Job summary
Waltham Forest is committed to building a more inclusive and equitable health system, and we are excited to offer the opportunity for a Senior Public Health Strategist to join our passionate and diverse Public Health team, on a fixed term basis to cover a period of maternity leave. This role will focus on maternal and child health, with the goal of ensuring all babies, children and their families, regardless of background, have access to high-quality, culturally competent services.
This role is an important position within the team, with responsibility for the Healthy Child Programme and 0-19 service commissioning, reporting to a Consultant in Public Health.
The role has a substantial commissioning and performance management element, and, working with the Consultant in Public Health, will lead on commissioning the 0-19 service (with a particular focus on health visiting and Family Nurse Partnership) ensuring high performance and continual improvement of commissioned services, using and responding to the latest data, evidence and the latest public health guidance to shape and develop the service.
Main duties of the job
The role has a significant partnership working remit and will involve close partnership working with internal departments such as Early Help, Early Years, Childrens Social Care and others to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for young children and families. Two particular areas of focus over the next 12 months will be developing the model for the recommissioning of the Healthy Child Programme and developing a strategic approach to pre-conception and antenatal health and wellbeing in order to tackle maternal health inequalities.
The postholder will be part of the childrens team, within the broader public health team and will work flexibly with other members of this team to address health and wellbeing priorities for children in our borough.
About us
Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work.
We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents.
London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of theMayor of Londons Good Work Standardemployers. This accreditation is a proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment.
The Council's preference is for online application. However, if you have a disability and are unable to complete an online application, please emailrecruitment@walthamforest.gov.ukso we can arrange an alternative application method.
Job description
Job responsibilities
We are looking for a candidate with experience in public health commissioning. A strategic thinker with a proven track record in managing complex public health initiatives, particularly in childrens health, working collaboratively with the team, wider partners to improve outcomes and tackle inequities. We are looking for someone who will thrive in a senior post, forming part of our senior management team, and contributing to the strategic leadership of both the portfolio and our public health team.
The role would suit a candidate with:
- Significant experience in public health, including in commissioning and service management. Experience in childrens health would be seen as a positive.
- Skills in data analysis, needs assessments, and evidence-based public health interventions, with a focus on improving access and outcomes for marginalised groups.
- Experience in programme management, working with partners to deliver strategies and action plans for clear impacts and results
- Strong partnership working, networking and influencing/negotiating skills to bring stakeholders together to address health outcomes for babies and children.
- Experience supporting colleagues in a team environment, with a focus on developing an inclusive team culture and ensuring that all voices are heard and valued.
- Strong communication skills - you will need the ability to engage with diverse communities, challenge inequalities, and advocate for improvement and systemic change within and outside the Council.
- Resilience & adaptability - an ability to work in a fast-paced and evolving environment while maintaining a focus on equity and inclusion.
You should have a strong commitment to diversity, inclusivity and health equity.We encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from those who identify as Black, Asian, or from Global Majority communities. We also welcome applications from people of all genders, sexual orientations, and disabilities, and welcome applications from those who would like to work less than full time.
Job description
Job responsibilities
We are looking for a candidate with experience in public health commissioning. A strategic thinker with a proven track record in managing complex public health initiatives, particularly in childrens health, working collaboratively with the team, wider partners to improve outcomes and tackle inequities. We are looking for someone who will thrive in a senior post, forming part of our senior management team, and contributing to the strategic leadership of both the portfolio and our public health team.
The role would suit a candidate with:
- Significant experience in public health, including in commissioning and service management. Experience in childrens health would be seen as a positive.
- Skills in data analysis, needs assessments, and evidence-based public health interventions, with a focus on improving access and outcomes for marginalised groups.
- Experience in programme management, working with partners to deliver strategies and action plans for clear impacts and results
- Strong partnership working, networking and influencing/negotiating skills to bring stakeholders together to address health outcomes for babies and children.
- Experience supporting colleagues in a team environment, with a focus on developing an inclusive team culture and ensuring that all voices are heard and valued.
- Strong communication skills - you will need the ability to engage with diverse communities, challenge inequalities, and advocate for improvement and systemic change within and outside the Council.
- Resilience & adaptability - an ability to work in a fast-paced and evolving environment while maintaining a focus on equity and inclusion.
