Principal Public Health Research Officer - West Sussex County Council : Job Details

The Opportunity

Salary: £45,441 to £48,474 per annum

Working Pattern: Full time, 37 hours per week

Location: County Hall, Chichester (Hybrid working)

Interview date: w/c 06 May 2024

We have an exciting opportunity within the Public Health and Social Research Unit, currently seeking a permanent, full time Principal Public Health Research Officer.

The Research Unit is responsible for the evidence base to underpin strategic decision-making in WSCC and its partners. It leads on a number of statutory responsibilities, including the production of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment on behalf of the West Sussex Health and Wellbeing Board, providing Public Health analytical advice and support to the NHS and managing the WSCC's Research Governance process. We are looking for a Principal Public Health Research Officer.

As the Principal Research Officer, you will design, undertake and disseminate research, evaluation, consultation and information activities that help to ensure West Sussex County Council is able to provide effective services to the public.

The post will cover a range of work including:

• coordinating, and undertaking, health equity audits.
• work to reduce barriers to health services, identified through working on specific detailed needs assessments and evaluations.
• the post will lead on the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment.
• and shorter-term projects.
• Develop links with other researchers (internal and external), wider research networks, and help develop research capacity

You will also advise others undertaking their own research.

What are we looking for?

We are seeking someone with a post graduate professional qualification relevant either to social research or Public Health, or equivalent level of significant experience.

You must have excellent communication skills and be able to establish good relationships with a wide range of people including elected Members, senior managers and clinicians.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

Working for us

As well as adding real value to our service users and our communities, as an employer we recognise our employees are central in being able to achieve this. To recognise this we want to help support your development and provide an great place to work ensuring you can fulfil your full potential, have access to a range of benefits including:

• an excellent local government pension scheme
• generous holiday entitlement of 30 days (plus opportunity to buy additional leave)
• a range of flexible working options, depending on your job role
• maternity, paternity, dependency and adoption leave
• volunteering opportunities
• training and development opportunities, including coaching and mentoring
• a range of discounts giving our staff access to hundreds of offers; groceries, travel, cinema tickets, days out, leisure activities, high street retailers and the opportunity to save over £1,000 a year through our West Sussex Choices benefits platform (see our Staff discounts page if you are a business looking to offer a discount)
• health and wellbeing benefits including access to our Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and Voluntary Health Cash Plans

For a full list this can be found at our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further information

The reference number for this role is CAFHE05081.

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact please contact Tim Martin For issues or queries regarding your application please contact .

To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and Cover Letter. In your cover letter please outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to 3 years referencing and a health check.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.

CC