Public Health Lead

This permanent role has a starting salary of £48,698 per annum, based on a 36 hour working week.

We have an exciting opportunity to join Surrey County Council's Public Health Team as a Public Health Lead (Substance Use). You will join a supportive and ambitious team that is committed to improving health outcomes, reducing inequalities and delivering high-quality services for Surrey residents.

The continued expansion of Surrey's Substance Use Programme, in line with national priorities for preventing and reducing drug and alcohol related harm, has created an opportunity to strengthen programme leadership and partnership working across the system. You will play a key role in supporting the Surrey Substance Use Partnership and helping to deliver Surrey's ambitions to prevent and reduce drug and alcohol-related harm.

We support hybrid working with the right balance. We come together in person for 2 days per week on average (40% of the working week) and support working from home the rest of the time.

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

The national focus on preventing and reducing drug and alcohol-related harm, alongside increased investment through the Public Health Grant, has created an exciting opportunity for a Public Health Lead to support Surrey's ambitions for prevention, treatment, recovery and improved outcomes for residents affected by substance use.

We are looking for a dynamic and innovative individual with strong leadership, communication and technical skills and a genuine commitment to improving population health and reducing inequalities. As a confident communicator and strategic thinker with strong project and programme management skills, you will be able to work both independently and collaboratively within a fast-paced, politically aware environment.

In this role, you will lead the design, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of programmes, projects and strategic initiatives that support the priorities of the Surrey Substance Use Partnership and Surrey's wider public health objectives. Working with partners across local government, NHS organisations, voluntary and community organisations, criminal justice agencies and wider stakeholders, you will help develop and deliver a coordinated and evidence-based approach to substance use across Surrey.

A key area of responsibility will be leading and supporting programmes that strengthen partnership working, recovery-oriented approaches and engagement with people and communities affected by substance use. Through meaningful engagement with stakeholders, partner organisations and local communities, you will help ensure that programmes and services are informed by evidence, insight and experience, contributing to continuous improvement and better outcomes for Surrey residents.

You will work confidently with a wide range of partners and stakeholders, providing public health expertise and leadership across programme delivery, service improvement and system development. You will contribute to partnership governance, performance oversight, needs assessment, evaluation and strategic planning, whilst supporting commissioning and contract management activity where required.

Working closely with the Senior Public Health Lead and wider Public Health Team, you will support delivery of partnership priorities, promote evidence-informed decision making and help ensure Surrey continues to develop effective and sustainable responses to substance use-related harm.

Your Application

In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills:

• Possession of a Masters degree in Public Health / Health Promotion / Health Protection or a relevant subject, or significant level of experience demonstrating application of health improvement knowledge
• Achieved or working towards Public Health Practitioner Registration
• Experience of leading or coordinating programmes, projects or partnership initiatives.
• Experience of working within substance use, addiction, recovery, mental health, health improvement or other related public health fields.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and partnership-working skills.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
• Competence in using public health skills such as reviewing, analysing and interpreting data, undertaking needs assessment or evaluation activity, and applying evidence to improve outcomes.
• Proven track record of effective commissioning and contract management

To apply, we request that you submit a CV and you will be asked 4 questions that can be viewed on the full advert page on our jobsite.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 04/10/2026 with interviews planned for 23/10/26.

Local Government Reorganisation (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 West Surrey Council, subject to final confirmation through the wider transition process later this year.

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 criteria, 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.