Will’s experience as a Commercial Lead in Pharmacy Services

Meet Will, who is new to Boots UK and works in the Pharmacy Services team at our Nottingham Support Office. Will has been at Boots for five months and leads on the Travel Vaccination & Health Advice Service.

Tell us about your role as a Commercial Lead in Pharmacy Services

I started working in the Pharmacy Services Team in September 2021, originally focusing on the New Medicine Service and the introduction of the Hypertension Case Finding Service but have since been involved in a variety of projects gaining more and more experience.

I have had opportunities within the COVID Vaccination team, supporting the recruitment of nursing staff to administer vaccinations, as well as working on the set up of Flu Vaccination Centres and reporting of the success of the Flu Vaccination service – we’ve had over two million vaccines administered this flu season!

I now lead on the Travel Vaccination & Health Advice Service, which gives me the opportunity to work with a wide range of departments within Boots and external stakeholders to aid the development of the service. My role as a Commercial Lead involves the communication across teams including Stores, Supply Chain, Marketing, Operations and Finance to support the continual growth and improvement of the service. Alongside this there is the opportunity to develop skills including; performance analysis, relationship building, stakeholder management and effective communication.

What have you experienced outside of your role?

Outside of my role there are so many opportunities at Boots to aid my personal development. Boots’ relationship with Macmillan Cancer Support and other charitable organisations allows one to explore a passion in Corporate Social Responsibility – I intend on running the London Marathon in 2023 on behalf of Boots to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support!

The expanse of opportunities is what makes working for Boots such a great experience, especially for those early into their career who are looking to develop in different areas of business and become a specialist in a broad set of disciplines.

What is your proudest moment so far?

My proudest moment since joining Boots has been the successful rollout of agency nurses in stores across the UK to enable further capacity to vaccinate the public against COVID-19. This project was a really exciting and fast paced opportunity which gave me a great insight into how stores work, alongside the Support Office and field teams, and seeing the numbers of vaccinations administered as a result was really rewarding to know I had made a difference.

What do you love about working at Boots?

The people you get to work with at Boots is what makes it such a great place to be and is the reason I love working here. Whether in the Nottingham Support Office or working from home, I have really been made to feel a part of the team in such a short amount of time. Everyone is there to support you in your career as well as support you personally and I have made great friendships already during my time here. The hybrid working model allows me to be in the office for part of the week and the other part working from home.

What advice would you give about a career in Pharmacy Services?

Speak to as many people as you can and soak up as much information about the different areas of a business. Understanding other people’s roles and responsibilities enables you to thrive in your own role and use the expertise of others to help further the success of the project. Always ask as many questions as you can, no matter how silly they may feel to you!

Find your perfect role in one of our Support Offices! Read more about our Support Office Jobs here.