Health Improvement Coordinator

Job Title: Health Improvement Co-ordinator
Starting Salary: £42,839 progressing to £47,181 per annum (pro rata for part time)
Hours: 37
Location: Stevenage - Hybrid working (1 day a week in the office). Travel required across the county.
Contract Type: Permanent
Directorate: Public Health

About the team

Hertfordshire Public Health is recruiting a Health Improvement Co‑ordinator (School‑Age Children) to support our ambition to improve outcomes for children and young people across the county. This is an exciting opportunity to join a forward‑thinking and innovative Public Health team at a pivotal time, where your work will make a tangible difference to children’s health and wellbeing.

You will be part of the Children, Young People and All‑Age Mental Health and Suicide Team, a small, highly skilled and passionate team responsible for delivering evidence‑based health improvement programmes and contributing to the objectives set out in the Public Health Business Plan. The team focuses on prevention and early intervention, working to ensure that all children and young people in Hertfordshire have the foundations to thrive.

Reporting to the Health Improvement Lead, you will support a broad and varied portfolio of work. The post is well‑established, with scope to shape future developments and help respond to emerging priorities affecting school‑age children.

Partnership working is central to this role. You will work closely with colleagues across Hertfordshire County Council, District and Borough Councils, schools, NHS Trusts, commissioned providers, and the Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector. By building strong and effective relationships, you will help create joined‑up approaches that improve outcomes and ensure every child in Hertfordshire has the opportunity to achieve good health and wellbeing.

About the role

As Health Improvement Co‑ordinator, you will coordinate and manage the delivery of a range of public health programmes that contribute to the government’s ‘Opportunity for All’ agenda and improve outcomes for children and young people across Hertfordshire.

Working closely with the Health Improvement Leads and the Strategic Lead, you will deliver key projects within the school‑age public health portfolio, ensuring programmes are evidence‑based, well‑co‑ordinated and delivered to a high standard.

You will have a central role in the development and delivery of school‑age public health priorities, including:

• Supporting the development and implementation of a Healthy Schools Framework, working with schools and partners to embed evidence-based health and wellbeing approaches.
• Co‑ordinating the Children and Young People Health and Wellbeing Surveys, including liaison with schools, data collection processes and supporting interpretation of findings.
• Managing the annual delivery of the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP), ensuring compliance with national guidance.
• Supporting the development of Child Weight Management services, working alongside commissioners and providers.
• Working with wider Council colleagues on cross‑cutting priority areas, including vaping and gambling‑related harms.
• Maintaining and contributing to the Children and Young People’s Public Health Dashboard, supporting accurate reporting and performance monitoring.

Partnership working and attention to detail are core elements of the role. You will work closely with colleagues across Public Health and Hertfordshire County Council, including Commissioning and Service Delivery teams and the Evidence and Intelligence team, as well as schools, NHS Trusts and commissioned programme providers, to ensure aligned and effective delivery.

The school‑age portfolio is broad and fast‑paced. You will be required to manage multiple projects simultaneously, prioritise competing demands, maintain attention to detail and work both autonomously and collaboratively.

You will also be expected to adapt to changing priorities and, when required, support other programmes within the team beyond the school‑age portfolio.

You will bring experience of working in partnership across organisations, alongside a strong commitment to tackling health inequalities and improving outcomes for children and young people.

You will apply public health knowledge and skills to support delivery, service improvement and decision‑making within complex systems and political environments.

Strong communication skills are essential. You will be required to prepare written reports, analyse and present information clearly, and communicate effectively with a wide range of audiences. You will also be confident using data, IT systems and project management tools to plan, monitor and evaluate work.

Key activities may include:

• Contributing to team priorities and developing action plans for health improvement interventions using an evidence‑based approach.
• Supporting and coordinating the work of Health Improvement Leads.
• Monitoring, analysing and evaluating the effectiveness of health improvement interventions.
• Managing multiple health improvement projects concurrently, ensuring milestones and deadlines are met.
• Identifying and engaging key stakeholders to support delivery through strong, collaborative working relationships.
• Producing reports and presenting findings or progress updates to a range of audiences.
• Applying project management controls, including project initiation documents, risk and issue logs, and regular highlight reports.

About you

• You will be a motivated and committed public health professional with experience of delivering public health projects that improve outcomes for children and young people.
  
  You will have either a Master’s degree in Public Health, or be working towards one, or hold an equivalent health‑related qualification, alongside relevant practical experience in a child‑focused public health, health improvement or prevention role.
• You will demonstrate knowledge and understanding of public health principles and practice, particularly in relation to children and young people. This will include evidence of understanding the barriers and inequalities that affect healthy behaviours, and the ability to apply evidence‑based approaches to address these and support meaningful change.
• You will have experience of working in partnership with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. This may include local authorities, health partners, schools, commissioned providers or voluntary and community organisations.
• You will be able to demonstrate how you have used strong written and verbal communication skills, public health theory and evidence to influence, inform and support delivery across different sectors.
• You will have demonstrable project management skills, with experience of managing multiple workstreams or projects simultaneously, maintaining attention to detail.
• You will be able to work proactively and independently, prioritising competing demands, managing deadlines, and reporting clearly against agreed objectives and outcomes.
• You will have a good understanding of data, intelligence and information sources relevant to children, young people and families, and experience of using data to inform priorities, monitor delivery and measure impact.
• Experience of working within, or alongside, a local authority and the wider health system is desirable. Knowledge of Hertfordshire’s local context, stakeholders and partnerships would be beneficial, along with an understanding of working within political and organisational environments.
• You will be a strong team player with experience of working at Co‑ordinator (or equivalent) level within public health or a related field.

When applying for this role, please use your supporting statement to clearly address the following:

1. Why you are a strong and suitable candidate for this role, referring to the skills, knowledge and experience outlined above.
2. Your experience of working with partners to deliver activities or actions that have improved health outcomes for children and young people.

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

This job role is Level 11. Please locate the job profile here:

Job profiles - Corporate services

This is an exciting and broad portfolio of work, with links to wider aspects of public health such as tackling the wider determinants of health.

This role also offers a unique opportunity to gain valuable experience in Children and Young People’s Public Health at a pivotal time as new government policies and reforms begin to reshape the landscape.

For an informal discussion, please contact: Susie Cook, Strategic Lead for Children and Young People - susie.cook@hertfordshire.gov.uk

Interview Date: 2nd June 2026

Additional information

Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

Driving required
You’ll need to have the ability to drive and/or travel around Hertfordshire, either using your own mode of transport or a company car to travel to other locations.

English Fluency
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.