JobsAdvocate Health

Manager Pharmacy - Investigational Drug Services

Advocate Health · Park Ridge, IL

Posted Sep 8, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 20, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

Behavioral

Tell me about a time you reviewed a study protocol or pharmacy manual and found something that would have caused a compliance problem down the line.

attention to detail and regulatory judgment when reading dense trial documents

Tell me about a time you had to manage a budget shortfall or unexpected cost in a pharmacy operation. What did you cut or change.

real financial management experience, since budgeting is called out as a core duty

Describe a time you had to supervise staff you didn't see in person every day. How did you know things were on track.

management style and trust-building in a hybrid, multi-site structure

Tell me about a difficult conversation you had with a physician or principal investigator over a protocol deviation or study requirement.

comfort pushing back on clinical stakeholders while keeping the relationship intact

Tell me about a performance issue you had to address with a staff pharmacist or technician. How did you handle it.

willingness to do the harder parts of people management, not just the pleasant ones

Technical

Walk me through how you would set up investigational drug services for a new clinical trial from the moment the protocol lands on your desk to the first patient dose.

whether the candidate has real hands-on process knowledge of IDS workflow, not just familiarity with the concept

How do you stay current on ASHP, USP, and ISMP standards, and can you give an example of updating a practice because a standard changed.

depth of regulatory knowledge versus surface familiarity with the acronyms

What's your experience with sterile compounding, and how do you make sure staff maintain competency in it over time.

clinical rigor and staff development approach for a preferred but important skill

How do you evaluate whether your department has the right staffing levels, and what do you do when volume outpaces the schedule.

operational planning skill and data-driven staffing decisions

Situational

This role covers sites across Illinois and Wisconsin with travel between locations. How would you keep IDS practices consistent when you can't be everywhere every day.

ability to manage remote or dispersed teams without losing standardization

Say a research coordinator tells you a patient received an incorrect dose of an investigational drug. Walk me through what you do in the first hour.

crisis response, reporting instincts, and knowledge of medication safety event protocols

How would you go about growing an IDS program, say increasing the number of active trials a site can support, without sacrificing quality.

strategic thinking about program growth balanced against operational risk

You're on call over a holiday weekend and a site calls with a question about an investigational drug they've never handled before. How do you handle it if you don't know the answer offhand.

judgment under pressure and knowing when to escalate versus improvise

Practice this interview out loud.

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The full job description

As published by Advocate Health.

