Public Health Programme Support Officer

West Sussex County Council; England; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in West Sussex is seeking a Programme Support Officer to provide critical support for the Health and Wellbeing Board's strategy. This full-time role involves project management, liaising with stakeholders, and helping implement public health initiatives. Candidates should have strong attention to detail and advanced IT skills. The position offers a hybrid working model and a competitive salary.

Benefits

Supportive working environment

Work-life balance

Range of employee benefits

Qualifications

• Work accurately and proactively to deliver high-quality project support.
• Analyze varied and complex information and statistics.
• Organize and plan to meet targets and deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Provide program support for the West Sussex Health and Wellbeing Board's strategy.
• Liaise with stakeholders and draft communications.
• Monitor reporting systems and ensure documents are in place.

Skills

Project management support

Attention to detail

Initiative in problem-solving

Advanced IT skills

Education

HNC/HND in an appropriate subject or equivalent experience

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Overview

Do you have an excellent eye for detail and good project management support skills? Are you well organised and able to juggle competing demands?

The Public Health Department is a progressive multi-disciplinary department committed to improving health and tackling inequalities in West Sussex. The Department's key role is to "protect and improve lifelong health and wellbeing of everyone in West Sussex, by commissioning evidence-based services and empowering people to make healthier choices."

The Directorate also works closely with local agencies and partnerships to ensure the widest possible participation in the health and health care agenda.

The Opportunity

Salary: £32,597 to £35,412 per annum

Contract Type: Fixed term/Secondment for 12 months due to specific time allocated funding

Working Pattern: Full time, 37 hours per week - flexible working available

Location: Based at County Hall, Chichester with Hybrid working

Interview Date: Week commencing 20 October 2025, County Hall, Chichester

Internal candidates wishing to apply for this role will be considered for a secondment position. Please can you therefore discuss and agree this with your manager before applying for this position.

Role and responsibilities

We are looking for a Programme Support Officer, who will work within the Public Health policy and strategy team. You will be a key member of the Public Health Directorate, dealing with a complex range of issues in a fast-paced environment. You'll provide programme support for the delivery of West Sussex Health and Wellbeing Board's new West Sussex Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2025 to 2030, including supporting the development and coordination of the five priority area delivery groups.

This role will also provide support for the implementation of the agreed actions following the Board's recent development process. You'll work with the wider Public Health Directorate, working across teams on a range of key public health projects, programmes, and topic areas. The role may include, business planning, liaising with stakeholders, drafting communications, agenda planning, note-taking, and ensuring documents are drawn up and monitoring systems for reporting them are in place.

What are we looking for?

As our successful Programme Support Officer, you will need to:

• Be able to work quickly, accurately and proactively to deliver high quality project management support
• Have focus and attention to detail, being able to analyse varied and complex information and statistics.
• Use your initiative to make informed decisions when unexpected problems arise.
• Be organised and plan to ensure that targets and deadlines are met and that matters are dealt with efficiently and appropriately.
• Be able to prioritise your workload and observe confidentiality as required.
• Advanced IT skills including Microsoft office software as well as emails and the internet.
• HNC/HND in an appropriate subject, or equivalent practical experience/range of knowledge.

For full information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

What's in it for you?

As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work you do. Upon joining us you will have access to a range of benefits including:

For a full list this can be found at our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further information

The reference number for this role is CAFHE05938.

To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and cover letter. In your cover letter please outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV.

Please answer the following four questions in your cover letter when applying for this role:

1. Why have you decided to apply for this role?
2. How do you build relationships with partners and key stakeholders?
3. How do you organise and manage your workload?
4. How do you meet each of the key skills outlined in the job description? Please provide evidence and examples of your experience in relation to the key skills.

Please ensure you answer these questions. We will use your answers to assess your suitability for the role.

Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to 3 years referencing and a health check.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.

EC