How to hire a pharmacist manager

How to hire a pharmacist manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step pharmacist manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a pharmacist manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new pharmacist manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a pharmacist manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The pharmacist manager hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A pharmacist manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, pharmacist managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of pharmacist managers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Pharmacist Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Pharmacist Manager	Medical and health services managers, also called healthcare executives or healthcare administrators, plan, direct, and coordinate medical and health services. They might manage an entire facility, a specific clinical area or department, or a medical practice for a group of physicians... Show more	$27-73
   Service Director	A service director is responsible for managing and implementing customer service policies and ensuring that all staff strictly adhere to reach the highest customer satisfaction. Service directors' duties include identifying business opportunities to improve customers' experience, monitoring the performance of the customer service team, developing strategic procedures on service delivery, creating new promotional offers and services, and coaching the team to increase business productivity... Show more	$33-90
   Interim Director	An interim director is responsible for supporting business operations, organizing training, as well as specific department programs for staff to maximize their productivity and improve optimal performance to meet project deliverables and achieve client satisfaction. Interim directors coordinate with the management and board executives on corporate decisions, implementing company guidelines and procedures, and identifying business opportunities to generate more revenues and profitability... Show more	$31-77

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Customer Service
   • Patient Care
   • Compassion
   • Inventory Management
   • Federal Laws
   • Allergies
   • Immunization
   • DEA
   • Diabetes
   • Customer Issues
   • Drug Therapy
   • Pharmacy Operations
   • Therapy Management

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Schedule procedures, manage caseload for physicians in clinic and surgery.
   • Addressed customer complaints with compassion, tact, and respect to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.
   • Manage a team of 6 (1 pharmacist and 5 techs) prepare shift schedules according to Rx plan and payroll.
   • Manage educational training for technicians relate to federal HIPAA guidelines.
   • Manage established high-volume independent community pharmacy operation focuse on the local HIV/AIDS community.
   • Achieve extensive expertise in third party adjudication and rejection resolution, including Medicare and Medicaid.

   More pharmacist manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your pharmacist manager job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A pharmacist manager can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, pharmacist managers' average salary in alaska is 62% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level pharmacist managers 63% less than senior-level pharmacist managers.
   • Certifications. A pharmacist manager with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a pharmacist manager's salary.

   Average pharmacist manager salary

   $93,996yearly

   $45.19 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level pharmacist manager salary

   $57,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average pharmacist manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$104,986	$50
   2	Arizona	$101,429	$49
   3	Florida	$87,619	$42
   4	Texas	$85,684	$41
   5	Oregon	$74,320	$36
   6	North Carolina	$68,987	$33
   7	Washington	$68,757	$33
   8	Tennessee	$63,379	$30
   9	Colorado	$62,934	$30
   10	Virginia	$60,158	$29
   11	Maryland	$58,573	$28
   12	Oklahoma	$58,089	$28
   13	Pennsylvania	$55,757	$27
   14	Indiana	$55,571	$27
   15	District of Columbia	$55,539	$27
   16	Connecticut	$53,451	$26
   17	Ohio	$53,031	$26
   18	Maine	$52,823	$25
   19	Massachusetts	$51,387	$25
   20	Michigan	$49,372	$24

   Average pharmacist manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Safeway	$139,997	$67.31
   2	Hy-Vee	$137,525	$66.12	123
   3	Hannaford Supermarkets	$135,814	$65.30	37
   4	Mayo Clinic	$135,373	$65.08	55
   5	H-E-B	$135,370	$65.08	24
   6	Vons	$134,682	$64.75
   7	Stater Bros.	$131,818	$63.37
   8	Stanford Health Care	$131,361	$63.15	49
   9	Raley's	$131,029	$62.99	35
   10	Cedars-Sinai	$129,916	$62.46	68
   11	Price Chopper Supermarkets-Market 32	$129,643	$62.33
   12	Albertsons Companies	$128,598	$61.83	395
   13	United Supermarkets of Oklahoma	$127,015	$61.06
   14	Amazon	$126,062	$60.61	154
   15	Winn-Dixie	$125,730	$60.45
   16	Union Health	$123,999	$59.61
   17	UPMC	$122,948	$59.11	103
   18	Lowell General Hospital	$122,496	$58.89
   19	Cleveland Clinic	$122,075	$58.69	187
   20	Siemens	$121,601	$58.46

4. Writing a pharmacist manager job description

   A good pharmacist manager job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a pharmacist manager job description:

   Pharmacist manager job description example

   Applicants for all positions must be or become fully vaccinated against Covid-19 if selected for hire. Valid medical or religious exemptions will be considered but serial Covid-19 testing will be required to maintain employment.
   
