Job summary
About the Team
Public Health seeks to improve the health and wellbeing of West Sussex residents by understanding and addressing the factors that determine health outcomes. This requires rigorous use of data, intelligence and research evidence.
This role is based within the Public Health and Social Research Unit, a multi-disciplinary team of analysts and researchers that provides the evidence base for strategic decision-making across WSCC and its partners. The Unit leads on several statutory responsibilities, including:
- Producing the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) for the West Sussex Health and Wellbeing Board
- Providing public health analytical advice and support to the NHS
- Jointly managing WSCC's Research Governance process
Main duties of the job
The Opportunity
Salary:£38,580 to £41,084 per annum
Working Pattern:Part time 4 days a week (29.6 hours per week)
Contract type:12-monthFixed term contract from start date
Location:Hybrid workingoffice base County Hall, Chichester required 1 day per week
Interview date:week commencing 19thJan 2026
This is a senior role, accountable to Public Health and funded through the Public Health Grant, with influence extending across organisational boundaries to inform strategic decision-making. The position places strong emphasis on quantitative analysis while requiring breadth across analytical and research methodologies, candidates will need to demonstrate robust skills in both quantitative and qualitative approaches.
The role has a particular focus on children and young people and addressing health inequalities. You will work closely with senior managers on key programmes including the Healthy Child Programme and the National Child Measurement Programme, providing expert advice on evaluation design, analytical approaches to quantitative and qualitative data, and community engagement.
You will design, deliver, and disseminate high-quality analysis, research, evaluation, and evidence to ensure West Sussex County Council can provide effective services to residents. You will develop and implement strategies that ensure analytical work is meaningful, inclusive, and fully integrated into decision-making processes across the organisation.
About us
West Sussex County Council is all about making a positive difference to the people we work with and their communities. As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.
Job description
Job responsibilities
About the job
This is a senior post, accountable to Public Health and funded from the Public Health
Grant but informs decision-making across organisations. This post title includes analyst, in part to denote a greater emphasis on quantitative work, but at
this senior level the postholder will need a breadth of analytical and research
skills, and knowledge, so will need strong quantitative and qualitative
skills.
The postholder will design, undertake, and disseminate analyses, research, evaluation,
and information activities that help to ensure West Sussex County Council is
able to provide effective services to the public. The postholder will also advise
others undertaking their own work.
They will develop and implement agreed / recommended strategies that ensure analyses,
research, evaluation, and information activities are meaningful, inclusive and
fully taken into account in decision-making processes.
Given the level of demand for research and analysis, the
unit has divided work between a number of posts, this does not mean each post
exclusively works on a specific subject, age group or geographic area but this
provides a way of broadly allocating work, and this helps align unit staff with
PH Consultants, lead managers and portfolios across Public Health.
The first two posts are divided by age group, with a principal analyst focussed
on adults, and one on children and young people. The third post has a focus on
the environment (including climate change). For one of the posts, a person with
a qualification, and or experience, of health economics would be preferred,
this is currently shown against the environment post.
1. Principal Public Health Analyst Adults (Working Age and Older People)
2. Principal Public Health Analyst Children and Young People
3. Principal Public Health Analyst Economy and Place, for this post
experience and knowledge of Health Economics preferred
Job description
Job responsibilities
About the job
This is a senior post, accountable to Public Health and funded from the Public Health
Grant but informs decision-making across organisations. This post title includes analyst, in part to denote a greater emphasis on quantitative work, but at
this senior level the postholder will need a breadth of analytical and research
skills, and knowledge, so will need strong quantitative and qualitative
skills.
The postholder will design, undertake, and disseminate analyses, research, evaluation,
and information activities that help to ensure West Sussex County Council is
able to provide effective services to the public. The postholder will also advise
others undertaking their own work.
They will develop and implement agreed / recommended strategies that ensure analyses,
research, evaluation, and information activities are meaningful, inclusive and
fully taken into account in decision-making processes.
Given the level of demand for research and analysis, the
unit has divided work between a number of posts, this does not mean each post
exclusively works on a specific subject, age group or geographic area but this
provides a way of broadly allocating work, and this helps align unit staff with
PH Consultants, lead managers and portfolios across Public Health.
The first two posts are divided by age group, with a principal analyst focussed
on adults, and one on children and young people. The third post has a focus on
the environment (including climate change). For one of the posts, a person with
a qualification, and or experience, of health economics would be preferred,
this is currently shown against the environment post.
1. Principal Public Health Analyst Adults (Working Age and Older People)
2. Principal Public Health Analyst Children and Young People
3. Principal Public Health Analyst Economy and Place, for this post
experience and knowledge of Health Economics preferred
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant subject with a Postgraduate qualification.
Experience
Essential
- dvanced knowledge of qualitative and quantitative analysis, evaluation, and information gathering techniques.
- Highly skilled in using analytical software packages, spreadsheets, databases and statistical methods and (desirable) experience of coding (SQL, R, Python).
- Practical experience in analysing, interrogating, and interpreting a wide range of highly complex information from a variety of sources and agencies.
- Experienced and confidence in dealing with people, including the public, service users / carers, and staff, preferably in a supervisory capacity, as well as the ability to establish credibility at all levels of the organisation.
- Advanced analytical / statistical skills and the ability to translate findings to a range of audiences including non-analytical professionals.
- The ability to assess and summarise the evidence base when examining population health, including undertaking rapid literature reviews.
- Considerable experience working in partnership, of networking, and of providing professional advice to a range of staff, including senior staff, and partner organisations.
- Awareness of the functions and structure of national, local government and NHS and other relevant sectors, and working knowledge of organisational policies, practices and procedures.
- The ability to design and deliver training, for example on statistics and analytical methodologies.
- The ability to plan, manage and deliver a range of projects, with competing deadlines.
- Experience of delivering a professional, high-quality service to clients / service users
- Experience of working in public health or health care information setting.
Desirable
- Experience of designing and delivery training internally, and externally Desirable
- For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant subject with a Postgraduate qualification.
Experience
Essential
- dvanced knowledge of qualitative and quantitative analysis, evaluation, and information gathering techniques.
- Highly skilled in using analytical software packages, spreadsheets, databases and statistical methods and (desirable) experience of coding (SQL, R, Python).
- Practical experience in analysing, interrogating, and interpreting a wide range of highly complex information from a variety of sources and agencies.
- Experienced and confidence in dealing with people, including the public, service users / carers, and staff, preferably in a supervisory capacity, as well as the ability to establish credibility at all levels of the organisation.
- Advanced analytical / statistical skills and the ability to translate findings to a range of audiences including non-analytical professionals.
- The ability to assess and summarise the evidence base when examining population health, including undertaking rapid literature reviews.
- Considerable experience working in partnership, of networking, and of providing professional advice to a range of staff, including senior staff, and partner organisations.
- Awareness of the functions and structure of national, local government and NHS and other relevant sectors, and working knowledge of organisational policies, practices and procedures.
- The ability to design and deliver training, for example on statistics and analytical methodologies.
- The ability to plan, manage and deliver a range of projects, with competing deadlines.
- Experience of delivering a professional, high-quality service to clients / service users
- Experience of working in public health or health care information setting.
Desirable
- Experience of designing and delivery training internally, and externally Desirable
- For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description
