Southwark Council
Senior Public Health Programme Manager
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Why Southwark?
Lead change. Improve lives. Shape healthier futures.
Are you ready to use your expertise to tackle health inequalities and drive system-wide change in one of London’s most ambitious and diverse boroughs?
Southwark has achieved substantial improvements in population health; however, significant challenges and inequalities remain. Addressing these requires bold leadership, innovation, and systems thinking, with a strong focus on delivery.
Our Public Health division sits at the heart of an ambitious whole-systems transformation programme. Working across the Council, NHS, and wider partners, we influence the wider determinants of health and drive sustainable change at scale.
We serve a young and ethnically diverse population of around 314,000 residents. Our ambition is to improve population health, strengthen system resilience, and reduce inequalities across Southwark.
What You'll Be Doing
You will lead a range of public health programmes to improve outcomes for local residents, with a focus on the social determinants of health. This includes managing a diverse portfolio covering housing, planning & regeneration, local economy, climate, and air quality. The role is also responsible for oversight and delivery of the Joint Health & Wellbeing Strategy and support to the Health & Wellbeing Board. You will drive prevention, early intervention, collaborating with teams across the Council, NHS, and VCS partners.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the design and delivery of long-term public health strategies that improve population health and reduce inequalities.
- Apply your skills in intelligence, surveillance, and assessment of population health and wellbeing.
- Evaluate the impact and effectiveness of health and care programmes and interventions.
- Develop academic and research partnerships to support innovation and evidence-based practice.
- Strengthen system-wide public health capability and improvement.
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Additional Responsibilities
- Work across Southwark Council, the South East London ICB, and key partners.
- Collaborate with NHS Trusts, UKHSA, OHID, GLA, DHSC, Metropolitan Police, and the voluntary and community sector.
- Provide expert advice on service improvement and system development.
- Influence strategy and delivery across complex, multi-agency environments.
What We're Looking For
We are seeking experienced public health leaders who can operate confidently at scale and across systems. You will bring:
- Strong resilience and the ability to manage competing priorities.
- High-level analytical and intellectual capability.
- Excellent influencing, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
- The ability to work across organizational boundaries without formal authority.
- Effective communication skills and the ability to inspire others.
- Cultural awareness, tact, and political sensitivity.
- A clear commitment to reducing health inequalities.
- Experience working within multidisciplinary senior teams.
For full details of qualifications and requirements, please refer to the job description and person specification.
Additional Information
For an informal discussion about the role, please contact the Assistant Director of Public Health, Chris Williamson via email at chris.williamson@southwark.gov.uk
Benefits: This post attracts a JNC benefits package of value of £2,724 per annum (pro-rata, April-March, subject to review). Full details available here: https://jobs.southwark.gov.uk/why-us/
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Application Requirements
To be considered for interview, you must upload a CV (including specialist registration details) and a cover letter of no more than two A4 pages, demonstrating how you meet the person specification requirements. Your application should clearly show how your knowledge, skills, and experience meet the requirements of the role.
Recruitment Timeline
- Advert close date: 11:59pm on Sunday 20th September 2026
- Interview: Thursday 1st October 2026 at 160 Tooley Street Council Offices
The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications have been received. We therefore strongly advise you to complete your application as soon as possible.
We are an organization who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together initiative. We particularly welcome applications from members of the Black, Asian, and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.
Guaranteed Interview Scheme
As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you will need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:
- Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
- Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
- If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition
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