Public Health Officer - Oral Health

North Northamptonshire Council; England; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Part time

Job summary

A local government council in England seeks a Public Health Officer to coordinate oral health improvement projects. This role involves collaboration with health professionals and stakeholders while focusing on reducing health inequalities. The successful candidate will have experience in public health and excellent communication skills. This is a part-time fixed-term position of 22.2 hours per week with options for hybrid working. Competitive salary and a range of benefits are offered.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Pension scheme

Generous leave entitlement

Employee Assistance Programme

Flexible working arrangements

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent in a relevant field.
• Familiar with NHS and local authority policies.
• Knowledge of public health practice and health promotion is essential.

Responsibilities

• Manage public health development work based on local and national priorities.
• Provide expertise and accountability for public health projects.
• Support health improvement initiatives and engage local health professionals.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Negotiation skills

Project management skills

Education

Degree in a management-related discipline

Formal qualification in Public Health

Job description

About the Role

Public Health North Northamptonshire are looking to appoint a Public Health Officer to the Public Health Children’s and Young People’s Team to work on the coordination of oral health improvement. You will have dental experience and use this to play a key part in improving the health of residents in North Northamptonshire, through prevention, early intervention and health improvement approaches across the health and social care economy. You will also support the implementation of evidence based public health programmes/interventions to improve health and reduce health inequalities in relation to oral health.

We are looking for a passionate individual who is experienced in public health, dentistry, health or social care to work across North Northamptonshire and has a good working knowledge of the National oral health agenda. The successful candidate will have excellent communication skills to work collaboratively with key stakeholders across a network of settings, within these relationships you need to represent the values of the team, you will need to have effective interpersonal and influencing skills, be able to build relationships and influence stakeholders at all levels.

As a Public Health Officer, you will play a key role in identifying effective evidence-based interventions and reviewing practice to improve oral health outcomes for our communities, whilst reducing health inequalities. This role will focus on developing partnerships with health system partners and providing officer support to the commissioned work within children, young people’s and adult services. You will be expected to travel to various locations across the county. You will work with colleagues from dental practice, local authorities, social care, education, NHS and voluntary sector organisations.

You will report to the Public Health Practitioner for Maternity, Children and Young People and will work across the Children’s Portfolio to support the team and organisation in achieving the desired outcomes.

This is a fixed term appointment for a 12-month period on a part-time basis of 22.2 hours per week.

Your application should be structured on the essential and desirable criteria in the job description.

The closing date for this post is Tuesday 6th January 2026, although we may close early if we receive a higher-than-expected number of applications.

In-person interviews are expected to be held during the w/c 19th January 2026.

If you have any further questions about this role, please contact Patsy Richards, Public Health Principal, at [e-mail].

What will you be doing?

• Manage key pieces of public health development work, in line with local and national priorities and emerging legislation, to meet Public Health and Wellbeing Service Plans and national and local public health strategy.
• Provide expertise to the Public Health team and be accountable for the planning, co‑ordination, facilitation and monitoring of public health change or improvement projects; developing capability and capacity to embed service improvement tools and techniques, supporting the continuous modernisation and redesign of traditional service.
• Identify opportunities to improve and/or simplify public health related processes and seek to remedy these through improved processes, compliance or coaching.
• Contribute to or lead project planning within specific public health priority areas, ensuring that a clear and transparent plan is maintained, managed and progress tracked appropriately, in order to maintain control of delivering improved services using cost effective processes.
• Represent Public Health at the Health and Wellbeing Forum within Northamptonshire and identify opportunities to work with partners to improve and embed consideration of health and wellbeing in policies and procedures.
• Support health improvement initiatives through engaging clinicians, commissioners and local authority providers in new initiatives to change behaviour, increasing public awareness of risk factors and health promotion.
• Support health protection planning and the local public health response to major incidents, disease outbreaks or other public health incidents.
• Monitor changing guidance at a national and regional level, bring attention to the public health areas it will impact and tailor the public health programme according to the population need with the aim of reducing health inequalities.

The above is only an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. You will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required by your line manager. The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the organisation or the Public Health Directorate.

About You

Education, Qualifications and Training

• Essential: Educated to degree level in a management‑related discipline or hold a professional qualification (such as finance or procurement) at a similar level.
• Desirable: A formal qualification in or working towards a Public Health or related discipline; Prince2 Practitioner Level or Equivalent.

Experience and Knowledge

• Essential: Able to demonstrate a good understanding of NHS and local authority policy, statutory duties and responsibilities.
• Essential: Able to demonstrate understanding of public health areas of responsibility and functions.
• Essential: Able to demonstrate understanding of public health practice, health promotion and health care evaluation.
• Essential: Able to demonstrate knowledge of evidence based public health practice.
• Desirable: Able to demonstrate relevant dentistry knowledge.

Ability and Skills

• Essential: Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills (for a range of audiences from senior management to the media).
• Essential: Sensible negotiator with practical expectation of what can be achieved.
• Essential: Excellent interpersonal and motivational skills with the ability to influence and negotiate.
• Essential: Ability for presenting complex information to groups and in a simplified way.
• Essential: Computer literate.
• Desirable: The ability to manage and/or work on a number of concurrent projects.
• Desirable: Able to act independently, with some guidance from line manager.

Equal Opportunities

Ability to demonstrate awareness/understanding of equal opportunities and other people’s behaviour, physical, social and welfare needs.

Additional Factors

• Essential: Able to demonstrate experience of working in NHS or local government cultures and structures.
• Essential: Experience of working with health and/or social care professionals to deliver service improvement.
• Desirable: Experience of full cycle experience of managing projects and leading task and finish groups.

Benefits

• A competitive salary.
• A pension scheme, where we pay a significant contribution on top of your contribution. It provides life cover and ill‑health protection.
• Lots of opportunities to develop your skills, knowledge and potential in a large unitary council.
• Generous leave entitlement (28 days, rising to 33 days) and bank holidays, plus the option to buy up to an extra 10 days.
• Hybrid and flexible working arrangements, where practicable for service needs to help you with a healthy work‑life balance.

We provide a range of great benefits such as an Employee Assistance Programme, an Employee Benefits Scheme, wellbeing support, travel rates at HMRC rates, as well as supporting a range of active Employee Network Groups.

About Us

Our Values Define Who We Are And How We Operate, By Forming The Foundation For How We Interact With Our Customers, Colleagues And Provide Our Services. They Are Also At The Forefront Of Our Decision Making And Delivery And Are …

Customer‑focused; Respectful; Efficient; Supportive; Trustworthy.

Disability Confident Employer

We are proud to be a recognised Disability Confident Employer and is committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role.

Armed Forces Community

The council obtained the Gold status award for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS).

Further information can be found at Jobs and careers | North Northamptonshire Council (northnorthants.gov.uk).