Consultant in Public Health

Salary: £81,138 per annum (plus market supplement)

Contract type: Fixed Term,Part Time,Secondment

Reference: 5052

Interview date: w/c 21 September 2026

Communities & Skills

Collaborative, open, inclusive and fair - we work with and through partners to ensure Londoners can shape healthy, empowered and productive lives. Communities and Skills is led by Executive Director, Tunde Olayinka and is comprised of the following units: Health; Young London and Communities; Social and Economic Inclusion; and Skills and Employment.

About the team

This post is based in the GLA Group public health team, which operates as a shared service for GLA Group organisations. The team is structured around consultant –led portfolios of work – in this case Transport and air quality – as well as cross cutting work on health resilience. The public health team work closely with the health and wellbeing team who focus on partnerships, strategy, and programmes.

About the role

The mayor wants all Londoners to have the best opportunities to live a long life in good health. If we are to achieve this, we all need to play our part in tackling the causes of poor health to make London a healthier, fairer city, where nobody’s health suffers because of who they are, or where they live. Join the GLA Group Public Health team, and you can help London to become the world’s healthiest global city.

We are looking for a highly motivated specialist in public health to lead a strategic portfolio of work focused on transport and air quality. Shaping work to improve the health and wellbeing of Londoners, working closely with the GLA Group Director of Public Health and wider team, the Mayor’s Office and deputy Mayors, Transport for London as well as senior leaders and managers.

You will have strong analytical and influencing skills, be able to support the design and development of long-term strategies through multiple partnerships and systems and work effectively in a complex political and partnership environment.

The GLA Group Public Health team has city-wide public health responsibilities, working to ensure the GLA Group plays its part in full in improving the health and wellbeing of Londoners by protecting Londoners from health threats, preventing ill health, and tackling health inequalities.

We focus on implementation of the mayor’s statutory health inequalities strategy for London and delivery of a health in all policies approach across the GLA Group; GLA, LFC, MOPAC, OPDC and TfL. Our work helps to build a better London for everyone – a safer, fairer, greener, and more prosperous city for all Londoners.

What your day will look like

In this one-year fixed term strategic role you will work closely with the GLA Group Director of Public Health and the wider team to:

• lead and take forward the transport and air quality portfolio of work within the Unit
• use and build evidence and data to support the work of the mayor’s strategies and strategic programmes with a focus on the Health Inequalities Strategy implementation plan ), the Transport Strategy and related TfL strategies, London health improvement plan, and the London Plan.
• Work closely with the GLA Environment and Transport Teams, TfL, OHID London and with London public health teams to identify and progress strategic priorities to improve health and reduce health inequalities
• Take responsibility for a range of public health issues and work across organisational and professional boundaries, acting as a change agent, and managing complexity to deliver improvements in health and wellbeing
• Take a key role in the GLA Group Public Health team programme to embed a Health in Policies approach across the group.

Skills, knowledge and experience

To be considered for the role you must meet the following essential criteria:

Education/Qualifications

• In line with legislation, inclusion in the GMC Full and Specialist Register with a license to practice/GDC Specialist List or inclusion in the UK Public Health Register for Public Health Specialists at the point of application.
• If included in the GMC Specialist Register/GDC Specialist List in a specialty other than public health medicine/dental public health, candidates must have equivalent training and/orappropriate experienceof public health practice.
• Any public health speciality registrar applicants who are currently on the UK public health training programme and not yet on either the GMC, GDC or UKPHR specialist register must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they are within 6 months of gaining entry to a register at the date of interview.
• Applicants going through the portfolio registration routes (GMC or UKPHR) are not eligible to be shortlisted for interview until they are included on the register.
• The six-month rule does not apply to these portfolio route applicants.
• If an applicant is UK trained in Public Health, they must ALSO be a holder of a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) or be within six months of award of CCT by date of interview.
• If an applicant is non-UK trained, they willbe requiredto show evidence of equivalence to the UK CCT.
• Applicants must meet minimum CPD requirements (i.e., be up to date)in accordance withFaculty of Public Health requirements or other recognised body.
• Master’s in Public Healthor equivalent.
• Ability to work with different organisational cultures, environments, governance, and finance systems.
• Ability to cope with multiple and changing demands, meeting tight deadlines.
• Ability to act witha high levelof tact and diplomacy,maintainingthe ability to challenge and advocate on public health outcomes,whilstmaintainingcredibility and relationships.

Experience

• Delivery of successful change management programmes across organizational boundaries.
• Experience of successfully working in a political environment and commitment to work within a political system irrespective of personal political affiliations.
• Experience of leadingteams, anddelivering in partnership working across a range of organisations.
• Experience of influencing senior members including directors and CEOs.
• Media experiencedemonstratingdelivery of effective health behaviour or health promotion messages.
• Experience of using complex information to explain public health issues to a range of audiences, with credibility and conviction leading to change.

