Pharmacy Operations Specialist III, Automation/Production Technician

Job Summary:

Summary of Position: Automation/production technician is part of the site automation team that supports production operations and troubleshoot/repairs mechanical, electrical, and pneumatic issues in a high-volume pharmacy automated system. Works with automation, operations, and IT teams to improve processes, increase production capacity, and maintain high level of system up-time. Ability to spot bottlenecks or delays quickly and adjust personnel or systems parameters to minimize downtime. Understanding basic Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), HMI adjustments, and sensors/RFID/photo eyes. Works with 3rd party vendors on improvements, repairs and maintenance, and projects. Ability to work weekends if necessary.

In addition to the responsibilities listed below, the position is also responsible for working closely and coordinating with the Pharmaceutical Services team regarding systems that directly or indirectly impact the prescribing or dispensing of medications; collaborating with others to test the systems and applications for new releases, new features, or defect fixes; maintaining relationships with internal and external teams, stakeholders, end users, and/or vendors to resolve system issues or concerns; interpreting broad guidelines to resolve, triage, or escalate service tickets, with limited direction; providing recommendations for system changes or improvements and representing the team during change management.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Pursues effective relationships with others by proactively providing resources, information, advice, and expertise with coworkers and members. Listens to, seeks, and addresses performance feedback; provides mentoring to team members. Pursues self-development; creates plans and takes action to capitalize on strengths and develop weaknesses; influences others through technical explanations and examples. Adapts to and learns from change, challenges, and feedback; demonstrates flexibility in approaches to work; helps others adapt to new tasks and processes. Supports and responds to the needs of others to support a business outcome.
• Completes work assignments autonomously by applying up-to-date expertise in subject area to generate creative solutions; ensures all procedures and policies are followed; leverages an understanding of data and resources to support projects or initiatives. Collaborates cross-functionally to solve business problems; escalates issues or risks as appropriate; communicates progress and information. Supports, identifies, and monitors priorities, deadlines, and expectations. Identifies, speaks up, and implements ways to address improvement opportunities for team.
• Independently provides support to pharmacy and healthcare professionals by: leveraging systems related to analytics and informatics to support relevant patient-facing teams; collaborating with meetings and relevant committees to support front-line operations; and exercising a patient focus throughout ones technical expertise and activities and identifying patient related issues, challenges, possible improvements and taking action to ensure the downstream patient impacts are being followed up on.
• Supports various functions within operations and may support operations in a specific area by: collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to implement pharmacotherapy safety practices and initiatives; implementing pharmacy operations initiatives and programs that directly support the day to day functioning of a specified set of pharmacies or locations and coordinates with relevant groups on the rollout, staffing, education, etc. requirements; and supporting operational needs (e.g., workflow management, policy management, systems improvement, etc.) and ensuring policy compliance.
• Contributes to service, affordability, people, quality of care, and regulatory pharmacy goals by: coordinating efforts to create, design, and help implement strategic plan to support improvements to service, quality, people, affordability, and regulatory initiatives; evaluating data trends from tools and dashboards to support implementation of new programs and initiatives; reviewing and influencing others to conduct sweeps of new laws and rules from regulatory agencies and ensures application into operations (e.g., FAQs to markets); contributing to the building and socializing of new tools to promote awareness and use; evaluating accuracy of inputs into accountability dashboard to ensure rules are followed; and aligns own operations goals to key affordability metrics.
• Begins to serve as a subject matter expert for quality improvement processes and regulations within assigned area by: maintaining awareness of current internal policies and relevant external laws, regulations, and standards and serves as a source of expertise within certain defined areas; coordinating sub-projects on committees that provide input and guidance on various improvement initiatives; developing, conducting, coordinating, and beginning to identify quality improvements related to medication safety for assigned clinical area; researching and reporting related material; identifying issues and escalating to engagement manager/sponsor to resolve; leveraging basic knowledge of drugs and their uses and how they impact clinical practices; guiding members, patients and/or healthcare providers to understand appropriate use and application of prescribed medication and providing drug information to relevant healthcare providers; leveraging standard application of strategy to ensure achievement of member financial and therapeutic objectives; and monitoring member data to help assess plan outcomes.