Consultant in Public Health

What will you be doing?

Kent County Council

Consultant in Public Health leading in Children, Young people, oral health and learning disabilities

£95,739 - £113,463. (With potential to offer a market premium dependent on experience)

Kent is the one of the largest local authorities in the UK, with a circa 1.7m population, 12 districts and boroughs, a co-terminus NHS Integrated Care Board, and vibrant townships and communities. With a long and interesting history, and being the garden of England, it also the gateway to Europe and in turn its gateway to the UK. With 350 miles of coastline and major coastal inequalities; we are UK's first Marmot Coastal Region. We have two major universities and a medical school, and seven NHS Trusts operating in the county. In Kent size matters and working here gives a consultant in public the biggest possible canvas to work on.

We are at a very exciting juncture in our public health journey, having just launched UK’s first Marmot Coastal Region, to tackle coastal health inequalities, and in the process of helping to define what Neighbourhood Health can mean.

All of this needs to put children and giving them the best start in life at the heart of the work and this is where you come in.

We are looking to to appoint an innovative and forward-thinking Consultant in Public Health to join our highly regarded and well-resourced Public Health Division and help us to drive our exciting agenda forward.

We have a highly experienced, talented team working with our Director of Public Health including a Deputy director as well six additional Public Health Consultants all working to achieve the aspirations of our members for improving the health and wellbeing of the Kent population.

Kent Public Health is aiming to become a Centre of Excellence, undertaking on a range of innovative activities in research, innovation and improvement, advanced analytics using integrated data and predictive modelling and offering increased number of education and training placements for multiple professional groups such as Public Health Speciality Registrars, junior doctors and university students. We enjoy national recognition for several programmes including Public Health research linked with Europe.

We also have the Kent Public Health Observatory team (https://www.kpho.org.uk) who work collaboratively with Public Health colleagues and partners across the Integrated Care System to gather, analyse, and interpret complex data on population health and wellbeing. This insight supports strategic decision-making to ensure the most effective use of limited resources.

The Role

The Consultant portfolio is:

AAC0002533: Consultant in Public Health leading in Children, Young people, oral health and learning disabilities

We are well integrated into the council, support the Kent and Medway Integrated Care System and have an overall Public Health budget of circa £92 million with a major focus on reducing health inequalities.

As part of this role, you will be responsible for the line management of a small team of public health specialists and other staff. You will also manage the largest portfolio budget in the division of around £40 million for this area of the service.

This is a great time to join Kent – a great county to live in, its proximity to London, has excellent schools, vibrant cities, golden beaches, and stunning countryside. As the largest county council in the country, Kent is a very large canvas and there is a real opportunity to make a tangible difference.

Candidates

You will need to be a UK qualified public health consultant (or within six months of qualifying) with a passion for tackling health inequalities and up for the challenge of working in a complex and diverse environment.

You could be newly qualified and seeking your first Consultant post or an experienced Consultant looking for an opportunity to make a real impact. As a passionate and motivated public health professional we welcome your interest in this role and your application.

You will be able to work in a hybrid format with a split between working from home with an office base as Maidstone and we are committed to flexible working: "Work that works for you and us – let's talk flexibility!"

Application Closing date: Midnight, Monday 25th May 2026

AAC/Final Panel: Week commencing 1st June 2026

Please note that the successful candidate will be required to participate in enhanced pre-employment screening undertaken by the County Council.

This post is subject to a Basic Application to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

About you

For a confidential discussion, please contact River Simmons (07893 921996) or Rebecca Martin (07418 378189) at Panoramic Associates (our recruitment partner).

For more information and to apply please visit: Panoramic Associates

About us

Work that works for you and us - let's talk flexibility!

KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county's working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds, faiths and those with caring responsibilities, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

Please note - if you are interested, please apply soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.