Executive Director of Public Health
We are looking for an outstanding and visionary public health leader with significant senior experience in public health, population health and system leadership. You will bring a strong track record of shaping strategy, influencing policy, working across organisational boundaries, and building trusted relationships with partners, communities and stakeholders.
You will be able to operate effectively at Board and system level, providing expert public health advice while balancing strategic leadership with delivery. You will demonstrate a deep commitment to improving population health, reducing inequalities, partnership working, prevention and early intervention, and delivering better outcomes for the communities of Swansea Bay.
The Executive Director of Public Health is the system leader for improving the health and wellbeing of residents, reducing inequalities in health outcomes and protecting local communities from public health hazards (infectious diseases and environmental threats). As such, the Executive Director of Public Health is the principal adviser to the Health Board and partners, with a leadership role spanning health improvement, health protection and healthcare public health.
In order to deliver their responsibilities on behalf of the residents of Swansea Bay, the Executive Director of Public Health will need to be a visible system leader and be expected to use all the resources at their disposal to ensure that the local public health system is able to tackle the full range of determinants of health affecting communities, to improve population health. Working with local communities, he/she should be able to inspire development of innovative solutions that support improvements in health and wellbeing and reduction in health inequalities.
The fundamental purpose of the role is to provide the leadership to drive improvements in the health and wellbeing of the residents of Swansea Bay to reduce inequities and inequalities in health outcomes and working in collaboration with Public Health Wales to protect local communities from threats to their health through infectious diseases, environmental and other public health hazards. In delivering the key responsibilities described below, the postholder is expected to demonstrate a high level of expertise in the Faculty of Public Health Competencies (see below) and the person specification.
Key aspects of the role will be to:
- Operate strategically as a member of the corporate management/executive board and across the Health Board influencing policy and practice
- Act as a leader across the local system of public services, influencing change and enabling a culture of continuous improvement in health and wellbeing, innovation and evaluation
- Utilise the public health resources imaginatively and cost effectively across all domains of public health in order to improve health and wellbeing of local communities and reduce inequalities in health outcomes
- Accountable for ensuring an organisational wide approach to population health management, from primary care through clusters and across secondary care
- Accountable for leading the Health Board’s approach to increasing focus on disease and illness prevention as part of the population health management approach
- Accountable for both the shaping and delivery of the public / population health and wellbeing agenda taking account of the national agenda and benchmarking (using the national outcomes frameworks; public health, NHS and social care)
- Deliver an independent annual report on the health and wellbeing of local communities for publication, to stimulate debate and/or action by the Health Board and partners
- Lead executive for the Population Health Committee of the Board
- Communicate proactively with the Chief Medical Officer on risks to public health, significant clinical and public health incidents and issues that relate to medical or public health professions
The Executive Director of Public Health will be an integral part of public health services in Wales and will be actively involved in the development of the specialty of public health and any wider developments in the field of public health.
As an executive officer member of the Board, the director will hold corporate responsibility jointly with other Board members for the strategic direction, corporate policy making and development and delivery of SBUHB objectives and annual delivery priorities.
There will be an opportunity to develop an academic role and/or natural leadership role according to the qualifications, interests and experience of the postholder.
The Director of Public Health will be supported in fulfilling their role by accessing the specialist public health resources of Public Health Wales, with which they will also share their expertise to maximise resilience.
The job description will be subject to review in consultation with the postholder and in the light of the needs of the Health Board as the employing organisation.
Person Specification
Essential:
- Inclusion in the GMC Specialist Register/GDC Specialist List or UK Public Health Register (UKPHR).
- If included in the GMC/GDC Specialist Register in a specialty other than Public Health medicine/dental public health, candidates must have equivalent training and/or appropriate experience of public health medicine practice.
- Public health specialist registrar applicants who are not yet on the GMC Specialist Register/GDC Specialist List in dental public health/UKPHR must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they are within six months of gaining entry at the date of interview; all other applicants must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they have applied for inclusion in the GMC/GDC/UKPHR specialist registers.
- Applicants must meet minimum CPD requirements (i.e. be up to date) in accordance with Faculty of Public Health requirements or other recognised bodies.
- MFPH by examination, by exemption or by assessment.
Desirable:
- Master's in Public Health or equivalent.
- Transformational and visionary leader.
- Commitment to adding public health values to corporate agendas.
- Strong commitment to public health principles.
- Able to prioritise work and work well against a background of change and uncertainty.
- Adaptable to situations, able to handle people of all capabilities and attitudes.
- Commitment to team-working, and respect and consideration for the skills of others.
- Self-motivated, pro-active, and innovative
- High standards of professional probity.
Essential:
- High level project management skills.
- Excellent staff and corporate management and development skills.
- Experience of working in complex political and social environments.
- Excellent change management skills. Budget management skills.
- Demonstrable personal track record of delivering strategy, plans and outcomes in practice and making an impact in improving the health of communities.
- Experience of working as a Board member on more than one setting/type of board arrangement.
- Demonstrate track record in delivering complex targets and objectives to tight deadlines.
Desirable:
- Minimum of three years’ experience of public health practice at senior level.
- Training and mentoring skills, scientific publications, presentation of papers at conferences, seminars etc.
- Relevant Board-level management experience in a variety of health/social care settings with evidence of effective partnership working.
- Strategic thinker with proven leadership skills.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills (including dealing with the media).
- Effective interpersonal, motivational and influencing skills.
- Ability to respond appropriately in unplanned and unforeseen circumstances.
- Good presentational skills (written and oral).
- Sensible negotiator with practical expectation of what can be achieved.
- Substantially numerate, with highly developed analytical skills using qualitative and quantitative data.
- Computer literate.
- Ability to design, develop, interpret and implement policies.
- Ability to concentrate for long periods (e.g. analyses, media presentations).
- Resource management skills.
- Excellent staff and corporate management and development skills.
- Ability to engage with people and professionals at a number of levels.
- Demonstrable listening skills with the ability to analyse information and incorporate into relevant plans and strategic documents.
- Ability to work in a task-focused way to deliver objectives and outcomes successfully.
- Ability to translate strategic aspirations to operational realities with an approach focused on delivery and completion of tasks.
- Ability to work across the clinical/non-clinical areas ensuring that both perspectives are appropriately included in strategies and plans.
- Ability to work in a way that ensures an appropriate balance between national, regional and local commitments.
- Ability to network in a range of arenas but to maintain a focus on tasks and the agreed local health and wellbeing priorities at all times.
- High level of understanding of epidemiology and statistics, public health practice, health promotion, health economics and health care evaluation.
- Full understanding of and commitment to addressing relationships and cultures of organisations that impact on the wider determinants of health.
- Full understanding of and commitment to delivery of improved health through mainstream NHS activities.
- Understanding of NHS and local government cultures, structures and policies.
- Knowledge of methods of developing clinical quality assurance, quality improvement and evidence-based clinical and/or public health practice.
- Understanding of social and political environment.
- Understanding of interfaces between health and social care.
- Clear understanding of the role that council services can make to health and wellbeing in the city.
- A clear understanding of the role and contribution that the voluntary and private sectors can make to health and wellbeing in both cities.
Essential:
- Ability to travel between sites.
Desirable:
- Ability to speak Welsh.
