Public Health Careers Weekly | Edition 008
Missed this week’s email? Welcome to the online edition of Public Health Careers Weekly.
Every Friday, we publish carefully selected public health opportunities, sector updates and practical career advice to help you build your career in UK public health.
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🌟 Opportunity of the Week
Health Improvement Coordinator
Hertfordshire County Council
£42,839 to £47,181
Stevenage | Hybrid | Fixed term until October 2027
Closing: 31 August 2026
Support evidence-based public health programmes across areas including suicide prevention, physical activity and cardiovascular disease prevention.
Why it matters: Relevant public health project experience does not have to come from a public health team, making this particularly interesting for career changers. (Hertfordshire Job Search)
💼 Featured Opportunities
NIHR SPHR Communications Assistant
Newcastle University
£29,588 to £31,236
Closing: 30 August 2026
Support communications and knowledge exchange within the NIHR School for Public Health Research.
Why it matters: A good example of a public health research career built around communication rather than analysis alone. (Newcastle University Jobs)
Project Officer, Institute for Global Health
UCL
£43,981 to £52,586 pro rata
0.6 FTE | Fixed term
Closing: 4 September 2026
Support the Lancet Countdown collaboration on health and climate change. (Jobs.ac.uk)
Why it matters: A strong example of project-management skills being applied within global health research.
Public Protection Officer
London Borough of Havering
£43,680 to £48,003
Permanent | Full-time
Closing: 2 September 2026
Work across food safety, health and safety, infectious-disease control and enforcement. Applicants must be qualified Environmental Health Practitioners. (Jobs Go Public)
Why it matters: A useful reminder that environmental health is a key part of the wider public health workforce.
📰 This Week in Public Health
Scotland publishes updated cancer statistics
Public Health Scotland has released its latest cancer incidence and prevalence statistics, covering diagnoses to the end of 2024. (Public Health Scotland)
Why it matters: Population datasets underpin surveillance, service planning and health intelligence.
£442 million announced to tackle rough sleeping
New government funding will support accommodation and services for people experiencing rough sleeping in England. (GOV.UK)
Why it matters: Inclusion health creates work across public health, housing, healthcare, local government and the voluntary sector.
Latest UK Health Protection Report published
UKHSA published Issue 8 of its 2026 Health Protection Report on 18 August. (GOV.UK)
Why it matters: A useful example of how national surveillance intelligence is communicated in practice.
🎓 Learning Opportunity
All Our Health
Free NHS e-learning covering key public health topics, evidence and practical approaches to prevention and improving population health. (E-Learning for Healthcare)
Why it matters: A useful way to strengthen public health knowledge without immediately paying for another qualification.
💡 Career Insight
Your experience may already be more relevant than you think
This week’s Hertfordshire vacancy explicitly accepts public health project experience gained outside a public health team. (Hertfordshire Job Search)
Experience from healthcare, research, housing, education or community work can still be relevant if it demonstrates prevention, inequalities, population needs or improving outcomes.
Focus on what you did, not just your job title.
✍️ Application Tip
Match your strongest evidence to the most important criteria
Do not give every requirement equal space.
If project management, evaluation or partnership working is central to the role, give those criteria your strongest and most detailed examples.
Use your word count strategically.
🗺️ PHCH Resource of the Week
Public Health Career Roadmaps
Not sure which public health roles fit your experience?
The PHCH Career Roadmaps break down different specialisms, common job titles and the skills employers typically look for.
They are particularly useful if you are changing careers or trying to work out which parts of public health best match your existing experience.
Public Health Careers Weekly is published every Friday. Subscribe to receive the complete edition directly in your inbox.