Principal Public Health Specialist

Job Introduction

Principal Public Health Specialist

Salary - £60,144 - £63535 (Grade 9)

Hours - 37

Contract type - full time, permanent

Work Style - Flexible: working from home with 2-3 days in a council location

The City of Wolverhampton Council are seeking to recruit an experienced, motivated Principal Public Health Specialist to lead and shape delivery of the children and young people’s public health portfolio.

This is an exciting, high impact opportunity for the successful candidate to work collaboratively across a wide variety of public health areas and use their specialist Public Health knowledge and skills to lead, plan and appraise public health initiatives and policy. They will support the Head of Service Public Health, the Deputy Director of Public Health and the Director of Public Health to improve health outcomes and reduce health inequalities in Wolverhampton.This will be achieved through commissioning and delivery of evidence-based programmes, and by influencing and working collaboratively across health, local authority, education and voluntary sector partners.

Successful candidates will lead a team of Public Health Specialists delivering work across a complex system on a wide range of priority areas, including maternal and infant health, the Healthy Child Programme, obesity, emotional and mental wellbeing, and oral health. The postholder will also be expected to operate flexibly, working in a matrix structure to support wider departmental priorities.

The postholder will have significant experience of working within public health and up to date knowledge of public health policy and practice. Project and programme management skills, experience of effective partnership working and the ability to communicate complex information to internal and external stakeholders are crucial.

Please see the job description and person specification for more information and use this to produce your supporting statement.

If you require further information, please contact Louise Sharrod - Louise.Sharrod@wolverhampton.gov.uk

For full details of the responsibilities and requirements of this role please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification.

Closing date:20th July 2026

Interview: Week commencing 10th August 2026

NJC Pay Award for 2026 / 2027:

The annual pay increases for 2026/27 for NJC Local Government Employees are currently being negotiated and, once agreed, will be effective from 1 April 2026.

For more information about working for our organisation including the culture of the Council, the Council plan and vision, staff equality forums, core HR policies, employee benefits and much more please click here.

Our working arrangements

All council roles are allocated to either a fixed, field or flexible work style. Some roles are agile which enable and empower employees to maximise their performance and productivity, whilst maintaining a healthy work life balance. Roles with a fixed workstyle work in a fixed permanent council location. Roles with a field workstyle are usually allocated where employees are required to be out working in the community with a minimum requirement for 'touch down' space at any council location. Roles with a flexible workstyle have a flexible base location to meet the needs of the business and employees can work from a mixture of home or any council office, partner/client, or external location, as required to meet service requirements.

Please refer to the Job Description for further information on the workstyle assigned to the role you are applying for.

For more information about working for our organisation including the culture of the Council, the Council plan and vision, staff equality forums, core HR policies, employee benefits and much more please click here.

Diversity

We are committed to building a workforce that is reflective of the diverse community we serve. We want to attract the best applications from people of all backgrounds and underrepresented groups because we strongly believe in adding value through diversity, inclusion, and equality. Our employees enable us to deliver services that are accessible, inclusive, and reflective of Wolverhampton residents.

Our status as a Disability Confident Employer showcases our commitment to people with disabilities or health conditions, advocating for their opportunities and potential.

We've received the Stonewall Gold Award, emphasising our dedication to the LGBT+ community by nurturing an inspiring, inclusive, and equal workplace.

As of March 2023, the RACE Code Quality Mark signifies our active engagement with racial equality. These recognitions validate our continuous efforts towards fostering an inclusive work environment that respects and values our diverse employees.

As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the essential criteria for the post.

We encourage, inspire and value an inclusive culture here at the council where employees can flourish, thrive and be themselves. We have four staff equality forums for employees to join. These help to ensure our employees have a voice, they feel empowered to speak up and where everyone is treated with respect - Learn more about the staff equality forums here

Recruitment of Ex-Offenders

We are committed to the fair treatment of all our employees, potential employees, or users of our service regardless of offending background. The Council uses the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for any vacancies that require a DBS check to obtain information about applicants to assess their suitability for employment in positions of trust. We do not discriminate unfairly against any individual on the basis of a conviction or any other information revealed as a result of a DBS disclosure - Learn more here

Employment Information & Support

If you are considering applying for an apprenticeship or a role where the salary is (Grade 2-5), and would like to visit us to learn about the application, interview process and what it is like to work for the council, please click on this link to find out more - Learn more here