Senior Clinical Pharmacist - Behavioral Health & Recovery Services (Open & Promotional)

Salary : $177,403.20 - $221,769.60 Annually
Location : County of San Mateo, CA
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: F047C
Department: Behavioral Health and Recovery Services
Opening Date: 10/01/2026
Closing Date: 10/15/2026 11:59 PM Pacific
Bargaining Unit: 01A

Description
San Mateo County Health's Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) is seeking a Senior Clinical Pharmacist to promote safe, evidence-based, clinically appropriate, and cost-effective medication use across behavioral health services.

Under the direction of the Pharmacy Manager, the Senior Clinical Pharmacist plans, coordinates, conducts, and evaluates pharmacy utilization review and quality assurance (URQA) activities, with an emphasis on behavioral health, psychiatric pharmacy, and substance use pharmacotherapy.

This position combines clinical expertise, data-informed quality improvement, and collaboration with prescribers and other health care professionals. The Senior Clinical Pharmacist provides complex clinical consultation and drug information, supports formulary and medication-use initiatives, develops clinical guidance and educational resources, and identifies opportunities to improve medication safety, access, quality, and outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

The Senior Clinical Pharmacist will be responsible for, but not limited to:

• Plan and conduct prospective, concurrent, and retrospective drug utilization reviews and medication use evaluations (MUEs) to assess medication use, prescribing practices, and clinical outcomes.
• Analyze medication utilization, prescribing patterns, costs, prior authorization trends, medication safety events, and adherence to established clinical criteria and guidelines.
• Develop and monitor URQA measures, reports, and other tools to evaluate medication quality, safety, access, utilization, and cost and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Evaluate high-risk, high-cost, and high-utilization medications and recommend strategies to promote safe, effective, and appropriate medication use.
• Develop and evaluate formulary and medication-use criteria, therapeutic interchange criteria, clinical guidelines, protocols, and related policies based on current evidence and best practices.
• Evaluate adverse drug reactions and medication safety trends and support the development, implementation, and follow-up of corrective and quality improvement actions.
• Lead and support Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee activities, including formulary reviews, new drug monographs, meeting materials, recommendations, and implementation of approved actions.
• Support formulary management, prior authorization, pharmacy benefit processes, medication access, and cost-saving initiatives through utilization analysis and quality review.
• Provide evidence-based clinical consultation and drug information to prescribers and other health care professionals, with an emphasis on psychiatric pharmacotherapy and medication-assisted treatment.
• Provide technical guidance, training, and education to pharmacy staff, providers, psychiatry residents and interns, and other learners.
• Provide medication reconciliation, medication counseling, and education to clients, as needed.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary committees, workgroups, and clinical partners to advance medication safety, quality, appropriate utilization, and clinical pharmacy initiatives.

NOTE: The eligible list created from this recruitment may be used to fill current and future permanent, extra help and/or temporary vacancies.
Qualifications

Licensure/Certification:
Possession of a license and current registration to practice as a Registered Pharmacist issued by the California State Board of Pharmacy.

Education and Experience:
Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is:
Education:

Graduation from a School of Pharmacy accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree (Pharm. D.) or equivalent.
Experience:

Three years of recent full-time clinical pharmacist experience in behavioral health, psychiatric pharmacy, ambulatory care, or a comparable setting. Qualifying experience must include clinical medication management, formulary management, medication use evaluation, drug information, pharmacy benefit support or related clinical pharmacy services. Experience must also demonstrate the ability to lead clinical pharmacy projects, provide work direction or training, coordinate services, or manage complex clinical pharmacy initiatives.
Knowledge of:

• Principles, methods and procedures used in the practice of pharmacy and in the delivery of pharmacy services in a hospital and/or clinic setting.
• Principles, practices, trends and technological developments in the area of pharmacology.
• Applicable laws, regulations, accreditation standards and safety guidelines.
• Functions of pharmacy services and the interrelationships of the various disciplines in the health services field.
• Cost-effective drug therapies.
• Office administrative practices and procedures, including records management and use of computer systems and applications.
• Clinical practices, procedures and techniques in the area of pharmacology.

