Public Health Principal

Surrey County Council; Reigate; On-site; GBP 71,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in the UK is seeking a Public Health Principal to lead health improvement initiatives and reduce health inequalities. This position requires strong collaboration, staff management, and public health expertise. Offering a salary of £70,975 per annum with excellent benefits, this secondment opportunity allows professionals to make a significant impact in community health services.

Benefits

26 days' holiday

Employee Assistance Programme

Gym discounts

Learning and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience in developing partnerships with external organisations.
• Proven track record in public health leadership.
• Can evidence continuous professional development in public health.

Responsibilities

• Lead a portfolio of public health programmes.
• Provide strategy direction for CVD prevention.
• Manage the CVD Prevention team.

Skills

Public Health competencies

Collaboration with partners

Budget and resource management

Staff management

Leadership in public health strategy

Education

Public Health-related Masters qualification

Job description

• Location: Woodhatch Place, 11 Woodhatch Road, Cockshot Hill, Reigate, RH2 8EF

Description

We are committed to the development of our workforce.This position is only available to applicants who already work for Surrey County Council.We thank you for your interest in our roles and would encourage you to review our vacancies which are open to all.

The starting salary for this role is £70,975 per annum, working 36 hours per week.

This is a secondment opportunity until 1st May 2027.

Are you passionate about improving the health and wellbeing of our residents, with a particular focus on our neighbourhoods and communities that experience the poorest health?

We have an exciting secondment opportunity for the role of Public Health Principal. You will play a central role in delivering our Public Health ambitions including the Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

Rewards and Benefits

• 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service
• Annual leave allowance (for bank) or remove for term time
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About the Team

We are a committed, passionate and progressive and friendly team that strives to provide a stimulating environment within which to work, providing opportunities for personal development through a commitment to continuing professional development.

Our team has well developed relationships across the Council and with partners. The team sits in the Adults, Wellbeing and Health Partnership directorate, leading Health and Wellbeing initiatives across Surrey.

About the Role

In this role you will:

be responsible for providing highly specialist public health knowledge and skills to lead a portfolio of public health programmes in partnership with a range of statutory and voluntary organisations to achieve improvements in population health and a reduction in health inequalities.

• provide strategy direction and policy advice for CVD prevention and other specialist areas, and be responsible for the development, management and improvement of commissioned services.
• manage and lead the CVD Prevention team.

be a key member of the public health leadership team, deputising for Consultants in Public Health when required.

Please see the Job description for more details.

Shortlisting Criteria

To be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following:

Skilled in the range of Public Health competencies with a Public Health-related Masters qualification or equivalent experience

Proven ability to work collaboratively with internal and external partners/professionals

Proven ability to manage budgets and resources

Experience in staff management and commissioning

Can evidence continuous professional development in public health

Application Questions

As part of the application process, you will be asked to upload your CV and answer the following questions:

• Describe a time when you developed partnerships with external organisations to deliver a public health outcome
• Describe a time when you played a leadership role in the development of a public health strategy
• Provide an example of when you provided specialist public health advice that influenced the commissioning and/or provision of health services in order to reduce health inequalities
• If you were the Public Health Principal leading this team what steps would you take to ensure that all team members felt valued and included?

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment.

For an informal discussion please contact Alistair Hill by email or on MS Teams.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 16/09/2025 with interviews to follow.

Local Government Reorganisation

Surrey County Council is preparing for Local Government Reorganisation which will allow us to implement the Government led policy of devolution, which is all about giving more powers to local areas.

Currently, Surrey has a two-tier council system, with 11 district and borough councils and a county council, all responsible for different services. All these councils will be reorganised into a smaller number of new unitary councils which will come into effect in April 2027. At this point, this role will be transferred, with all existing terms and conditions intact into one of the new unitary councils.

Join our dynamic team and shape the future of local government. Make a lasting impact with innovative solutions and improved services for our community. Help us build a brighter future for our residents!

The Surrey Way behaviours are a guide that supports our council to work together effectively and deliver our best for our customers and communities, and for each other. Discover more about ourbehaviours .

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description.Our Life at Surrey handbook provides insights of the culture at Surrey and how as a valued employee, you can help shape our Council.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applicants where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.