Assistant Director of Public Health

Salary details: £ - £

Derbyshire County Council is looking to recruit an enthusiastic and dynamic registered Public Health Specialist to the position of Assistant Director of Public Health. This role holder will be a key member of the Public Health Senior Leadership Team. The successful candidate will need to be a forward thinking and adaptive system leader able to work across the health and care system, who can work together with our local communities and partners to deliver our strategic vision of ensuring that everyone in Derbyshire thrives.

The successful post-holder will lead a challenging and complex transformational agenda across the local population health and wellbeing system. Colleagues in the Public Health Department in Derbyshire work flexibly to meet the needs of the population and portfolios may change in response to emerging need.

This is a senior leadership role, and the post-holder will lead specific functions within the Department. The portfolio of this Assistant Director of Public Health post will be negotiated with the successful candidate on appointment. The current post holder is responsible for mental health, substance use, tobacco control, obesity, physical activity and operational responsibility for the delivery of Live Life Better Derbyshire services.

This is an exciting time for the Department, following the recent publication of a refreshed Health and Wellbeing Strategy and a Public Health Strategic Plan. The successful candidate will be responsible for leading implementing of aspects of both to improve health outcomes for the people of Derbyshire and reduce health inequalities. 

The successful candidate will require a high-level understanding of epidemiology, statistics, health improvement, health protection, healthcare public health, health economics and healthcare evaluation. The successful candidate will need specialist registration with the General Medical Council (GMC) General Dental Council (GDC) or United Kingdom Public Health Register (UKPHR) or be Public Health Specialty Registrar applicants who are not yet on the GMC Specialist Register, UKPHR register or GDC Specialist List in dental public health. Individuals in this latter category must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they are within six months of gaining entry to a register at the date of interview.

This role is an excellent opportunity to lead and develop a large public health team with both commissioned and directly delivered services to create lasting change for the communities of Derbyshire. The role has ample opportunities to develop your leadership, management, and specialist consultant skills in a supportive team and demonstrate impact.

Derbyshire is a wonderful place to live, visit and work. It is a largely rural county with many sparsely populated areas, 28 market towns and around 9 million people living within easy reach of the county in surrounding cities. The post involves hybrid working. The post holder will be required to attend meetings in person as the service requires it. While the main base will be in Matlock, you may also be responsible for teams that operate from other sites in Derbyshire.

What we offer you: 

• 34 days of annual leave, plus bank holidays
• Training and development opportunities
• Generous local government pension scheme
• Guaranteed incremental annual pay increases
• Access to a comprehensive wellbeing package
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounts at selected county leisure centres
• and much more

The Council is currently undergoing a period of positive transformation and growth, focusing on developing its people and services to be the very best they can be. There has never been a better time to join.

Interviews will be held in person at County Hall, Matlock [date TBC].

For a confidential and informal discussion about the role please contact: Ellie Houlston (Director of Public Health) at ellie.houlston@derbyshire.gov.uk

*A market supplement is currently attached to this post. This is a separate payment made in addition to the normal salary. All market supplement payments are reviewed 6 months prior to their proposed end date to determine whether the supplement should continue.

+Pay award for 2025/26 pending

Due to this post having access to children and/or vulnerable adults, the successful candidate will be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check. The possession of a criminal record will not necessarily prevent an applicant from obtaining this post, as all cases are judged individually according to the nature of the role and information provided. Click here to see our policy on criminal background checks.

Apply now and take the first step towards a fulfilling career with us! By joining Derbyshire County Council you will have access to a range of amazing rewards and employee benefits, including our generous annual leave scheme, excellent local government pension and fantastic employee discounts. To discover more detail about the rewards and benefits available to you, click here

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