Do you want to make the world a better, healthier place? Are you passionate about the role of public health? Are you obsessed with improving public policy?

Royal Society for Public Health is the oldest public health charity in the world, with 170 years of history and a Royal Charter.  As a charity, we are well placed to make a real difference to the lives of people in the UK (and beyond) through our ability to create policy which influences and informs. Our independence means we can demonstrate leadership in areas others may not and our large membership base along with reach through qualifications and programmes means we have a significant stakeholder base to help us meet our aspirations. 

We are an ambitious team; we aim to improve the public’s health through improving public health policy in the four nations of the UK. This means we must act proactively, collaboratively and credibly and that is where our new Director of Policy comes in. We are looking for someone who is passionate about improving the public’s health including for those individuals and communities who are experiencing health inequalities. We are looking for a Director who will drive systemic change through policy and public affairs and position RSPH as a key influencer with evidence-based insights.  Now is an incredibly exciting time to work at RSPH; public health has never been as relevant or necessary and we have a really unique opportunity to demonstrate impact and leadership at the highest level.

Purpose: To improve public health policy in the UK. 

You will:

• Change the UK’s public health and public’s health through policy and public affairs.
• Develop and lead our Policy and Public Affairs Strategy to deliver real world improvement in the public’s health and in public health in the UK.  The strategy will support RSPH to change policy at the national, regional and local levels by presenting evidence and developing credible policy alternatives. 
• Ensure RSPH is a credible, authoritative voice that delivers robust evidence and pragmatic policy solutions.
• Developing our new business and grant-funded opportunities in policy achieving income targets, and brokering partnerships that enable RSPH to grow its revenue and impact.
• Be the strategic lead our reactive and proactive media, including social media, growing our reach. Including achieving high team and personal profiles in the media, advancing the debate on public health.
• Leading and managing the Centre team, embedding a culture of continuous learning, obsession with impact and innovation.  Build an outward-looking policy and public affairs function that demonstrates its impact.

Key Attributes

• You will be able to demonstrate a deep knowledge of public health, likely with both academic qualifications and policy/practice expertise.
• You will be obsessed with impact.  Planning for it, achieving it, demonstrating it. And able to demonstrate a vision for the impact RSPH should achieve.
• You will have proven success in using evidence to drive change.
• You will be able to demonstrate a strong track record of bidding for and winning contracts and / or grants and building strong partnerships
• You will be able to show that your leadership leads to high performing teams
• You will be able to evidence exceptional stakeholder management skills, including the media, with strong connectivity to the right people to help us change the world

In return we offer:

• Pension contributions
• 25 days annual leave
• Organisational commitment to supporting the health and wellbeing of our employees
• Flexible working hours and remote working opportunities
• Most importantly, the opportunity to change the world whilst working in a friendly team

RSPH values and actively strives to have a diverse and inclusive workforce in a working environment free from discrimination.