Health Protection Practitioner (HCAI)

Walsall Council; Walsall; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Walsall Council’s Public Health team is recruiting a Health Protection Practitioner (HCAI) to strengthen health protection, immunisation and screening initiatives.

You will work with NHS partners, schools and GP practices, manage incidents and outbreaks, and horizon-scan for emerging public health issues to protect the local population.

The role requires strategic collaboration, independent workload management, and excellent spoken English in line with safeguarding commitments.

Qualifications

• Experience engaging partners across organisations in a health context.
• Knowledge of infection prevention and control principles.
• Ability to lead and work at a strategic level with stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Work with NHS and community partners to promote immunisations and screening.
• Collaborate with schools, GPs, family hubs and maternity services on health protection issues.
• Respond to incidents and outbreaks and prioritise workload for the Local Authority Public Health team.
• Identify emerging public health issues and horizon-scan to protect the local population.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Public health

Strategic collaboration

Job description

Health Protection Practitioner (HCAI) - Ref: SS03626

Grade: G10; Salary Range: £47,181 - £50,269

An exciting opportunity has arisen to work with Walsall Council’s Public Health team working within the health protection agenda, which is a busy but exciting area of Public Health work.

You will have the opportunity within the Public Health team to contribute to the health and wellbeing of the people of Walsall.

The health protection role will require you to work with partners in the NHS and community to promote immunisations and screening. You will also work on health protection issues with schools, GPs, family hubs and maternity services and as such have the proven ability to work across many relevant disciplines and identify new partners who can support the agenda. You will be expected to have a basic knowledge of the principles of infection, prevention and control of communicable diseases and expected to support reactive work of responding to incidents and outbreaks.

Within this role, you will be required to demonstrate proven experience of working at a strategic level with an ability to engage and lead partners. The role will also involve you being able to work independently to Public Health topic priorities with a proven ability to take responsibility for your own workload and prioritise work according to demand. This role will also require you to horizon scan and identify emerging public health issues for the local population as part of the health protection agenda.

The Public Health team is a supportive team, and measures are put in place to ensure that the successful candidate can thrive in a busy and productive team.

Interview Date: 15th September 2026

Interview Date: 28th September 2026

This post is covered by the Government’s Code of Practice on the English Language Fluency Duty for public sector workers. The post holder will be required to communicate verbally with customers and provide advice and/or information in accurate spoken English.

Walsall Council takes seriously the responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of all the children, young people and vulnerable adults entrusted to our care and it is our expectation that all staff will share this commitment. We will ensure continuous development and improvement of robust recruitment processes and procedures that promote a culture of safeguarding amongst our workforce. Completion of an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check is a requirement for working with children, young people and vulnerable adults.

Note: Applicants appointed to posts that require an enhanced DBS clearance must declare any periods of time that they have lived, studied or worked abroad and be prepared to provide an Overseas Criminal Records Certificate (OCRC) or a Statement of Good Conduct (SOGC) relating to anytime they were overseas.