Knowsley Council is an award-winning Local Authority, named Local Authority of the Year in the Municipal Journal Awards 2024.

We are an Accredited employer under the Liverpool City Region Fair Employment Charter, demonstrating that we are committed to the principle of fair employment and we are dedicated to providing a healthy, fair, inclusive and just workplace.

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join Knowsley Council’s Public Health team as a Principal Public Health Programme Officer, with a focus on health protection.

The public health team is responsible for providing leadership on health protection and health improvement and to improve health outcomes for residents and to reduce health inequalities. We do this through influencing and working across the Council and with partners to prevent infectious diseases, to support screening and vaccination programmes, to promote health behaviours, and to deliver system approaches to improve health outcomes.

You will be a key member of the public health team, working independently with teams across the Council, and with external partners including the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board (ICB), health and social care providers, education and Early Years settings, and community organisations. You will be responsible for developing and leading health protection projects, programmes and initiatives, and will provide public health input into outbreak management, operational planning and strategic decision making. You will provide public health expertise across the local system.

In addition, you will be working to improve outcomes in relation to vaccination and screening uptake, health care public health and sexual health. In collaboration with public health analysts, you will use data to inform your work, making sure that programmes are tailored to the needs of the local population. You will be adept at working with national evidence and determining best practice - ensuring that local initiatives are built on evidence of effectiveness. 

We are looking for someone with extensive experience of partnership and multi-agency working, with strong influencing and leadership skills. You will enjoy working across Council services, and with health system partners. You will be a good communicator, with experience in communicating with residents and community groups to protect health. Sharing health protection information with partners is an important part of the public health team’s role, and you will work with colleagues to design and deliver training to support settings to keep people safe.

You will need to be flexible in responding to health protection issues across the borough. You will be someone who thrives when dealing with unexpected challenges, and is comfortable with uncertainty. You will have a good understanding of the risks that infectious diseases pose to communities – including vulnerable people. You will enjoy working closely with colleagues to develop creative solutions to complex problems.

This is a permanent post. It is expected that applicants have experience and can demonstrate knowledge and understanding of relevant public health practice, including health protection, health care public health, and screening and immunisations.

Along with your CV, please describe in a supporting statement your suitability for the post (maximum 2 sides A4).

At Knowsley Council we will consider requests for flexible working.  For most roles, the following types of flexibility are usually possible: flexible hours, working from home, compressed hours, part-time.

We welcome applications from residents and beyond, regardless of background, belief, or identity, recognising the value that diversity brings to our organisation. We particularly welcome applications from individuals from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and candidates with disabilities as we acknowledge their underrepresentation in our workforce.

See the benefits of working for Knowsley MBC https://www.knowsley.gov.uk/yes.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier than the specified date should we receive sufficient applicants.

At Knowsley we value our applicants and want them to feel well-informed and welcomed. If you have any questions about this specific job role or what it is like to work at Knowsley, please contact: 

Beth Milton / 0151-443 5179 /  beth.milton@knowsley.gov.uk

Annette Mercer / 0151-443 4994 / Annette.Mercer@knowsley.gov.uk 

If you are interested in this post, please upload your CV along with a supporting statement as one document in PDF or Word format. Your CV and supporting statement should be tailored to reflect the competencies within the person specification and should be a maximum of 1-2 pages.

Please note if a CV and supporting statement does not reflect the person specification it is unlikely to be shortlisted.

Interviews to be held on the 11 December 2025