Public Health Lead

We have two exciting opportunities to join Surrey County Council's Public Health Team as Public Health Leads.

• 1 x Permanent, full-time Public Health Lead (36 hours per week) that will transfer to West Surrey
• 1 x Fixed Term/Secondment Public Health Lead (0.6 FTE, 21.6 hours per week) that will transfer to East Surrey until March 2028

We support hybrid working, with the right balance between working from home and coming together in person to collaborate, learn and build relationships.

Our Offer to You

• 26 days’ holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years’ service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• A generous local government salary related pension 
• Up to 5 days of carer’s leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year 
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing 
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping
• A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents.

About The Role

As a Public Health Lead, you will lead the development, commissioning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of public health programmes and initiatives that improve health and wellbeing outcomes and reduce health inequalities across Surrey.

Working collaboratively with colleagues, communities and system partners, you will provide specialist public health expertise to support programme development, service improvement and strategic decision-making. You will use research, intelligence, evaluation and population health insight to inform action and ensure activities are evidence-based and responsive to local need.

The role will involve leading and contributing to multi-agency partnerships, influencing across organisational boundaries, managing projects and resources, and ensuring programmes are delivered effectively within agreed timescales, budgets and governance arrangements.

Public Health Leads may line manage Public Health Development Workers and provide leadership, support and professional development to staff across programme areas.

The successful candidates will lead a portfolio for public health. In the first instance this will include a focus on mental wellbeing, prevention and workforce wellbeing. Key priorities include:

• Commissioning, delivering and evaluating mental health training and capacity-building programmes to strengthen capability across the workforce.
• Embedding Trauma-Informed approaches across Surrey in partnership with system stakeholders, including implementation of the shared Trauma-Informed Communities Framework and Health Equity in All Policies.
• Leading the ongoing development, implementation and evaluation of Surrey's workforce wellbeing programme, using insight and evidence to ensure it continues to meet emerging workforce needs.
• Working with employers, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to strengthen and embed workforce wellbeing approaches across Surrey.
• Supporting the transition of prevention and mental wellbeing activity through Local Health Partnerships into the development of Integrated Neighbourhood Teams, working closely with partners across health, care and local government.
• The permanent 1.0 WTE West Surrey post will additionally support the delivery of Surrey's suicide prevention priorities, including partnership working, programme development and response activity.
• Opportunities for Impact:

These roles provide an opportunity to make a significant contribution to Surrey's ambition that no one is left behind. Through partnership working, commissioning, programme delivery and system leadership, you will help improve mental wellbeing, strengthen prevention approaches, reduce health inequalities and support residents and workplaces across Surrey to thrive.

You will play a key role in shaping how organisations work together to improve population health, ensuring that evidence, insight and the voices of local communities influence decision-making and drive meaningful change.

Your Application 

In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours:

• A Master's degree in Public Health, Health Promotion or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience. 
• Knowledge and understanding of public health principles, health improvement and reducing health inequalities. 
• Experience of commissioning, developing, delivering and/or evaluating programmes, projects or services. 
• Experience of partnership working across organisations and sectors. 

• Strong analytical, evaluation and problem-solving skills, including the ability to interpret evidence and use insight to inform action. 
• Excellent communication, engagement and influencing skills. 
• Experience of managing competing priorities and delivering complex projects. 
• Experience of supporting, supervising or managing staff and/or project teams. 
• A commitment to continuous professional development. UKPHR registration, or willingness to work towards registration, is desirable.

To apply, we request that you submit a CV and you will be asked the following 4 questions:

1. What has motivated you to apply for this role and how does it align with Surrey County Council's ambition that no one is left behind?
2. Please describe your experience of working within public health, health improvement or a related field and how this has prepared you for this role.
3. Tell us about a programme, project or service that you have commissioned, delivered or evaluated. What was your role and what impact did it have?
4. What three qualities make you an effective Public Health Lead and how would these help you build effective partnerships and improve outcomes for residents?

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description & Our Life at Surrey handbook to get an insight into working at Surrey.

A basic DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) will be required for this role. 

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 22/11/2026 with interviews planned to follow.

Please note that the successful applicant must be available to commence employment on or before 31st January 2027.

If you are seeking a secondment opportunity, please seek line managers approval before submitting your application.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit. 

Contact Us

Please contact Tessa.axelrod@surreycc.gov.uk for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment.

Local Government Organisation (LGR)

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation and will move to new authorities in April 2027. This role is currently employed by Surrey County Council and will remain so until then. If you are employed by Surrey County Council on 1 April 2027, your employment will transfer under TUPE arrangements to one of the new councils, with your current terms and conditions protected. The provisional allocation for this post is East Surrey Council, subject to final confirmation through the wider transition process later this year. Please see more information here: Information for applicants on Local Government Reorganisation - Surrey County Council.

Our Commitment  

We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum shortlisting criteria as displayed on the advert, we guarantee you an interview.

Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we're committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs.