Public Health Policy & Programme Officer

Southwark Council; London Borough of Southwark; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 59,000; Full time

Job summary

Southwark Council is recruiting a Policy and Programme Officer in the Healthy Place team for a 2-year fixed-term contract. The role leads on developing health in all policies approaches to housing, planning and the wider determinants of health.

You will collaborate with Council departments, VCS and NHS partners, commissioning programmes to improve access to healthy environments and tackling health inequalities while supporting learning and partnership working across the public health team.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop Southwark’s approach to supporting healthy environments.
• Develop and commission programmes to improve accessibility to healthy environments and address health inequalities.
• Support partnership working and effective learning about health impact across key staff groups and organisations.

Job description

We are the largest social landlord in London, managing 55,000 homes lived in by 40% of Southwark’s residents. We are home to over 18,300 businesses including iconic London venues and social enterprises and we have a diverse and growing population.

At Southwark we are committed to making our borough just and fair and are taking positive action to tackle inequalities. Our residents and communities are our greatest asset and the passion we have for Southwark is shared by millions of Londoners who enjoy our outstanding cultural offer, use our hospitals and attend our universities. Our refreshed borough plan and focus on Southwark Stands Together, (which is our work with Southwark’s communities and the council’s staff to tackle racism, injustice and inequality) underpins all that we do.

What You'll Be Doing

The Public Health Division are recruiting a Policy and Programme Officer for the Healthy Place team on a 2-year fixed term basis. This is an exciting opportunity to lead and develop Southwark’s approach to supporting healthy environments. The role works in partnership with colleagues across the Council and community, focusing on public health leadership in housing, planning and the social, environmental and commercial determinants of health.

This post is a varied role that involves: taking a health in all policies approach to collaboration; developing and commissioning specific programmes of work to improve accessibility to healthy environments and address health inequalities; and to support partnership working and effective learning about health impact across key staff groups and organisations.

You will develop relationships with all programme stakeholders across Council departments and communities, VCS and NHS partners. You will be championing the capacity of local authority place-shaping powers to create healthier urban environments.

Through this role you will gain comprehensive experience of working independently on a system-wide, politically complex project within an enthusiastic and high functioning public health team.

What We're Looking For

We are seeking a highly skilled public health professional with extensive experience in the area of wider determinants of health and a deep understanding of public health methodology.

The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in developing, implementing, and evaluating policies and programs aimed at improving health outcomes and addressing inequalities.

You will have expertise in conducting health needs assessments and evaluating intervention outcomes. You will have exceptional communication and report writing skills and ability to present complex information to diverse audiences. You will be skilled in delivering results under pressure and can effectively manage multiple projects to high standards within tight deadlines.

A strong commitment and understanding of addressing health inequalities and tackling the wider determinants of health.

Advert close date: 11:59pm on 1 November 2026

Interview date/s: 19 November 2026

We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together initiative . We particularly welcome applications from members of the black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

Salary Range (Full time equivalent) £51,831 - £59,394