Experience in multi-site ambulatory or complex health system settings with demonstrated track record of building pharmacy compliance infrastructure, standardizing policies across sites, and leading controlled substance diversion prevention programs.
• Residency training (PGY1 or PGY2) in pharmacy practice or administration.
• Experience supporting ASC operations or ambulatory care pharmacy services.
• Experience managing 340B Drug Pricing Program operations, including covered entity. compliance, contract pharmacy oversight, split-billing software, and HRSA audit readiness.
• Experience leading, developing, or expanding an investigational drug service or research pharmacy program within an academic medical center, health system, or similarly complex research environment.

LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS OR CERTIFICATIONS

REQUIRED:

•  Active Pharmacist license in the State of Texas

PREFERRED:

• Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) certification.
• Board certification in ambulatory care pharmacy (BCACP) or pharmacy administration (BCPA) strongly preferred; supports longer-term strategy of centralized prior authorization and ambulatory clinical pharmacy services.
• Certifications or training in controlled substance diversion prevention, USP <797>/<800> sterile compounding, or perioperative pharmacy; familiarity with automated dispensing cabinet systems (Pyxis, Omnicell) preferred.
• 340B Apexus Certified Expert (ACE) certification or equivalent 340B program training.

Salary Range

$146,191.00+ depending on qualifications

SUPERVISION

TITLE THIS JOB REPORTS TO AND JOB TITLES SUPERVISED:

Direct Reports:

• Staff Pharmacists
• Clinical Pharmacists
• Pharmacy Technicians

Indirect Reports:

• Pharmacy interns, residents, and students
• Centralized pharmacy teams

Scope:

• Oversees multiple functional medication management areas, including ambulatory surgery centers, outpatient clinics, and clinical research sites.
• Accountable for building and scaling pharmacy services to support ambulatory growth, clinical research, and future hospital operations.

BUDGET RESPONSIBILITY

N/A

DECISION-MAKING RESPONSIBILITY

Autonomous Decisions:

• Daily operational workflow and staffing adjustments, including real-time decisions supporting surgical, clinic, and clinical research operations.
• Inventory management and procurement decisions.
• Implementation of process improvements, quality controls, and medication safety protocols.
• Resolution of medication-related operational issues.

Decisions Requiring Approval:

• Annual budget and capital expenditures.
• Major staffing changes or organizational restructuring.
• Strategic initiatives impacting system-wide pharmacy services.
• Policy changes with regulatory, clinical research or enterprise-wide implications.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT/EQUIPMENT

• Standard office equipment and environment
• Repetitive use of a keyboard
• For healthcare jobs, may be exposed to such occupational hazards as communicable diseases, blood borne pathogens, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, hazardous medications and disoriented or combative patients, or others.

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.

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