About the role

Post Title: Public Health Practitioner Tobacco Control

Team: Bury Public Health

WE’RE HIRING! Public Health Specialist Tobacco Control (Bury Council)

Be part of the movement to make a SmokeFree Generation in Bury and Greater Manchester

Are you passionate about improving health, tackling inequalities, and shaping a future where smoking is no longer the biggest cause of preventable death? Do you want to lead bold, system-wide action that transforms lives and supports the national ambition for a SmokeFree Generation and Greater Manchester’s commitment to Making Smoking History?

If so we want, you on our team.


Why this role matters

Bury is already recognised across Greater Manchester for its strong partnerships and progressive public health work. Now, we’re looking for an energetic, driven and visionary Public Health Specialist to accelerate local action on tobacco control at one of the most pivotal times for national and regional policy.

You will be at the heart of delivering Bury’s contributions to:
The Government’s SmokeFree Generation plans
GMCA’s Making Smoking History programme
A strong local system dedicated to prevention, protection, and support

What you’ll lead

This is a rare opportunity to shape a dynamic, wholesystem approach to tobacco control. You’ll drive highimpact work including:

Strengthening Stop Smoking Support

Build on our excellent local service delivery, ensuring evidence-based, person-centred support reaches those who need it most.

Leading and energising the Bury Tobacco Alliance

Bring partners together across the borough to coordinate action, share intelligence, tackle inequalities, and deliver measurable change.

Tackling the rise in youth vaping

Use insight, data and partnership engagement to address concerns around vaping in young people and influence behaviour, policy, and local culture.

Expanding Smoke-Free Spaces

Help shape environments that protect children, denormalise smoking, and promote health across every neighbourhood.

Close collaboration with enforcement partners

Work handinhand with Trading Standards, Greater Manchester enforcement partners, and others to support local preparedness for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill and clamp down on illicit tobacco and illegal vape sales.


We’re looking for someone who can:

  • Confidently analyse, interpret and apply a wide range of data sets, including prevalence, inequalities data, service performance, and behavioural insights.
  • Understand and address the inequalities that drive smoking, focusing on communities and groups disproportionately affected.
  • Turn evidence into action strategic, operational, and measurable.

Partnership working is everything

This role thrives on collaboration. You’ll work closely with:

  • Bury ICB
  • Bury GP Federation
  • Voluntary, community and faith sector partners
  • Internal council teams including Public Health, Community Safety, Education, Environment and more
  • Neighbourhood Teams and Public Service Leadership Teams
  • Regional partners through GM Making Smoking History networks

If you love bringing people together, influencing change, and driving a system that delivers better outcomes than the sum of its parts this is the role for you.

What we’re offering

  • The chance to make a genuine and lasting impact on health in Bury
  • A supportive, forward-thinking team that values innovation and collaboration
  • A role at the centre of one of the most ambitious public health agendas in the UK
  • Opportunities to lead, shape and champion cutting-edge tobacco control work

Ready to help create a smoke-free generation?

This is your moment. Bring your expertise, your energy, and your passion and help drive a healthier future for Bury. Let’s make smoking history. Together.


The post is based at 6 Knowsley Place, Bury, Normal working hours are 37 hours per week, worked flexibly around the needs of the service and includes agile / home working.

In line with safer recruitment, please ensure your application or CV includes your full employment history, with explanations for any gaps. Successful candidates will be required to provide appropriate references.

To read about the wide range of benefits of working for Bury Council, please visit “A Good Employer” on the Greater.jobs website. We support employees to work with agility where appropriate for the post and service requirements.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. We are committed to becoming an equal and inclusive organisation that recognises, values and celebrates diversity. We guarantee an interview for disabled people, looked after children/care leavers, armed forces personnel (including reservists and veterans) and carers of adults or disabled children who meet the essential criteria.


Normal hours of work are 37 hours per week based around the usual business working week. Dependent on service requirements, you may be required to work on a rota basis.

About Bury
The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. Appointment may be subject to a satisfactory disclosure at the appropriate level under the Disclosure and Barring Service.
In line with safer recruitment, please ensure that your application/CV covers your full employment history and there is a reason noted for any gaps in employment. Successful candidates will be asked to provide relevant references for the past ten years and character references will not be accepted.

Please note we are unable to support with sponsorship at this time.

As a Corporate Parent, ensure that the work and services you deliver considers our care experienced young people, promotes their life chances empowers them to influence the policies, services, and decisions that affect them, champions their rights, and ensure they grow up in the best possible way


Benefits of working for Bury Council
To hear about the benefits for working with Bury Council, please visit Bury - Home | greater.jobs
We support employees to work with agility, where appropriate for the post and service requirements.
We are committed to Bury being an equal society that recognises values and embraces all people, regardless of any difference, for the skills, abilities and experiences they bring into the workforce and the wider community. Therefore we guarantee an interview for disabled people, looked after children/ care leavers, armed forces personnel (including reservists and veterans) and carers of adults or disabled children if they meet the essential criteria.

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme, please indicate this within the ‘About You’ or ‘Supporting Statement’ section of your application.

Next steps

  • For an informal chat regarding the role please contact Lee Buggie ( Public Health Specialist ) on l.buggie@bury.gov.uk
  • Interviews dates TBC


Please use the Person Specific attachment to answer the 4 questions as part of your application.

