Drug and Alcohol Harms Panel Manager

Overview

Are you passionate about reducing the harms from drugs and alcohol?

Do you have a proven track record of leading, co-ordinating and influencing partnership work?

Are you experienced in implementing new processes, interpreting data and communicating findings?

Buckinghamshire Council is seeking a Drug and Alcohol Harms Panel Manager to join our dynamic and forward-thinking Public Health team. Public health is embedded in the Council’s core business, and we are proud to be an innovative and high-performing organisation.

Contract: Fixed term contract/secondment until October 2027

About us

There is excellent partnership working across Buckinghamshire with a strong network between the local authority, NHS, community and charitable organisations. The Council is now a unitary authority which enhances our ability to address the broader determinants of health. While Buckinghamshire is generally more affluent and enjoys better health outcomes than the national average, we are committed to tackling the significant health inequalities that exist across the County. 

About the role

We are recruiting to a full time Drug and Alcohol Harms Panel Manager who will provide high level technical expertise to meet our ambition of reducing substance use related deaths in Buckinghamshire. This is an exciting and innovative opportunity to support the design, development and implementation of a new multi-agency harms review process.

The post holder will be working in close partnership with a wide range of external organisations and other teams within the Council across the health, care, and criminal justice sectors. The role will lead multi-agency case reviews and oversee epidemiological analyses to identify learning, improve service delivery through effective partnership working, and reduce preventable deaths with evidence-based recommendations.

The post will be managed by a Public Health Principal and be part of a wider drug and alcohol team.

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

About you

We’re looking for candidates who: 

• Have a strong understanding of the issues surrounding drugs and alcohol use.
• Are educated to degree standard or hold equivalent relevant experience in Public Health or an area related to the role, e.g. the police, NHS or the voluntary and community sector.
• Are able to co-ordinate and analyse complex data and present their findings clearly.
• Are skilled in and committed to reducing preventable deaths through effective multi-agency partnership working.

We offer:  

• A supportive and collaborative team environment.
• Flexible working arrangements.
• Opportunities for continuing professional development.
• Support to work towards registration on the UK Public Health Register as a Public Health Practitioner.

Please refer to job summary attached for full details about the role.

Other information

If you would like to discuss either role in more detail, please contact:

• Liz Biggs, Public Health Principal - [email protected]

Closing date for applications: 7^th September 2025

Provisional dates for interviews: 17^th and 19^th September 2025

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent cautions and/or unspent convictions

For further information on how long it takes for cautions and convictions cautions to become spent, please refer to our guide on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (updated 2023) | Nacro

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining us, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

We know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Service Area

Buckinghamshire is an exciting place to work and a beautiful place to live. It has a population of more than 500,000 and although generally healthy and wealthy, there are significant public health challenges and inequalities across the county. The Council is now a unitary authority, which enhances our ability to address the broader determinants of health.

Good health is vital to the social and economic success of an area. It contributes to safe, strong, cohesive happy communities, educational attainment and the ability to find and remain in employment. In turn, this reduces demand on children and adult social care services and healthcare services.

Our Public Health service works with communities and colleagues in the NHS, voluntary sector and other partners to co-design approaches, building on the assets of communities to develop solutions and provide equal access to all residents. Some of the ways we do this are by supporting mental health, improving access to healthy, affordable food through a range of growing schemes, and our Active Communities program. We are looking for people who share our values of looking after the wellbeing of our residents and engaging with our communities about delivering the best solutions for them

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/