You should have a strong commitment to diversity, inclusivity and health equity.We encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from those who identify as Black, Asian, or from Global Majority communities. We also welcome applications from people of all genders, sexual orientations, and disabilities, and welcome applications from those who would like to work less than full time.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Indicative Qualifications
- Educated to degree standard or equivalent vocational qualification in relevant subject area
- Postgraduate degree qualification in public health/health promotion or in a related discipline or equivalent knowledge gained through substantial experience
- Demonstration of public health competencies through achievement of Part A Public Health examination or other evidence of learning and development in public health competencies (e.g. PH portfolio; UKPHR registration; scientific publications; conference presentations; significant evidence-based public health outputs)
Desirable
- Management qualification or demonstrable equivalent knowledge
Experience
Essential
- At least 3 years experience of operating as a public health strategist or equivalent midlevel public health practitioner (i.e. roughly equivalent to Agenda for Change band 7).
- Experience of working in health services, local authority or relevant voluntary or public sector setting sufficient to develop understanding
- of how complex the public sector and/or voluntary sector organisations work and a demonstrable ability to negotiate relationships with internal and external partners.
- Evidence of successfully developing, delivering and evaluating health related policies/strategies within a local authority/health and/or community/voluntary sector context
- Evidence of successful management of complex multi-agency working with public, private and voluntary / community sector
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Knowledge of best practice in management information systems, knowledge management, and records management (including electronic document and records management systems) and their application within the NHS and Local Authority.
- Effective communication skills - oral, presentational, written and producing reports and action plans
- High standard of report writing skills, demonstrated by the ability to write and contribute to reports of varying length and complexity, for a variety of audiences, in a format where implications of the report are fully understood and inform strategic decision making.
- Effective usage of technical public health skills in relation to critical appraisal of evidence,and interpretation of health intelligence
- Good time management and prioritisation skills, ability to use own initiative to manage a number of projects simultaneously, ensuring planning, organising and prioritising workload to meet project d eadlines.
- Evidence of continuous personal and professional development
- Good time management and prioritisation skills, demonstrated by the ability to use own initiative to manage a number of projects simultaneously, ensuring planning, organising and prioritising work load to meet project deadlines
Desirable
- Awareness of national and local political environment and priorities, and how this relates to public health
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Indicative Qualifications
- Educated to degree standard or equivalent vocational qualification in relevant subject area
- Postgraduate degree qualification in public health/health promotion or in a related discipline or equivalent knowledge gained through substantial experience
- Demonstration of public health competencies through achievement of Part A Public Health examination or other evidence of learning and development in public health competencies (e.g. PH portfolio; UKPHR registration; scientific publications; conference presentations; significant evidence-based public health outputs)
Desirable
- Management qualification or demonstrable equivalent knowledge
Experience
Essential
- At least 3 years experience of operating as a public health strategist or equivalent midlevel public health practitioner (i.e. roughly equivalent to Agenda for Change band 7).
- Experience of working in health services, local authority or relevant voluntary or public sector setting sufficient to develop understanding
- of how complex the public sector and/or voluntary sector organisations work and a demonstrable ability to negotiate relationships with internal and external partners.
- Evidence of successfully developing, delivering and evaluating health related policies/strategies within a local authority/health and/or community/voluntary sector context
- Evidence of successful management of complex multi-agency working with public, private and voluntary / community sector
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Knowledge of best practice in management information systems, knowledge management, and records management (including electronic document and records management systems) and their application within the NHS and Local Authority.
- Effective communication skills - oral, presentational, written and producing reports and action plans
- High standard of report writing skills, demonstrated by the ability to write and contribute to reports of varying length and complexity, for a variety of audiences, in a format where implications of the report are fully understood and inform strategic decision making.
- Effective usage of technical public health skills in relation to critical appraisal of evidence,and interpretation of health intelligence
- Good time management and prioritisation skills, ability to use own initiative to manage a number of projects simultaneously, ensuring planning, organising and prioritising workload to meet project d eadlines.
- Evidence of continuous personal and professional development
- Good time management and prioritisation skills, demonstrated by the ability to use own initiative to manage a number of projects simultaneously, ensuring planning, organising and prioritising work load to meet project deadlines
Desirable
- Awareness of national and local political environment and priorities, and how this relates to public health
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.