This job is within the Healthcare and Medical Profession and is a Rating qualified role. As a Pharmacy Technician, upon completion of your phase one training, you will be part of a fast-paced, highly qualified medical team and maintaining high readiness to deployed medical capabilities globally. You will develop skills that will remain with you throughout your career. You will either be based ashore, supporting Royal Navy ships, UK Commando Forces, or at sea working within Primary Care or managing the Royal Navy’s operational surgical capabilities. This includes managing the Maritime Role 3 Hospital onboard RFA Argus.
You’ll have the opportunity to gain experience in a wide range of disciplines. Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, advising and learning directly from specialists in several different fields. Throughout your career you’ll tackle some of the most challenging environments imaginable, getting the accelerated development you want, and the pay and benefits package you deserve.
Pharmacy Technician Qualified
This role is for committed, enthusiastic people who can work alone and as a member of a multi-disciplinary team. You must be able to stay calm but, react quickly under pressure. Being a strong team player is also a must, as is the desire to develop new skills.
Start your application
This role is classed as a RBP Healthcare and Medical Rating Qualified. As part of your application process, we’ll help you find the most suitable role based on your skills and experience.
Register interest- £26,334 - £58,170
- GCSEs
- Surface Fleet
- Medical
- Rating level

Role details
- Make a real difference to some essential operations. Be part of a world-class medical services providing vital medical advice to deployed teams
- Use your medical expertise where it’s needed most, serving in a wide variety of unique and challenging environments
- When your not deployed you will be working in a Royal Navy shore base or even with the Royal Marines. Utilising your qualifications daily to make an impact on a medical capability
- Training will continue to be a constant feature, gaining both clinical and leadership skills as you progress
- Starting salary of at least £26,334, rising to over of £58,170 as your career progresses
- Be part of a world-class medical service
- Excellent rates of pay
- Serve in a wide variety of unique and challenging environments
- Six weeks’ paid holiday plus Bank Holidays
Skills for Life
Although you’ll arrive with your Pharmacy Technician qualifications, training will be a constant feature of your time with us. We’ll help you earn further qualifications and gain specialist skills. As well as helping you develop your Royal Navy career, everything you achieve will be recognised and valued by a future civilian employer.
- Continued specialist training as your career progresses
- Study for further A levels, NVQs or even a degree, partially paid for by us
- An opportunity to study further at Degree level 6 and Masters level 7 to top up your professional portfolio
Training
From the moment you join the Royal Navy, you’ll be building on any experience you already have, as well as learning a range of new seamanship skills that are unique to the Naval service. Your Royal Navy career begins with 10 weeks’ Initial Navy Training at HMS Raleigh, a shore base in Plymouth. The discipline, teamwork, organisational, firefighting and weapon handling skills you learn here will stay with you right through your career.
Promotion
After passing Initial Navy Training, you’ll start your career as an Able Rate. After that, develop your professional skills and promotion to Leading Hand and beyond will be based on merit.
- You need to be aged 17.5 - 39
- NVQ Level 3 in Pharmacy Services and registered as a Pharmacy Technician with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
- You must be a British or Irish National, a Commonwealth Citizen or a Dual National. Dual Nationality restrictions apply
- A Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18 and 28
- You must pass the Naval Swimming Test
- Technical thinkers
- Team players
- An adventurous spirit
- Positivity in the face of adversity
- Enthusiasm for working in high pressure environments
This role is for committed, enthusiastic people who can work alone and as a member of a multi-disciplinary team. You must be able to stay calm but, react quickly under pressure. Being a strong team player is also a must, as is the desire to develop new skills.
As a Pharmacy Technician in the Royal Navy, I’ve had the privilege of travelling the world. This has enabled frontline healthcare to operate effectively on ships from anywhere around the globe
Career Progression
Phase One Training
10 weeks at HMS Raleigh, learning basic military skills
Phase Two Training
Develop your professional skills at DMS Whittington
First Year
Complete the Medical Assistant task book and deploy as part of a ships company
First Promotion
Complete the Leading Rate Leadership Course and start managing a department
Second Promotion
Complete the Senior Rate Leadership course and become a senior manager
Joining Process
From picking your role to starting on your first day, these are the steps you'll take to join as a rating.
- Submit an application
- Defence Aptitude Assessment (DAA)
- Interview
- Medical and eye tests
- Pre-Joining Fitness Test (PJFT)
- Candidate Preparation Course (CPC)
- Start training
Start your application
Find your place in the Royal Navy. Make friends for life, learn new skills and experience the world.
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