   Lead the pharmacy team at our new clinic, opening, Fall, 2022. Relocation assistance available. Salary range is $120,000 - $150,000 and can go higher for a highly experienced candidate.
   Essential Functions/Responsibilities/Duties
   Performs all essential functions of the Pharmacist contained in the Pharmacist job description. Oversees pharmacists and support staff according to their job specific utilization plan. Coaches, mentors and trains direct report staff. Provides continuous performance management and conducts employee performance evaluations. Addresses performance, clarifies expectations, and provides feedback. Participates in the recruitment and selection of staff. Provides orientation to outline job requirements and expectations, policies and procedures, and proper use of tools and equipment. Develops annual work plan, forecasting equipment needs and capacity requirements. With approval from Pharmacy Director, implements the plan. Monitors annual operation budget, ensuring expenses do not exceed budget allowance. Ensures medication related incidents are thoroughly reported to the Quality Assurance (QA) department in a timely manner. Reviews QA reports received and communicates results to staff, ensuring implementation of the required site/process/safety adjustments identified in the reports. Assesses and implements opportunities for process improvement. Ensures that the standard of pharmacy practice consistently meets or exceeds legal and professional Standards of Care. Complies with state and federal drug laws as regulated by the State Board of Pharmacy, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Food and Drug Administration. Uses sound fiscal and pharmaceutical practices to determine the minimum level of inventory needed. Monitors adherence to established inventory process. Conducts periodic inspections of medication storage areas to check expired medications and storage conditions. Monitors staff s adherence to cash handling procedures and reconciliation of third-party payments. Provides in-service training for pharmacy and clinic personnel as it relates to pharmacy operations, in accordance with state regulations and program objectives. Performs clinical responsibilities in alignment with The Joint Commission (TJC), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and YVFWC requirements.
   Qualifications
   Education: Bachelor of Science Degree in Pharmacy. Experience: Two years experience working with ordering, inventory, and cost management activities. One year s experience supervising a team in a clinical environment. Professional Licenses/Certificates/Registration: Current WA State Pharmacist s license. Knowledge/Skills/Abilities: Knowledge of ordering and inventory control. Knowledge of cost management. Current knowledge of community pharmacy practice. Current knowledge of State and Federal Pharmacy Laws. Strong attention to detail. Ability to successfully manage, coach and train staff for sustained performance. Effective verbal and listening communication skills with a customer-oriented approach. Ability to prioritize work and handle a variety of tasks simultaneously, with frequent interruptions. Intermediate proficiency with a variety of computer programs including Microsoft Office. Basic knowledge of at least one pharmacy software system with ability to learn new ones.
   About YVFWC
   
   We serve more than 181,000 patients across 25 medical clinics, 14 dental clinics, 10 pharmacies, and 64 program sites in two states. We are Level 3 Certified as a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH). With integrated services including medical, dental, pharmacy, orthodontia, primary care nutritional counseling, autism screening, and primary care behavioral health, YVFWC s patient-centered model of care offers patients the full spectrum of care and shelter assistance, energy assistance, weatherization, HIV and AIDS counseling and testing, home visits, and four mobile medical/dental clinics.
   
   Working at YVFWC
   
   Working in our organization means being the passionate champion for those who have no voice. It means having the opportunity to work with underserved populations and with peers committed to the same work.
   
   At Farm Workers Clinic
   We will consistently trust one another to work for the common good. We will foster integrity by demonstrating ethical behavior and insisting on doing what we say we will do. We will demonstrate transparency by being candid and truthful no matter the risk. We will create partnerships to strengthen ourselves and our community. We will fight for just treatment for all individuals. We will let joy in. We have the courage to be an agent of change and refuse anything short of excellence.
   Our mission celebrates diversity. We are committed to equal opportunity employment.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right pharmacist manager for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with pharmacist managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit pharmacist managers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your pharmacist manager job on Zippia to find and recruit pharmacist manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit pharmacist managers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new pharmacist manager

   Once you've found the pharmacist manager candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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