Department: 38522 Enterprise Pharmacy - Investigational Drug Research Status: Full time Benefits Eligible: Yes Hou rs Per Week: 40 Schedule Details/Additional Information: Position Summary The Manager, Investigational Drug Services (IDS) provides leadership and operational oversight for IDS pharmacy services across Illinois and Wisconsin. This role supports both inpatient and outpatient investigational drug programs, oversees IDS team members, and collaborates with pharmacy, research, and clinical stakeholders to ensure compliant and efficient study operations. Key Responsibilities • Lead IDS pharmacy operations across multiple Midwest locations. • Provide direct and/or indirect supervision of IDS staff. • Oversee budgeting, operational planning, and resource management. • Review protocols, pharmacy manuals, study documents, and other clinical trial materials. • Ensure compliance with regulatory, institutional, and research requirements. • Support quality improvement and program growth initiatives. • Participate in on-call, weekend, and holiday coverage as needed. Required Qualifications • Current Registered Pharmacist (RPh) license. • Minimum 3-5 years of Investigational Drug Services (IDS) pharmacy experience. • Experience reviewing and implementing clinical trial protocols. • Strong organizational, communication, and leadership skills. Preferred Qualifications • Previous leadership or supervisory experience. • Pharmacy residency training. • Sterile compounding experience. • Experience with budgeting and financial planning. Schedule • Full-time, salaried position. • Primarily Monday-Friday, first shift. • On-call, weekend, and holiday coverage as needed. Location • Hybrid position supporting locations in Illinois and Wisconsin. • Approximately 60%-80% onsite. • Regular presence at Advocate Health St. Luke's Medical Center and Advocate Health Lutheran Medical Center. • Travel between locations required. Pay Range: $68.20 - $102.30 Major Responsibilities: • Manages and oversees daily operations by establishing priorities, providing work direction, resolving problems and monitoring department performance. Ensures that services are safe and high quality. • Ensures pharmacy services align with local, state, and federal rules and regulations. Ensures that accepted standards of practice as outlined by accrediting bodies, ASHP, USP, and ISMP are followed. Complies with all requirements of OSHA and the Department of Public Health. • Ensures appropriate department staff levels and oversees scheduling. Monitors productivity and makes appropriate adjustments. Ensures optimal use of supplies for cost-effectiveness and efficiency. • Identifies quality and safety risks in department operations and clinical practices. Establishes and implements quality and safety improvements. Ensures medication safety event reporting is completed. • Supports pharmacy and interdisciplinary goals at both the system and site level. Leads the implementation of system initiatives and policies, and monitors compliance at the site. Collaborates with other site leaders to meet site goals, provide interdisciplinary services and resolve site issues. • Ensures team members perform identified clinical and operational pharmacy services to support patient care. Collaborates effectively with other site leaders and departments. Monitors effectiveness of department services. Leads quality improvement projects within the department and site. • Identifies, plans and develops new and improved services through evaluation and innovation. • Performs human resources responsibilities for staff which include interviewing and selection of new employees, promotions, staff development, performance evaluations, compensation changes, resolution of employee concerns, corrective actions, terminations, and overall employee morale. • Develops and recommends operating and capital budgets and controls expenditures within approved budget objectives. • Responsible for understanding and adhering to the organization's Code of Ethical Conduct and for ensuring that personal actions, and the actions of employees supervised, comply with the policies, regulations and laws applicable to the organization's business. Licensure, Registration, and/or Certification Required: • Pharmacist license issued by the state in which the team member practices. Education Required: • Bachelor's Degree in Pharmacy. Experience Required: • Typically requires 5 years of experience in a health system pharmacy practice as a pharmacist. Includes 1 year of supervisory experience in management of staff and in overseeing of budgets. Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required: • Demonstrates leadership skills and abilities including problem solving, prioritization, decision making, delegation, team building, patient service, and conflict resolution. • Advanced knowledge of pharmacy practice, clinical skills, pharmacy reimbursement, and an understanding of heal care and hospital trends and issues. • Demonstrated ability to work effectively with providers, staff and patients. • Must be detailed-oriented with the ability to handle multiple demands simultaneously. • Excellent interpersonal, communication and organizational skills. • Intermediate computer skills including experience in using pharmacy automation and point-of-sale systems. • Strong aptitude in human resource management. • Life support training courses may be required dependent on department discretion. Physical Requirements and Working Conditions: • Generally exposed to normal office environment. • May frequently lift up to 20 lbs. without assistance. • Must be able to sit, stand and walk majority of workday. Must be able to reach forward and above shoulder, bend/stop, twist torso, squat, and kneel. • Must have functional speech, vision and hearing. • Will be exposed to chemical hazards; therefore must have ability to wear protective clothing as needed. • Operates all equipment necessary to perform the job. This job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of the incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the incumbent. Incumbent may be required to perform other related duties. Our Commitment to You: Advocate Health offers a comprehensive suite of Total Rewards: benefits and well-being programs, competitive compensation, generous retirement offerings, programs that invest in your career development and so much more – so you can live fully at and away from work, including: Compensation • Base compensation listed within the listed pay range based on factors such as qualifications, skills, relevant experience, and/or training • Premium pay such as shift, on call, and more based on a teammate's job • Incentive pay for select positions • Opportunity for annual increases based on performance Benefits and more • Paid Time Off programs • Health and welfare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, and Short- and Long-Term Disability • Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses • Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave • Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs • Educational Assistance Program Note: Eligibility for programs listed above may depend on your FTE or status (e.g., full-time, part-time, per diem, temporary, etc.); please ask a Recruiter for more information during an interview. About Advocate Health  Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.

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