Pharmacy Operations Manager

Position overview

The Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Bureau of Professional and Ancillary Services, is seeking to hire a Pharmacy Operations Manager. A highly responsible role that oversees the pharmacy benefit program and ensures continued access to safe, effective, and high-quality care for our customers.
The ideal candidate will be a detail-oriented clinical professional with a strong foundation in pharmacy benefit management, known for accuracy, reliability, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. The candidate will demonstrate excellent communication and collaboration skills, supporting cross-functional teams, vendors, and leadership to ensure compliant, efficient, and customer-focused program operations.

HFS values employees with different backgrounds, life experiences, and talents.  If you are seeking a new opportunity, and this position appeals to you, please apply today!

Essential Functions

• Subject to management approval, serves as Pharmacy Operations Manager by organizing, planning, evaluating, formulating and executing the Statewide Medicaid Pharmacy Benefit (PBM) Program
• Contributes to drug utilization evaluations to inform the development of policies, practices, and procedures relating to department drug coverage that fosters best practices in prescribing, dispensing, administration, and monitoring of outcomes
• Conducts quantitative and qualitative pharmacoeconomic analysis of the relative value of various drugs within a PDL class
• Serves as working supervisor
• Works closely with the Department’s Web Master to ensure the PDL and drug prior approval information is accurate and updated on the Department’s website
• Serves as liaison to the Electronic Data Warehouse (EDW) contract staff to update pharmacy reports on the EDW. Makes recommendations for changes to EDW pharmacy reports
• Prepares supplemental rebate documents for the purpose of memorializing rebate agreements with pharmaceutical manufacturers and ensuring accurate rebate invoicing
• Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above

Minimum qualifications

• Requires knowledge skill and mental development equivalent to completion of an accredited five (5)-year College of Pharmacy, including formal training in clinical pharmacy practice or completion of the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists Introduction to Clinical Pharmacy
• Requires current registration as a Pharmacist in the State of Illinois
• Requires three (3) years of professional experience as a registered, practicing pharmacist, dispensing drugs and billing payers in a retail setting

Preferred qualifications

• Three (3) years of experience working with agency programs, service objectives, activities, contracts, and operational systems
• Three (3) years of experience working with, or on behalf of a vendor or contractor, leading pharmacy operations for a large Medicaid program or similar environment
• Three (3) years of experience overseeing a payer’s drug formulary or preferred drug list development
• Three (3) years of experience working with payer drug rebate programs
• Three (3) years of experience working with interfacing with drug manufacturers on behalf of a payer
• Three (3) years of experience utilizing strong analytical skills, including the ability to analyze, interpret, and evaluate complex drug utilization patterns to make pharmacoeconomic recommendations
• Three (3) years of experience working with software such as Microsoft Excel
• Three (3) years of experience accurately maintaining complex detailed reports

Conditions of Employment

• Requires completion of a background check and self-disclosure of criminal history
• Requires the ability to utilize and maintain state issued equipment such as a laptop
  • The conditions of employment listed here are incorporated and related to any of the job duties as listed in the job description

About the agency

At the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS), we value staff as our greatest asset. We work in a spirit of teamwork to help millions of Illinoisans access high quality healthcare and fulfill child support obligations to advance their physical, mental, and financial well-being. We provide healthcare coverage for children and adults through Medicaid and other medical programs, and we help ensure that children receive financial resources from both their parents through Child Support Services. The HFS Office of the Inspector General investigates, audits and reviews program activity to ensure the integrity of our programs is maintained.

HFS is committed to promoting and preserving a workplace culture that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion.  We welcome and value employees with different backgrounds, life experiences, and talents.  It is the collective sum of our individual differences that provides a broad perspective, leading to greater innovation and achievement.  In recruiting for our team, we recognize the unique contributions of each applicant regardless of culture, ethnicity, race, national origin, sex, gender identity and expression, age, religion, disability, and sexual orientation. HFS is an equal opportunity employer.

Benefits statement

Employees receive a robust benefit package including:

• Monday-Friday work schedule
• Flexible work schedules are available in many program areas. (Remote work may be an option for certain positions.)
• Health, Life, Vision, and Dental Insurance
• Pension Plan
• Paid Parental Leave
• Deferred Compensation Program and other pre-tax benefit programs (Medical/Daycare)
• Employees earn (12) paid Sick Days annually.
• New Employees earn (10) paid Vacation Days their first year of service and can earn up to (25) paid Vacation Days annually.
• Employees earn (3) paid Personal Days annually.
• (13-14) paid holidays annually (based on start date)