Great to hear you're interested in joining Bury Public Health. We’re always looking for people who are passionate about improving health, tackling inequalities, and making a real difference in our communities. If you bring enthusiasm, a commitment to evidence-based practice, and a collaborative approach, you’ll be a brilliant fit.

Best of luck with your application we’d be excited to have you as part of the team.

Supporting Documents

Public Health Practitioner - Tobacco Control Job Description and Person Specification
Person Specification
Work Demands

Location

Knowsley Street, , Bury, BL9 0SW, United Kingdom

Job ID

11991

Supporting You Through Every Step of Your Journey

We want every candidate to feel welcomed, informed and confident when applying for a role with us.

This section brings together everything you need to succeed - from guidance on writing an authentic application to and understanding how to use AI responsibly.

You’ll also find information about our Greater Manchester commitments, including our inclusive employment schemes and standards, as well as tools to help you explore your potential pay, benefits and entitlements. We’re here to ensure you have the support you need at every stage.

Working for a local authority in Greater Manchester

Local authorities across Greater Manchester are proud to be part of a shared commitment to widening access to employment and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

These commitments span a number of long‑standing schemes and initiatives designed to open doors, remove barriers and ensure all applicants feel valued and respected throughout their employment journey.

Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter

People in an urban setting with a car, buildings, and recycling bin.

Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter

Find out more

Our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme

Cityscape with people, aircraft and military vehicles.

Our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme

Find out more

Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment

People, buildings, and a van in a purple cityscape.

Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment

Find out more

Greater Manchester People Inclusion Standards

People with disabilities and different backgrounds in a community

Greater Manchester People Inclusion Standards

Find out more

Your Pay, Your Benefits, Your Future

Explore easy‑to‑use tools that help you understand your take‑home pay and how different employment situations may affect the financial support available to you and your household.

  1. Calculate Your Take‑Home Pay

    Use this salary calculator to estimate your net pay after tax, National Insurance, and pension contributions.

    Estimate your Income Tax for the current year (Gov.uk)

  2. Check Your Benefits Entitlement

    See how changes in employment, hours or salary may affect your benefits and household income.

    Turn2us Benefits Calculator

Applying Authentically With AI: Our Greater Manchester Approach

Across Greater Manchester’s local authorities, we want to hear your genuine experiences, skills and motivations, expressed in your own words.

To keep our recruitment process fair and inclusive, please complete your application personally and follow the instructions carefully. AI can be used to support you - for example, to help structure your answers or as a reasonable adjustment - but your application should still reflect your authentic voice. If you do use AI as a support tool, a brief explanation helps us ensure an equitable selection process.

Applications that depend too heavily on AI‑generated content may not progress to shortlisting.

This guidance outlines acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI, along with suggestions for using it in a way that supports you while keeping your application true to you.

  1. What Is AI and How Do We Use It Across Greater Manchester?

    AI refers to technology that can create or refine content, such as text, ideas, summaries, or planning. It can help improve productivity, problem-solving, and creativity.

    We’re open to using innovative digital tools where they can help us work smarter and deliver better services for our residents. However, every use of AI is carefully considered to make sure it is ethical, responsible, and aligned with public-sector values.

    When it comes to recruitment, we take a human-centred approach.

    This means:

    • A trained hiring manager reads every application

    • Shortlisting is based on objective criteria required for the job

    • Interviews are conducted in person or via teams by the hiring manager for the role

    • All hiring decisions are made by hiring managers, not algorithms

    AI does not make decisions in our recruitment process and our managers are being upskilled to spot AI in applications, particularly when this might have been used in a way that doesn’t feel genuine. If something in an application raises a question or concern, we will test this out with assessments or at the interview stage to confirm authenticity.

    Our aim isn’t to catch anyone out but to make sure we’re getting to know the real you, giving every candidate a fair chance and finding the right person for the role.

  2. Using AI in Your Application

    When it comes to job applications, what matters most to us is you. We want to see your personality, your experience, and what excites you about joining our team. 

    We recognise that AI can be a helpful tool to support accessibility during the application process. If you choose to use AI for support, please read the instructions carefully and make sure your application is written in your own words, reflecting your genuine skills, knowledge, experience and enthusiasm.

    We’re looking forward to hearing your story.

  3. How to use AI Effectively and Responsibly

    Your application is your chance to show us:

    • Who you are

    • What you can bring

    • The values you hold

    • Why you want to make a difference

    AI can help you organise your thoughts or improve clarity but it cannot express your unique voice, experiences, or motivations.

    AI is most helpful when used to:

    • Help you structure the information you are providing to evidence the criteria

    • Give examples of how to use STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result)

    • Proof-read to highlight grammar or spelling errors

    • Provide inspiration if you're finding it difficult to find the right words to explain something

    But remember: your honesty, lived experience, and motivations are irreplaceable.

  4. Do’s and Don’ts for Using AI in the Recruitment Process

    Do:

    • Use AI as a supportive tool, not a replacement

    • Ask AI to help tidy up your writing or clarify structure

    • Use it to brainstorm examples, then rewrite them in your own voice

    • Reflect on AI suggestions and adapt them to match your experience

    • Use AI to help with research, but express your understanding yourself

    Don’t:

    • Copy and paste AI-generated content directly into your application

    • Let AI exaggerate or invent experience you do not have

    • Rely on generic statements that don’t reflect the specific role requirements

    • Remove your individuality, we want to hear your voice