Consultant In Public Health

About The Job

Salary: £69,563 – £77,056 a year pro rata plus £3,203 car benefit allowance plus £9,000 Market Rate Supplement

Hours per week: 37

Contract type: Permanent

Luton Council is seeking an ambitious and forward-thinking Consultant to lead a new portfolio area encompassing Healthy Ageing, Public Mental Health and Health Protection. This is an opportunity to drive transformative change and make a meaningful impact on the health and wellbeing of our communities, tackling health and care inequalities in a diverse and dynamic town. As part of a high-performing Public Health leadership team, you will play a key role in delivering our ambitious vision for Luton 2040 to eradicate poverty and ensure every resident has the opportunity to thrive.

Working closely with the Director of Public Health, Council services, NHS organisations, the voluntary and community sector, and wider partners, you will provide strategic leadership across a broad range of public health priorities. You will lead the development of this new portfolio area, shaping and delivering innovative approaches to prevention, early intervention and population health improvement. The role includes leading the Healthy Ageing agenda in partnership with Adult Social Care and the NHS, driving the development of neighbourhood-based approaches to frailty prevention, and providing strategic leadership for Public Mental Health, a key priority for both the Council and the wider health and care system.

As a system leader, you will work within and beyond organisational boundaries to influence the direction of the health and care system across Luton and the wider Central East Integrated Care Board, ensuring that the interests of Luton residents are represented and championed. You will lead the Council’s Health Protection responsibilities, strengthening resilience and preparedness arrangements, supporting responses to major incidents and health protection threats, and deputising for the Director of Public Health when required. With responsibility for influencing investment decisions, shaping policy, managing services and budgets, and driving partnership working across sectors, you will have the platform to deliver meaningful and lasting change while contributing to the culture and ambitions of one of the country’s most progressive local authorities.

Please note this role does not attract sponsorship.

About You

You will be an experienced public health specialist with inclusion on the GMC Specialist Register, GDC Specialist List or UK Public Health Register, or be eligible for inclusion within six months of interview. With a strong grounding in public health practice and a deep understanding of the health and care system, you will bring expertise in health improvement, health protection and reducing inequalities, alongside a commitment to improving outcomes for communities. You will have the ability to apply evidence and research to complex challenges, translating insight into effective strategies, policies and interventions that improve population health.

A strategic thinker with proven leadership skills and experience of delivering successful change across organisational boundaries. Comfortable operating in complex and politically sensitive environments, and the credibility to influence senior leaders, elected members, NHS partners and stakeholders across a wide range of sectors. The ability to communicate complex public health issues clearly and persuasively, build consensus and inspire action is critical to the role. You will be confident leading teams, managing budgets and developing high-quality, evidence-based services that deliver measurable improvements in outcomes.

In addition, you will be a collaborative and inclusive leader who is passionate about prevention, innovation and tackling inequality. The ability to bring vision, resilience and determination required to lead ambitious programmes of change and inspire others to contribute to improving health and wellbeing through their everyday work. If you are ready to embrace the challenge of shaping a healthier and fairer future for Luton and want to make a lasting difference to the lives of residents, we want to hear from you.

About Us

Our ambitious Luton 2040 Vision – that no-one in Luton will have to live in poverty – is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that our people are remarkable, talented, committed and passionate about serving our residents.

The people of Luton depend heavily on this council – and that means our workforce! Are you ready to realise the remarkable and help us deliver our vision?

We welcome applications from all sections of the community and are committed to developing a workforce that reflects the diversity of our borough

Application Process

On occasions, we may close a vacancy early due to a very high number of applications being received.

Sift date: week commencing Mon 13th July

Interview date week commencing Mon 20th July

Benefits

We offer a range of excellent staff benefits which include:

• From 25 to 32 days’ annual leave: linked to length of service and grade
• Buying annual leave scheme: buy up to 20 days additional annual leave
• Career Pathways: step up in your career or move into a specialist area
• Pension scheme: with generous employer contributions of up to 19.2 per cent (at April 2026) and 3x salary death in service grant
• Generous relocation package: up to £8,000 (subject to eligibility)
• Employee Assistance Programme: a free, 24/7 confidential counselling and wellbeing support service available to all employees, their partner or spouse and dependent children over 16 still living at home
• Work/life balance: flexible working options including working from home where possible. We welcome requests for flexible working arrangements including part-time hours and alternative working patterns
• Training and support: unlimited access to development courses, mentoring and support and clear career pathways
• Staff offers: includes discounts on your MOT, gym and fitness, restaurants and salons
• Arriva Travel Club: great value savings on local bus travel

How To Apply

We understand that job applications take time and effort, but a high-quality application shows that you are professional with a good attention to detail. The recruiting manager may receive a number of applications for each job advertised so you want yours to stand out!

Our ‘How to apply’ page has more tips to help with your application: How to apply