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UnitedHealth Group
Gardena, California

Staff Pharmacist Full Time

PharmacistIncludes callFull-Time

Listed compensation

from $44/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 3mo ago

Job Description

Explore opportunities with CPS, part of the Optum family of businesses. We’re dedicated to crafting and delivering innovative hospital and pharmacy solutions for better patient outcomes across the entire continuum of care.

With CPS, you’ll work alongside our team of more than 2,500 pharmacy professionals, technology experts, and industry leaders to drive superior financial, clinical, and operational performance for health systems nationwide. Ready to help shape the future of pharmacy and hospital solutions? Join us and discover the meaning behind Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

As a full-time, non-exempt Staff Pharmacist you’ll play a vital role in delivering safe, accurate, and efficient pharmacy services. This is a hands-on opportunity to make a direct impact by ensuring the accuracy of medication orders, verifying technician-prepared products, and safeguarding controlled substances.

You’ll contribute to a high-performing team by mentoring new staff, maintaining seamless daily operations, and supporting the Director in optimizing pharmacy performance.

Location: Memorial Hospital of Gardena in Gardena, CA

Schedule

This full time, nonexempt position will work up to 40 hours/week in a variety of day/evening/night shifts in this 24/7 centralized pharmacy.

Pharmacy Hours: The centralized pharmacy is open 24/7 and supported by AllScripts and Pyxis.

Primary Responsibilities

  • Verify physician orders for accuracy and appropriateness
  • Verify medication that leave the pharmacy for accuracy and appropriateness
  • Answer clinical questions
  • Start/adjust pharmacy driven clinical protocols

You’ll be rewarded and recognized for your performance in an environment that will challenge you and give you clear direction on what it takes to succeed in your role as well as provide development for other roles you may be interested in.

Required Qualifications

  • ACPE-accredited pharmacy degree (PharmD preferred)
  • Current California Pharmacist license in good standing
  • Proven skilled with pharmacy systems and Microsoft Office

Preferred Qualifications

  • 1+ years of recent acute care inpatient pharmacist experience
  • IV compounding experience

Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. In addition to your salary, we offer benefits such as, a comprehensive benefits package, incentive and recognition programs, equity stock purchase and 401k contribution (all benefits are subject to eligibility requirements).

No matter where or when you begin a career with us, you’ll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives. The hourly pay for this role will range from $44.09 to $78.70 per hour based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.

At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone. We believe everyone–of every race, gender, sexuality, age, location and income–deserves the opportunity to live their healthiest life.

Today, however, there are still far too many barriers to good health which are disproportionately experienced by people of color, historically marginalized groups and those with lower incomes.

We are committed to mitigating our impact on the environment and enabling and delivering equitable care that addresses health disparities and improves health outcomes — an enterprise priority reflected in our mission.

UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer under applicable law and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.

UnitedHealth Group is a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.

Key Responsibilities

The Staff Pharmacist is responsible for verifying physician orders and medication accuracy to ensure safe pharmacy services. They also answer clinical questions, manage clinical protocols, and mentor new staff to optimize pharmacy performance.

Requirements

Candidates must possess an ACPE-accredited pharmacy degree and a current California Pharmacist license in good standing. Proficiency with pharmacy systems and Microsoft Office is required, while acute care and IV compounding experience are preferred.

Qualifications

Education
Doctoral or professional degree (postgraduate degree)

Key Skills

Medication Order VerificationClinical Protocol ManagementControlled Substances ManagementPatient CareAcute Care Pharmacy

Pharmacist Career Context

Of the 45 active Pharmacy listings this role was benchmarked against, 38% are remote, 56% have no call, 62% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$128k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $115k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

UnitedHealth Group holds silver-tier status on WeekdayDoc's Top Employers work-life index, composite score 75/100, 1,418 active listings.

Top Pharmacist Jobs

22 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution22 jobs · 17 employers

6
<$145k
2
$145k-165k
9
$165k-185k
5
$185k-205k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks22 jobs · 17 employers

401k / retirement match
91% this job
Sign-on bonus
36%
Loan repayment
5%
CME allowance
5%
Relocation assistance
5%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Clinical Pharmacist (Formulary & Quality)

Centene · Indiana

$108k-$199k
#2

Clinical Quality Pharmacist

MedImpact Healthcare Systems · San Diego, California

$109k-$196k
#3

Clinical Operations Pharmacist

$109k-$196k
#4

Clinical Pharmacist - Tempe

$115k-$192k
+ 20 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 2.8this job 2.8
Better work-life than 50% of Pharmacy listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 10,137 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • Includes call

Living in Gardena

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$789k
Typical market rent
$2,354/mo
Residents’ average commute
29 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
113.6
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Aug 2026), Zillow market rents (Aug 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

BEA 2024 · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.

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About UnitedHealth Group

Hospitals and Health Care
Eden Prairie , Minnesota
10,000+ employees

Benefits & Perks

Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401k
Equity stock purchase
Incentive and recognition programs