Public health manager or director

Public health manager or director - overview

As a public health manager or director, sometimes called a health improvement practitioner or public health adviser, you’ll use your research and communication skills to help people adopt healthier lifestyles or improve health policies. Read on to find out what working in this role is like.

Learn what the role involves below.

What does a public health manager or director do?

As a public health manager or director, you’ll work to improve the health of individuals or communities at a regional, national, or international level. You might work in roles ranging from research, policy and programme management to more focused ones like health and safety, nutrition or hygiene.

You’ll typically work at a wider social level, rather than focusing on a certain health facility or practice. On a day-to-day basis you might collect and analyse data, create reports or presentations, engage with communities to change health practices, or evaluate the performance of existing health practices and services. Your passion for enhancing health will help you find this career very rewarding.

What will your days involve?

Daily tasks will vary but could involve:

Building awareness among groups, organisations or communities around health issues
Collaborating with a range of public, charitable or private organisations
Delivering presentations, workshops and training courses
Cultivating local partnerships to deliver health information and services
Collecting data, conducting interviews and completing research
Creating reports and making policy or procedure recommendations
Campaigning for changes to health practices and services
Creating various learning and awareness resources like leaflets and posters

FAQs

How much can you earn as a public health manager or director?

The average salary for a public health manager or director in the UK is £54,080.

Does a public health manager or director role involve travel in the UK or overseas?

Certain roles in this field, especially ones focused on areas like global health and epidemiology, can involve regular overseas travel.

Can you work from home as a public health manager or director?

While some roles may be carried out entirely from home or digitally, many positions in this field will ask you to be present in person or in a certain location.