Director of Public Health

at  JGP Resourcing

ABOUT THE BOROUGH

This special place in South West London between the capital and the country has been a Royal borough longer than anywhere else - it is where the first kings of England were crowned.
Today it is a vibrant and diverse borough, with a long history and strong cultural and community heritage. Kingston’s riverside location, fantastic retail offer, historic market place and church, parks and gardens all make Kingston town centre the vibrant space it is, and each of our district town centres (Surbiton, New Malden, Tolworth and Chessington) have something unique to offer.
Situated in Zone 6, Kingston is among the best-connected town centres in London - with direct train links from Kingston and Surbiton stations to Clapham Junction and London Waterloo, as well as Wimbledon for an interchange with the London Underground and Tramlink.
Kingston’s people are innovative and entrepreneurial, and have a strong sense of community pride. The borough has been home to great industry and creativity for many years, reflected in assets such as the Rose Theatre, the International Youth Arts Festival and Kingston University, which boasts more new graduate business start-ups than any other.
We have seen tremendous generosity and compassion within our communities, particularly in response to COVID-19, which is a demonstration of Kingston’s key strength. The council offers a strong level of support to vulnerable groups and those who need additional support, which has also increased significantly as a result of the pandemic. Like most places, the average age of our population is rising as more people are living longer, so we are working closely with residents to help them maintain their independence and further improve the cost effectiveness of our service to meet the ongoing rise in demand.
Kingston is home to people from diverse and interesting cultures and backgrounds, which helps to create the rich sense of community shared across the borough. In particular, Kingston has a large Sri Lankan Tamil community and is home to more people from Korea than any other part of the UK.

ABOUT US

We are an open, honest and transparent authority. We want to continue to build on our local relationships and work alongside and enable our communities to continue to support a resilient and thriving borough. This requires keeping the deep respect and cooperation between elected members and council officers to put ourselves in the strongest position to assist them.
At Kingston Council, we are passionate about empowering staff to become the best that they can be and the right person for this role will ensure their teams are well-equipped and motivated to continue to provide quality services for our residents, businesses, partners, voluntary and community sector and other stakeholders. We are immensely proud of our borough, and we care deeply about our responsibilities.

ABOUT THE ROLE AND OUR IDEAL CANDIDATE

We are looking for a dynamic individual to lead and shape the public health agenda for the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. Reporting directly to the Executive Director of Adult Social Care and Health, you will be responsible for delivering against our Adult Social Care and Health vision, leading innovative health strategies, and championing health equity for our increasingly diverse population.
Prevention is a key corporate priority and as a key member of the wider leadership team, you will work alongside Members, Executive Directors, and Strategic Partners to deliver on this and our health and wellbeing priorities. You will be the key adviser on all health matters ensuring Kingston remains a resilient and healthy borough.
You will lead the development and delivery of public health strategies in line with Kingston’s corporate vision, ensuring the council’s statutory duties are met whilst overseeing the health protection, health improvement, and reduction of health inequalities across Kingston.
To excel in this role, you will need to be registered with the GMC or UKPHR, you will have experience in using resources creatively to address health challenges and a proven ability to lead public health programs, manage public health risks, and deliver evidence-based health initiatives. You’ll be part of a supportive environment that values continuous learning and development.
If you want to lead an innovative, creative team in an organisation that is forward-thinking and ambitious about the impact of public health on its population we want to hear from you.