Pharmacy Assistant

Role Overview

This position keeps the CIC pharmacy functioning smoothly from opening to close — turning prescriptions into correctly dispensed medicines, keeping shelves stocked with what patients actually need, and being the knowledgeable person customers turn to when they have questions about their treatment. The work balances clinical precision with retail pace, because a missed interaction or an out-of-stock item has immediate consequences for patient safety and for the trust the pharmacy has built in its community. The person in this role also helps carry the pharmacy's wider wellness work into the neighbourhood, making sure medicines reach the people enrolled in its delivery-based programmes on time.

Key Responsibilities

• Read, verify and dispense prescriptions accurately, checking dose, form and suitability for each patient, and preparing compounded products where a prescription calls for them.
• Intervene before problems reach the patient — spotting interactions, contraindications and likely adverse effects, and raising them with the prescriber rather than letting them pass.
• Track stock levels, forecast demand, place and receive orders, and store medicines under the temperature, security and quality conditions they require so that nothing expires unused or disappears from the shelf unexpectedly.
• Talk patients through their medicines in plain language: how and when to take them, what side effects to expect, what they should not mix them with, and how to stay consistent with a regimen over the long term.
• Advise walk-in customers on over-the-counter products, supplements and everyday health concerns, guiding them toward sensible choices.
• Coordinate the pharmacy's outreach and delivery programmes, including CIC Dawa Mlangoni and the CDM initiative, so enrolled patients receive their medicines on schedule.
• Act as the pharmacy's link to prescribers and external service providers — clarifying prescriptions, resolving therapy queries, and reviewing prescriptions and related claims to give technical input where it is needed.
• Process insurance billing and service claims accurately, and handle customer questions about availability, cover and refills with patience and professionalism.
• Maintain current patient records and prescription files, keep every activity within pharmacy law and regulation, and contribute to quality assurance and improvement efforts.
• Stay current on new drugs, treatment approaches and sector developments, and take part in continuing education to keep professional competence sharp.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Diploma in Pharmaceutical Technology from an institution recognised by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board.
• Active registration with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, held alongside a valid practising licence.
• At least two years of hands-on experience in retail pharmacy operations.
• Working knowledge of pharmaceutical law, regulation and professional standards.
• Ability to keep accuracy high while working at a busy counter with frequent interruptions.
• Comfort with medical software and inventory management systems.
• Analytical mindset with the judgment to solve problems as they arise.
• Practical experience handling service and insurance claim billing.
• Clear communication and strong interpersonal skills with patients, prescribers and colleagues.

Why Join

• Work alongside prescribers and external service providers on shared patient care rather than in isolation.
• Play a direct part in community wellness programmes that extend the pharmacy's reach beyond the counter.
• Continue learning through structured professional development and ongoing exposure to new treatments and medicines.
• Join a team where careful dispensing, honest patient advice and reliable record-keeping are treated as the core of the job.