Public Health Research Officer

NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.

NHS Ayrshire and Arran is one of 14 territorial NHS Boards within NHS Scotland.

In support of our core purpose of Working together to achieve the healthiest life possible for everyone in Ayrshire and Arran we are committed to a culture that is Caring, Safe, and Respectful. You will be required to work collaboratively in a safe, caring and respectful way.

To find out more about NHS Ayrshire and Arran please visit our website – NHS Ayrshire & Arran – Home ().

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Public Health Research Officer within the Public Health Department.

The post is 37 hours per week.

A hybrid model of working will be supported.

The post will be based at Ailsa Hospital, Ayr, but may require travel to Ayrshire Central or Crosshouse Hospital.

This post is offered on a permanent basis.

From 1 April 2026, the working week for NHS Agenda for Change staff in Scotland will be reduced. Full‑time hours will reduce from 37 to 36 hours (pro rata for part‑time staff) without loss of earnings.

This post will collate data (quantitative / qualitative), manipulate, analyse, interpret and detail the findings to provide specialist research, evaluation, and health intelligence that underpins the evidence‑based decision‑making across NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

• Provide a range of information, advice, data quality and monitoring services to support the early identification and management of communicable disease outbreaks and environmental threats.
• Collate, manipulate, analyse, and interpret quantitative and qualitative data, producing timely findings on local cases, clusters, and outbreaks for senior managers, consultants, and wider stakeholders.
• Work jointly with the Programme Management Office (PMO) to support NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s implementation of Caring for Ayrshire
  , ensuring service redesign and transformation are informed by robust evidence.
• Contribute to the implementation of the Population Health Framework and East/West subnational planning, enabling targeted interventions and resource allocation.
• Provide cover for the Band 5 Drug Death Coordinator post, maintaining continuity in a critical area of public health work.
• Build organisational capacity by delivering research and evaluation training to staff and partners.

This post is essential to maintain statutory public health functions, deliver evidence‑based transformation, and ensure services are designed and delivered using high‑quality data and research.

You will have a first degree in a relevant subject, for example social or natural sciences and will bring relevant experience of research and quantitative data analysis.

If you want to find out more about the role, please contact (Sally Amor, Consultant in Public Health, ).

To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service. Further information on what NHS Scotland Boards are required to do to check this as well as what your responsibilities include can be found within the attached Candidate Information Pack.

It is ESSENTIAL that you have checked that you either already have an appropriate right to work in the UK or that the post would be eligible to be sponsored BEFORE submitting your application form.

The Recruitment Team are unable to answer individual queries at application stage about this, please visit…