Programme Manager - Alcohol, Drugs and Tobacco (London)

Job summary

In the Department of Health and Social Care, we are proud of our purpose – to enable everyone to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. To achieve this, and create a great place to work, we have four values: we are inclusive, we constantly improve, we challenge, and we are agile. If this sounds like an environment you would like to work in, we would love to hear from you.

This role sits in The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) London which focuses on improving the health and wellbeing of Londoners so that everyone can expect to live more of life in good health. We also work to tackle health disparities and their wider determinants to break the link between an individual’s background and one’s prospects for a healthy life.

OHID organises the delivery of its functions in England through its Regional teams which are managed under the leadership of a Regional Director of Public Health / NHS Regional Director of Public Health (RD), who in London also operates as the Statutory Adviser to the Mayor, Assembly and Greater London Authority (GLA) Group as set out in the GLA Act (2007).

Job description

The postholder will coordinate and deliver high quality, specialist technical and professional public health advice to support local government with driving improvements in health outcomes and reduction in health inequalities, associated with drugs, alcohol and/or tobacco based on evidence and cost-effectiveness. They will draw on their unique expertise and resources that sit within DHSC/OHID as well as maximise the expertise within regional partners, and the local public health system to improve drug, alcohol, and tobacco outcomes and health inequalities associated with these behaviours.

Person specification

Role and Responsibilities

The post holder will support the delivery of an effective service through the provision of support in the areas described:

Specialist practice

• Using specialist knowledge of health improvement to develop, lead or contribute to delivery of alcohol, drugs and tobacco priorities in London, applying relevant quality improvement, programme, project and change management methodologies to deliver agreed objectives.
• Analyse and communicate data, evidence and emerging trends to inform planning and decision-making, and develop reports, briefings, presentations and communication products for a range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Build and sustain strategic relationships and professional networks across local government, the NHS, academia and the wider public health system to influence policy and practice, share learning and support delivery of national, regional and local priorities.
• Strengthen public health capacity and capability across London by supporting workforce development, sharing evidence and best practice, and enabling local authorities and partners to deliver effective, evidence-based approaches to alcohol, drugs and tobacco.

Management and leadership

• Deputise for the Head of Alcohol, Drugs and Tobacco as required.
• Contribute to governance, audit, assurance and quality improvement activities across OHID London.

Partnerships and collaborative working for health

• Contribute to the development of key relationships with a wide range of individuals and stakeholders, including with the GLA, Mayors Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), Criminal Justice partners, the Association of Directors of Public Health (London), local authority public health and commissioning leads, NHSE, and drug and alcohol treatment providers, and take responsibility for the maintenance of OHID London relevant professional networks
• Provide senior leadership on monitoring the quality of health improvement activity to support local government with sector-led improvement.
• Employ effective communication, negotiation and influencing skills to enable stakeholder relationships to deliver: National and regional strategies and priorities associated with drugs, alcohol, and/or tobacco and other priority health and wellbeing strategies for the region
• Identifying and disseminating good practice; establishing and maintaining effective communications to ensure that external stakeholders are appropriately informed of DHSC/OHID business and services, and vice versa.

Key skills and experience required for the role

Essential

• Experience of leading or delivering complex public health, health improvement or related programmes, using programme, project, change or quality-improvement methods.
• Demonstrable ability to analyse, interpret and synthesise complex public health data and evidence, and communicate findings effectively through specialist advice, reports, briefings and presentations, to inform decision-making and support improved outcomes.
• Demonstrable ability to build productive partnerships and networks across organisational boundaries, including influencing and negotiating with senior internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience of translating national or regional priorities into practical delivery plans and achieving agreed outcomes in a complex system.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, work flexibly across topic areas and deliver high-quality work at pace.

Your normal place of work will be your contractual primary workplace, London. Within DHSC we offer non-contractual hybrid working. The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time spent in the office, enabling in person interaction and collaboration, and enhancing team working, learning, and support.

You will be asked to express a location preference during the application process. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas and some travel may be required across the DHSC estate.

Opportunities for some working from home may be available; other flexible working options may be discussed with the hiring manager in line with individual circumstances and business need.

There are a limited number of DHSC colleagues who have existing agreed homeworking contracts resulting from Our Future Estate Programme 2023-2024. Colleagues covered by these arrangements are eligible to apply for this role whilst continuing their agreed existing home working arrangement. Occasional travel to DHSC offices or other locations may still be required according to business need. Travel and subsistence will be provided in line with the pre-agreed homeworker arrangements.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £62,862, Department of Health and Social Care contributes £18,211 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

Applications will be sifted W/C: 12/10/2026

Interview date: W/C 19/10/2026

Interview location: By video

Further details and interview slots will be released to candidates who are successful at sift.

Applications will be sifted on your CV and Personal Statement

Please use your CV to set out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role. These can be found in the ‘key skills and experience required for the role’ section of the advert.

Please use your personal statement to (in no more than 1000 words) outline how you meet the key skills and experience required for the role as set out in the job advert.

At interview candidates will be assessed on Behaviours and Strengths

To find out more about working in the department please visit our page on the Civil Service careers website https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/departments/working-for-the-department-of-health-social-care/ and to find out more information on how to apply visit the Civil Service careers website https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/how-to-apply/

Applicants who are appointable but were not successful in appointment to this vacancy, may be held on a reserve list for up to 12 months, and contacted if similar vacancies become available.

Please be aware that some travel may be required across the DHSC estate.

Candidates must ensure that all information provided in their application is factually accurate. Any examples provided must be taken from personal experience. The Civil Service abides by honesty and integrity as part of its core values, if evidence of plagiarism is found, applications may be withdrawn.

Please note that applicants will require BPSS clearance.

Further Information

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to DHSC from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service via dhscrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Terms and Conditions

Candidates should note that DHSC’s Terms and Conditions of employment changed from 1 October 2013. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful.

New Entrants to the Civil Service

New entrants appointed in grades AA to G6 will receive DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions:

• Annual Leave: 25 days on entry rising by one day for each completed year of service to a maximum of 30 days and pro-rata for part-time staff
• Privilege Leave: 1 day - for the King’s birthday
• Hours of Work: 37 hours (net) per week for full time staff in all geographical locations, including London and pro rata for part-time staff
• Occupational Sick Pay (OSP): one month full pay/one month half pay on entry, rising by one month for each completed year of service to a maximum of five months’ full pay and five months’ half pay
• Mobility: Mobility clause in contracts allow staff to be mobile across the Civil Service
• Probation: 6 month probation period

Existing Civil Service staff transferring from another Government department, on either level transfer or promotion

All staff moving to DHSC will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above).

Existing DHSC staff, appointed on promotion

If DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions are already held, the employee will retain those terms and conditions. If DHSC’s pre-modernised terms and conditions are held, the employee will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above).

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Alison Keating, Head of Alcohol, Drugs and Tobacco, OHID London
• Email : Alison.Keating@dhsc.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dhscrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact the DHSC Central Recruitment Team at DHSCrecruitment@dhsc.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/contact/

Attachments

General Pay Principles on Recruitment (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 72kB)