Lead Health Protection Nurse / Practitioner

NHS; Cardiff; On-site; GBP 56,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

A national public health agency in Wales is seeking a Health Protection Nursing Practitioner for a fixed-term role. The successful candidate will lead a team to deliver equitable sexual health protection services and collaborate on policy development. Applicants should be registered health protection nurses with significant experience in sexual health and a drive to tackle health inequalities. The role offers a salary range of £56,514 to £63,623 per annum, emphasizing full-time commitment, and aims to enhance public health outcomes in Wales.

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse level one or Allied Health Professional registered with a UK statutory regulator.
• Educated to Masters level in relevant field.
• Extensive experience working in health protection, infection protection and control.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of Health Protection Nursing Practitioners.
• Contribute to policy development and service improvement.
• Collaborate with programme leads to implement effective interventions.

Skills

Leadership skills

Communication skills

Problem-solving abilities

Collaboration skills

Policy development

Education

Masters level in relevant field

Registered Nurse level one or Allied Health Professional

Job description

Job Summary

This post is Fixed Term for 18 months due to the needs of the service.

The Communicable Disease Inclusion Health Programme (CDIHP) delivers an integrated approach to reducing infectious disease and health inequalities among vulnerable and marginalised populations across Wales. The Sexual Health Programme focuses on preventing and managing communicable diseases linked to sexual health and improving outcomes for those most at risk.

Responsibilities

• Lead, support, and develop a team of Health Protection Nursing Practitioners to deliver high-quality, equitable sexual health protection services.
• Contribute to policy development, surveillance, clinical governance, and service improvement.
• Work collaboratively with programme leads and partners to design and implement effective interventions.
• Promote professional development, supervision, and reflective practice within the team.
• Act as a key link between operational staff and senior leadership, ensuring alignment with Public Health Wales' strategic aims.

About You

You will be a registered health protection nurse/practitioner with:

• Significant experience in sexual health, communicable disease, or public health practice.
• Proven leadership and team management skills.
• Strong communication, partnership, and problem‑solving abilities.
• A commitment to tackling health inequalities and improving outcomes for vulnerable populations.

About Us

We are Public Health Wales – the national public health agency in Wales. Our purpose is "Working together for a healthier Wales". We exist to help everyone in Wales live longer, healthier, happier lives. Together with our partners, we work to increase healthy life expectancy, improve health and well‑being, and reduce inequalities for everyone in Wales, now and for future generations.

Our teams work to prevent disease, protect health, and provide leadership, specialist services and public health expertise. We are the leading source of public health information, research and innovation in Wales. In a world facing complex health challenges, our work has never been so important.

We are guided by our Values: "Working together, with trust and respect, to make a difference". We are committed to building an inclusive workplace that values equality and diversity. We welcome applications which represent the rich diversity of the communities we serve and are supportive of flexible working arrangements, including part‑time roles and job sharing.

To find out more about working for us and the benefits we offer please visit https://phw.nhs.wales/careers/.

For guidance on the application process, please visit https://phw.nhs.wales/working-for-us/applicant-information-and-guidance/.

Details

• Date posted: 05 December 2025
• Pay scheme: Agenda for change
• Band: Band 8a
• Salary: £56,514 to £63,623 a year per annum
• Contract: Fixed term
• Duration: 18 months
• Working pattern: Full‑time
• Reference number: 028-NMR026-1225
• Job location: 2 Capital Quarter, Tyndall Street, Cardiff, CF10 4BZ

Person Specification

Essential

• Registered Nurse level one or Allied Health Professional registered with a UK statutory regulator (e.g. HCPC) or UKPHR or Environmental Health Registration Board (EHRB)
• Educated to Masters level in relevant field, or equivalent specialist experience
• Evidence of ongoing professional development
• Extensive experience working in health protection, infection protection and control or similar clinical/Environmental Health services at Band 7 level or above
• Experience in the identification and implementation of service audit
• Proven knowledge and experience in the identification of areas requiring policy development
• Demonstrate ability to lead the development of relevant policies, guidelines, protocols
• Extensive experience in presenting to a wide variety of audiences in both formal and informal settings
• Experience of research and development
• Demonstrable leadership and management skills
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to represent a team and liaise with other professional organisations
• Ability to innovate, lead, and implement change
• Ability to engage and motivate others
• Proficient in problem solving
• Competent in the use of IT (word processing, spreadsheets and databases)
• Ability to co‑ordinate/lead a range of public health activities involving other professionals and agencies
• Ability to prioritise own workload effectively so that work programme targets are met
• Effective verbal and written presentation and reporting skills
• Able to forge strong links and networks to work collaboratively with others both inside and outside the NHS
• Knowledge of organisational strategic frameworks and workforce planning
• Ability to travel between sites in Wales frequently

Desirable

• Qualification in leadership and/or management
• Postgraduate teaching experience
• Experience of leading professional projects
• Experience in change management
• Experience of engagement and participation in a variety of audits at both regional and national level
• Evidence of formal publication of scientific work, poster and/or oral presentations
• Financially astute / business aware
• Experience in performance monitoring and management
• Extensive specialist practical and theoretical knowledge of health protection
• Involvement in organisational professional issues
• Welsh speaker

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab). From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer Details

• Name: Public Health Wales
• Address: 2 Capital Quarter, Tyndall Street, Cardiff, CF10 4BZ
• Website: https://phw.nhs.wales/ (Opens in a new tab)