Skill/Ability to:

• Develop and maintain effective programs and systems related to clinically and cost-effective pharmacy services.
• Train staff in work procedures and provide technical and programmatic assistance to staff and subcontractors.
• Administer and coordinate clinically and cost-effective pharmacy programs.
• Analyze, interpret and apply various regulations and requirements.
• Analyze a wide variety of moderate to complex operational problems and make effective operational and/or procedural recommendations.
• Use sound independent judgment to make decisions and determine appropriate courses of action.
• Work effectively with a wide range of health professionals and the public.
• Communicate effectively orally and in writing with people of diverse backgrounds and cultures.
• Plan and organize work.

Application/Examination
Open & Promotional. Anyone may apply. Current County of San Mateo and County of San Mateo Superior Court of California employees with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, extra-help/limited term positions prior to the final filing date will receive five points added to their final passing score on this examination.

The examination process will consist of an application screening (weight: pass/fail) based on the candidates' application and responses to the supplemental questions. Candidates who pass the application screening will be invited to a panel interview (weight: 100%). Depending on the number of applicants, an application appraisal of education and experience may be used in place of other examinations or further evaluation of work experience may be conducted to group applicants by level of qualification. All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination. All examinations will be given in the County of San Mateo, California and applicants must participate at their own expense.

IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the "Apply" button above or below. If you are not on the County's website, please go tohttps://jobs.smcgov.org/to apply. Responses to the supplemental questions must be submitted in addition to our regular employment application form. A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for the required employment application and supplemental questionnaire. Online applications must be received by the Human Resources Department before midnight on the final filing date.

TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT TIMELINE

Final Filing Date: Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 11:59 PM PST

Application Screening: October 16, 2026Panel Interviews: October 22, 2026 and/or October 23, 2026

Analyst: Priscilla Bermudez (10012026) (Senior Clinical Pharmacist - F047)
We invite you to explore our page for a snapshot of the comprehensive and competitive benefits available to eligible employees of the County of San Mateo. From health and wellness to financial security, our benefits are designed to support you at every stage of your career. (Please note that benefits are subject to change.)

In addition to core benefits, the County is proud to offer a variety of wellness and professional development programs to help you grow both personally and professionally. Most of these enriching opportunities are available during work hours and come at no cost to you.

As a County employee, you'll also be covered by the federal Social Security system, earning valuable retirement benefits based on your salary and years of service.
01

IMPORTANT NOTE: Applicants must submit responses to the supplemental questions below. These responses are a critical part of the evaluation process and will be carefully reviewed by subject matter experts. Responses should be clear, detailed, and concise, describing your relevant work experience, training, and education as they relate to this position. Please address all parts of each question and provide specific examples that reflect your individual experience and expertise. Strong responses are authentic, well-organized, and demonstrate attention to detail, clarity of expression, and the ability to follow instructions. A resume will not be accepted in place of the required responses.

• Please check this box to acknowledge that you have read and understood the above instructions.

02

This position requires possession of a license and current registration to practice as a Registered Pharmacist issued by the California State Board of Pharmacy. Do you possess a current California license and registration to practice Pharmacy in the State of California? (Please include your license number on the Certificates & Licenses section of the application. A "No" answer will disqualify you from this recruitment.)

• Yes
• No

03

Describe your experience providing clinical pharmacy services in behavioral health, psychiatric pharmacy, substance use treatment, or a comparable setting. Include the types of patients or programs you supported, your role, and the clinical pharmacy services you provided.
04

Describe a medication utilization, quality improvement, formulary, or medication safety initiative you led or significantly supported. What issue did you identify, what data or evidence did you use, what actions did you take, and what was the outcome?
05

Describe your experience providing clinical consultation, education, or technical guidance to prescribers, pharmacists, or other health care professionals. Include an example that demonstrates how you communicated complex medication-related information and influenced or supported clinical practice.
06

How did you learn about this position?

• County of San Mateo Website
• County of San Mateo Job Interest Card Notification
• County Hosted Virtual Event
• County Hosted Job Fair
• CalOpps.org
• Civic Match
• College/University Career Center
• Community-based Organization Posting
• Facebook/Instagram
• Friend or Relative
• GovernmentJobs.com
• Indeed
• Job Fair
• LinkedIn
• Professional Publication/Website (Please specify in next question)
• X (formerly called Twitter)
• Zip Recruiter
• Other (Please specify in next question)

07

If you answered, "Professional Publication/Website" or "Other" to the above question, please indicate below how you learned about this position. Your response to this question will help us in better marketing County jobs. Type NA if not applicable.
Required Question