Head of Health Determinants Research Collaboration

Across Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent in South Wales, our councils are doing something genuinely different. As Wales’ first and only federated councils, we’re pioneering a new leadership model that brings two sovereign unitary authorities together around shared ambition, aligned leadership and collective impact. Both councils have also adopted the Marmot principles, embedding a clear commitment to tackling inequality, improving wellbeing and focusing on long‑term outcomes through everything we do.

Prevention is an excellent example of how this approach can deliver real impact, by shifting power to communities, and commissioning the third sector to deliver targeted intervention. By taking a whole-system approach and addressing the wider determinants of health, councils can help reduce inequalities, improve population wellbeing, support prevention and create healthier, more resilient communities for future generations. So a strong evidence base – that gives us confidence in an intervention’s effectiveness, without constraining those who are best placed to design and deliver the intervention – is essential, and that’s what this exciting new role will deliver.

The Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) is a NIHR-funded group that sits within the Council to build and embed an evidence-led, research-focused culture within our prevention model. HDRC addresses the wider determinants of health and health inequity across the area, and supports the design of interventions which apply the research findings.

You’ll lead and coordinate this mature and well-regarded multidisciplinary research partnership, including recruiting and developing team members, and ensuring that the HDRC’s operating model is sustainable in the long-term. As well as overseeing the new research infrastructure in the borough, you’ll lead key workstreams across the HDRC, embedding a culture of evidence-based, inclusive decision-making and building support for this approach from senior colleagues, elected members and system partners.

This is neither a public health or academic research appointment; rather, your career to date will have placed you at the intersection of research, evidence, public policy, health inequalities, programme leadership and partnership working. With excellent technical credentials in programme management and performance evaluation, as well as the ability to work at pace, you’ll be a visible, decisive and highly credible leader. A sophisticated grasp of public health, policy formulation and research methods will be underpinned by general management skills, including financial management, communication and governance.

To find out more, please visit www.faerfield.co.uk/bgt, or call 0121 312 3755 to speak to our consultant at Faerfield, Dawn Faulkner.

Closing date: Wednesday 2 December 2026.