Chief Pharmacy Officer

Reimagine Pharmacy Leadership. Elevate System-Wide Care.

The County of Santa Clara is a premiere public agency known for its high standards of excellence, strategic focus, and innovation in public service. Serving more than 1.9 million residents, the County delivers essential safety-net services through a workforce of more than 23,000 employees across 30+ departments. Within this network, the County’s Health System stands as one of the region’s most critical community anchors, providing high-quality care to diverse and vulnerable populations.

Santa Clara Valley Healthcare (SCVH) is the cornerstone of public healthcare in Santa Clara County, delivering compassionate, high quality, and accessible care to all residents regardless of ability to pay. As the largest public healthcare system in Northern California, SCVH provides world class services through Valley Medical Center, Regional Medical Center, O’Connor Hospital, St. Louise Regional Hospital, and an extensive network of ambulatory and specialty health centers. Every day, our teams advance health equity, safeguard community wellbeing, and serve as a critical safety net provider for the region.

We’re on a mission to strengthen the future of pharmacy leadership across our integrated health system—and we’re seeking a visionary who can lead at scale.

As the Chief Pharmacy Officer, you won’t just oversee pharmacy operations—you’ll shape a comprehensive, enterprise-wide medication management strategy that ensures safety, quality, compliance, and equity for every patient we serve. This is your opportunity to build a system-wide pharmacy program that sets new standards for excellence across inpatient, outpatient, specialty, and innovative care environments.

Your Mission

Provide executive leadership that unifies pharmacy strategy across the County of Santa Clara Health System. In this role, you’ll guide enterprise governance, medication safety, digital strategy, regulatory readiness, fiscal stewardship, and workforce development—advancing clinical quality and operational excellence across a large and complex integrated delivery system.

What Makes This Role Unique

• System-Wide Leadership: You will oversee pharmacy services that span hospitals, outpatient clinics, specialty pharmacy, compounding services, and investigational drug programs—impacting care delivery at every level of the health system.
• High-Stakes Impact: Your decisions influence medication safety, patient outcomes, and operational reliability across a diverse, high-acuity population.
• Technology & Innovation: You’ll lead the adoption of current medication-use technology, automation, and electronic health record (EHR) workflows, building a digital strategy that improves safety, efficiency, and clinical decision support.
• Enterprise Governance: As chair or co-chair of the Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee, you will establish formulary strategy, medication utilization policies, and stewardship programs.
• Equity & Safety at the Core: You’ll champion medication-use practices that promote safety, transparency, and equitable outcomes throughout the County’s health system.

What You’ll Do

Executive Pharmacy Leadership

• Provide enterprise-level leadership for pharmacy strategy, governance, and performance standards.
• Plan, organize, direct, and evaluate system-wide pharmacy operations.

Regulatory Excellence

• Ensure compliance with CA Board of Pharmacy, CMS, Joint Commission, DEA, FDA, CDPH, and all medication-related regulations.
• Maintain continuous accreditation readiness across all pharmacy programs.

Enterprise Medication Management

• Oversee formulary governance and medication-use strategy across inpatient, outpatient, and specialty services.
• Lead medication safety programs, root-cause analysis, and quality improvement initiatives.

Financial & Program Stewardship

• Develop and manage complex pharmacy budgets.
• Optimize 340B program integrity and financial performance.
• Implement cost containment strategies aligned with clinical safety and quality.

Supply Chain & Technology Innovation

• Direct purchasing, contracting, drug shortage mitigation, and emergency preparedness.
• Lead pharmacy automation, dispensing systems, IV compounding technology, and EHR medication workflows.
• Establish the digital strategy for medication-related clinical decision support, data governance, and cybersecurity.

Data-Driven Outcomes

• Use pharmacy data, dashboards, analytics, and surveillance tools to advance outcomes, equity, and efficiency.
• Partner with Quality, Informatics, and Revenue Cycle to improve population health and specialty pharmacy performance.

People Leadership

• Supervise assistant directors, managers, clinical leaders, and professional staff.
• Build workforce development programs, succession planning, and training pathways.

What You Bring

• Valid California Pharmacist license
• At least five years of management experience overseeing multi-site pharmacy operations in a large, complex health system
• Extensive experience with regulatory compliance, accreditation readiness, complex budgeting, 340B program management, and large-scale pharmacy technology/EHR implementations
• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Health Administration, Public Health, or related field preferred
• Experience leading high-performing teams, driving innovation, and advancing organizational change
• Ability to communicate clearly and influence decisions at the executive and Board levels
• Skill in building partnerships across multidisciplinary teams, medical staff, and external agencies

To view the full job specification, including the employment standards, click the link below:
https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/santaclara/classspecs/newprint/1868653

What Success Looks Like

In the first 6–12 months, you will:

• Establish system-wide pharmacy governance and elevate safety and compliance practices

• Improve medication-use workflows across inpatient, outpatient, and specialty programs
• Advance the County’s digital pharmacy strategy and technology readiness

In the long term, you will:

• Strengthen medication safety and clinical quality across the health system
• Improve pharmacy revenue growth across the enterprise
• Position Santa Clara County as a regional and national model for integrated pharmacy leadership

Why Join Us?

• Shape and lead pharmacy strategy in one of California’s most impactful public health systems
• Drive innovation that improves outcomes for complex and vulnerable populations
• Join a collaborative, mission-driven organization focused on equity, safety, and excellence

More About Our Competitive Executive Benefits

Strategic Financial and Retirement Benefits

• CalPERS pension with reciprocity across most California public agencies (2.5% @ 55 for Classic Members, 2% @ 62 for Non-Classic Members)
• 457 Deferred Compensation Plan with both pre-tax and Roth options, up to IRS limits
• $325,000 in term life insurance plus $300,000 in accidental death and disability coverage
• Eligible employer under the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program

Executive-Level Health, Wellness, and Family Support

• Premium health insurance options (Kaiser, HealthNet, Valley Health Plan) with up to 96% County-paid coverage
• Fully covered dental (Delta or Liberty) and vision (VSP) plans for individuals and families
• Employee Assistance Program, Dependent Care Assistance, and Flexible Spending Accounts
• Access to wellness and leadership development programs designed to support executive performance and resilience

Leadership Mobility, Time Off, and Professional Growth

• 39 days of annual leave with a cash-out option, plus 13 paid holidays
• Relocation assistance to support seamless transitions
• Tuition reimbursement and internal executive development programs
• To learn more about benefits, check out our dedicated page.

Ready to join the leadership team? Apply now.

Learn more about the County and the impact you can have as a leader.

Application Process and Key Dates

Filing Deadline: continuous until filled; the first review of applications: Monday, November 9th

This recruitment may close or be extended as early as 10 days after posting. Early application is strongly encouraged. Please check the website regularly for updates.

Apply at: https://esa.santaclaracounty.gov/career-seekers

What to include in your application:

1. Résumé
2. Cover Letter (maximum 3 pages)
   Describe why you are the ideal candidate, highlighting relevant leadership experience and accomplishments.

Next steps in the process:

Following mutual interest, a comprehensive background investigation and reference check will be conducted. Finalists will be asked to provide at least five professional references, with prior authorization obtained by Executive Services.

Questions regarding this Executive recruitment may be directed to Quynh Truong, Executive Services at [email protected]   

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