ADP Strategic Coordinator (AW)

NHS Scotland; Chandigarh; Hybrid; INR 7,635,000 - 11,452,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS Scotland is seeking an experienced ADP Strategic Co-ordinator to provide strategic leadership for the ADP Partnership Board and support delivery of local strategies across alcohol and drugs treatment, policy and prevention. The role is based in the Public Health Department with hybrid working across Borders Council areas.

You will lead strategy development, partnership working and performance reporting, shaping services and budgets to improve health outcomes and reduce harm.

Qualifications

• Substantial senior-level experience in public health or health improvement.
• Strong track record in strategy development and delivering complex programmes.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and translate evidence into action.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership on alcohol and drugs treatment, prevention and policy.
• Lead the development and delivery of ADP strategies and delivery plans.
• Commission, procure, monitor and evaluate alcohol and drug services with quality and person-centered care.
• Manage ADP resources including a budget around £2.3 million; report on performance and risk.
• Lead the ADP Support Team including workforce planning and service improvement.
• Build partnerships across boundaries and include lived experience voices in priorities.
• Analyse data, respond to emerging harms and prepare high-quality reports for leaders and government.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Public health expertise

Stakeholder influence

Program delivery

Education

Master's in public health

Equivalent professional qualification

Job description

Band 8a | 36hrs 1.0 WTE PERMANENT

Public Health Department | Education Department, Borders General Hospital | Hybrid

Are you an experienced public health leader who can turn strategy into action and build effective partnerships to reduce alcohol- and drug-related harm?

OUR VALUES IN ACTION

• Compassion
• Kindness
• Integrity
• Teamwork
• Excellence

ADP Strategic Co-ordinator

A senior role providing strategic leadership to the ADP Partnership Board and supporting the development and delivery of local strategies and delivery plans across alcohol and drugs treatment, policy and prevention.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and specialist public health expertise on alcohol and drugs treatment, prevention, policy and health improvement.
• Lead the development, implementation and evaluation of ADP strategies, delivery plans, programmes and services.
• Commission, procure, monitor and evaluate alcohol and drug services, ensuring high-quality, safe, effective and person-centred provision.
• Manage delegated ADP resources, including a budget currently valued at approximately £2.3 million, and provide clear performance, risk and assurance reporting.
• Lead and develop the specialist ADP Support Team, including workforce planning, performance management and service improvement.
• Build effective partnerships across organisational and professional boundaries and ensure the voice of people with lived and living experience informs ADP priorities.
• Analyse complex data and evidence, respond to emerging harms, and produce high-quality reports, briefings and presentations for senior leaders, partners and the Scottish Government.
• Contribute to wider Public Health leadership and deputise for senior managers when required.

About You

You will bring substantial senior-level experience in public health or health improvement, together with a strong record of developing strategy, leading change and delivering complex programmes across organisational boundaries. You will be a confident and credible leader, able to influence senior stakeholders, manage competing priorities and translate complex evidence into clear recommendations and action.

You should have a Master’s degree in public health or an allied discipline, an equivalent professional qualification, or equivalent relevant experience. You will also need experience of managing people, budgets and projects; strong analytical, communication and negotiation skills; and the ability to work autonomously in a complex and fast-moving environment.

Registration as a Public Health Practitioner, or evidence of working towards registration, would be desirable.

Working with us

The post is based within the Public Health Department, with hybrid working across Scottish Borders Council Headquarters and/or the Education Centre. The role requires travel throughout the Scottish Borders and occasional attendance at meetings or events outside normal working hours. A PVG Disclosure check is required.

We welcome applications from experienced leaders who share our commitment to reducing health inequalities, improving outcomes and working in partnership with communities and services across the Scottish Borders.

Closing date for applications: 25th November 2026.

To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service.

As part of the pre-employment checks for a preferred candidate, NHS Scotland Boards will check your entitlement to work in the UK. It can be evidenced through a number of routes including specific types of visa as well as EU settled and pre-settled status. To find out more about these routes of permission, please refer to the GOV.UK website here.

For specific types of post, if you do not have the necessary eligibility to work in the UK, it might be possible (though not guaranteed) to secure sponsorship via a UK Skilled Worker/Health & Care Worker Visa. However, this is only possible if the employer is a licensed Sponsor, and if the post does not fall below the current minimum salary threshold or ‘going rate’. Further information on these criteria can be found here.

It is ESSENTIAL that you have checked that you either already have an appropriate right to work in the UK or that the post would be eligible to be sponsored BEFORE submitting your application form.

NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.