Skills

• Strategic thinker with proven leadership skills and operational nous.
• Able todemonstrateand motivate organisations to contribute to improving the public’s health and wellbeing through mainstream activities and within resources.
• Ability to lead and manage the response successfully in unplanned and unforeseen circumstances.
• Analytical skills able toutilizeboth qualitative (including health economics) and quantitative information.
• Ability to design, develop, interpret, and implement strategies and policies.

Knowledge

• In depth understanding of the health and care system and the relationships with both local nationalgovernment.
• In depth knowledge of methods of developing clinical quality assurance, quality improvement,evaluationsand evidence based public health practice.
• Understanding of the public sector duty and the inequality duty and their application to public health practice.

Using public health competencies to achieve impact

• Demonstrable experience with examples of taking responsibility for resolving operational issues and achieving impact.
• Experience of informing decision making on policy, strategy and programmes including briefing politicians and senior officers.
• Where required the postholder will provide verbal or written briefing to politicians, senior officers, colleagues and stakeholders (partners and public) including in person and at short notice.

This is a politically restricted role under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.

Principal accountabilities

• The strategic responsibility of the postholder is to the mayor’s health advisers, with professional accountability to the GLA Group Director of Public Health.
• In delivering that responsibility the postholder is expected to demonstrate expertise across the full range of relevant competencies as set out by the Faculty of Public Health (as outlined in appendix one) and where required, take responsibility for resolving operational issues.
• In negotiation with the GLA Group Director of Public Health (and/or the wider organisation), the postholder may be asked to take on responsibilities that are underpinned by any of the FPH competencies.
• Postholders will be expected to maintain both the general expertise as well as develop topic-based expertise as required by the portfolio.

The GLA Competency Framework Guidelines further detailing each competency and the different level indicators can be found here: GLA Competency Framework

Equality, diversity and inclusion

London's diversity is its biggest asset, and we strive to ensure our workforce reflects London's diversity at all levels. We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability.

We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and Minority ethnic candidates and disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and we are happy to consider flexible working arrangements. We would welcome applications from candidates who are seeking part time work as this role is open to job share.

Please note we are a Disability Confident Employer so for candidates who wish to be considered under the scheme and meet the essential criteria, they will automatically be invited to interview. Please note, should you require any adjustments through the process, we will accommodate as much as possible. Please contact the recruitment team for further information if required.

GLA staff are hybrid working up to 3 days a week in our offices and remotely depending on their role. As part of this, you will need to split your time between home working and coming into the office.

In addition to a good salary package, you will be paid every four weeks, providing frequent salary payments. We also offer an attractive range of benefits including 30 days’ annual leave, interest free season ticket loan, interest free bicycle loan and a career average pension scheme.

Additional Information

Please note, all candidates will need to confirm that the information provided in this application form is true and correct. Should a candidate deliberately give false information, including the use of AI software, they understand that this would disqualify them from consideration.

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record (DBS) check but some roles may require additional security screening.

If you are a GLA employee applying for an internal fixed-term position, as an internal secondment opportunity, you must ensure you satisfy the following secondment policy criteria listed below before applying

• On a permanent contract or a fixed term contract where the time left on the contract at the point at which you apply for secondment is longer than the secondment period;
• successfully completed your probation period and are performing to the required standard for your current role; and
• at least 18 months service with the GLA

If you do meet the criteria listed above, you will need to complete the Approval for secondment application form and gain line manager approval, before emailing the fully completed form to the Resourcing Assistant who is managing the vacancy.This form must be received by the closing date of the vacancy.Failure to provide this form will mean your application cannot be progressed.

If you are unable to satisfy all of the criteria, unfortunately, you are not eligible to apply for this vacancy as an internal secondment. For further information, please see Secondment Policy and Procedure .

IMPORTANT : If you are a current GLA employee on a fixed-term contract, which is due to end BEFORE the end date of this vacancy, you DO NOT NEED to complete the Approval for secondment application form as it is not a secondment.

If you are successful in securing this secondment opportunity, you will need to be released from your existing role, so please ensure that you make your line manager aware of your application

The GLA is proud to be a Level 2: Disability Confident employer. We are committed to becoming a more inclusive and accessible organisation, and creating a truly inclusive and accessible workplace and culture for our disabled staff. We have named Disability Equality as a key corporate priority within our EDI Strategy. We welcome and encourage applications from disabled applicants. Should you wish to opt into the scheme, please let us know during your application.

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