Job Description

Team: Public Health

Job Family: Advising, CBG13

Salary: £51,471 - £55,585 per annum pro rata

Hours: Full time, 37 hours per week

Location:Y ou will be required to attend Central Bedfordshire, Bedford Borough or Milton Keynes offices as often as needed to carry out your role and join the Central Bedfordshire Council Public Health Team at the Priory House Office at least each Tuesday.

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing Date: 26th April 2026

Interview Date: 14th and 15th May 2026

About the role

This is crucial and exciting Shared Service role within the Public Health directorate, managing the drug & alcohol treatment and recovery commissioning team in Public Health and collaborating with key partner agencies across Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes.

The role will:

Work with the Head of Public Health Programmes to provide strategic leadership and management of complex public health programmes and plans, across the system (including health, criminal justice, housing, community safety, adult social care, children’s services), to address the wider drug and alcohol related harms in Central Bedfordshire, Bedford Borough and Milton Keynes Local Authority Areas, on behalf of the Public Health Shared Service, across the South East and East of England Regions.

Qualifications and Experience

The post-holder is required to have:

• Experience of commissioning high quality services, including needs assessment, procurement and performance management
• Experience of leading on the development and delivery of strategic plans
• Experience of managing complex problems related to the access to, delivery of, quality of and effectiveness of services across the system
• Experience of working strategically and collaboratively with senior partners and stakeholders to co-ordinate and utilise both significant Public Health resources and those available to the key system-wide stakeholders
• Experience of budget management, in line with financial, legal and audit requirements
• Public Health professional knowledge (preferably knowledge of drug and alcohol treatment and recovery)
• Masters-level education and/or relevant professional qualification or equivalent demonstrable experience
• Experience of delivering or facilitating high profile and wide-ranging customer focused outcomes in line with specified needs, standards, policies, processes and legislation

• Experience of delivering support and advice that meet a wide range of standards and requirements, providing recommendations and solutions in relation to complex and high-risk matters
• Experience of providing strategic representation at high level meetings, groups or boards.
• Ability to make evidence-based recommendations, identified through a range of research and evaluation techniques which support objectives and outcomes
• Experience of managing a team, including effective delegation and supporting staff development, and managing performance using HR processes where appropriate
• Experience of synthesising and writing high-level reports, documentation and information for a range of customers, to a high standard

• Understanding of the requirements of working in a local authority and a political environment – particularly related to the wider Public Health agenda

Our Offer

We have a number of rewards and benefits available to our staff, to view these please visit our Rewards and Benefits page

Our aspiration is to be a truly flexible employer. We welcome discussion on location, hours and working pattern as part of the application process.

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You will be expected to demonstrate how you meet the key accountabilities and competencies in this Recruitment Pack.

Our Competency Framework and Qualification Guidance are to be read in conjunction with our Recruitment Pack.

For an informal discussion about this position, please contact: Martin Westerby at martin.westerby@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or call 0300 300 4615

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To maintain a fair and consistent approach for applicants, it is Central Bedfordshire Council's policy to only consider applications made via our online application system and we therefore thank you for not submitting your application offline.

Our National Careers Service team offer a free monthly workshop covering CV writing and how to complete the statement sections of the Central Bedfordshire Council online application form. This MS Teams workshop is open to anyone from the UK and lasts around 1.5 hours Please book your place here.

More information about this service can be found here: Support getting into work or learning | Central Bedfordshire Council