Case studies
Public Health England
Roles
- Programme Managers (HR and Finance)
- Data Analysts (HR and Finance)
- Programme Support Managers
- Systems Training Officers
- Systems Accountants
Client profile
Public Health England was established in 2013 to bring together public health specialists from more than 70 organisations into a single public health service.
As an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care, Public Health England is a distinct organisation with operational autonomy. It provides government, local government, the NHS, Parliament, industry and the public with evidence-based professional, scientific expertise and support.
It exists to protect and improve the nation's health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities.
Assignment
Robertson Bell began supporting Public Health England in November 2020, on an assignment that required quick-thinking and initiative to deliver a series of core positions in quick succession.
The Government agency was putting in place a systems implementation programme to consolidate HR and finance functions. It needed to fill 15 positions, all on a fixed-term basis, with a variety of length of contracts. Although not an exclusive assignment, Public Health England came to us as a result of the experienced pipeline of exceptional candidates we have access to within the sector.
Considerations and challenges
- The salary scales for roles within the sector are challenging, particularly if a candidate is not already working in the civil service. This can make it hard to attract talent.
- A niche skillset is required for these positions, and the specific requirements are notably hard to find across the market. All prospective candidates were required to be comfortable with working with new technologies.
- Therefore, it was likely that the most qualified and sought-after candidates for these roles would already be working in a similar position.
Solution
Our consultants spent significant time with hiring managers in order to develop a deep understanding of the role profiles required. This included considering the qualifications and skills of the candidates, as well as their ability to adapt to the emerging technologies currently used by the client.
Equipped with these insights, we were able to develop a sophisticated, multi-faceted campaign incorporating comprehensive in-house and third-party database searches in addition to targeted advertising across platforms such as LinkedIn and Reed. In a combined approach, we also leveraged our consultants’ impressive network, engaging with candidates who were aligned with these specific role requirements.
Outcome
For each of the positions sought by Public Health England, we were pleased to present a shortlist of five candidates who fulfilled the needs of the role requirements.
Whilst this was not an exclusive assignment, our team of consultants filled a significant proportion of the roles, with the remaining positions filled mainly by the Government agency’s internal teams.
All appointed candidates started successfully, energising project teams with fresh insights and innovative approaches.