Senior Fellow - Economic Determinants of Health

Senior Fellow - Economic determinants of health

Salary: £81,869 per annum

Contract: Permanent

Hours Per week: 37.5 hours per week you will be required to work in - person a minimum of two days per week In line with our hybrid working model.

Our Foundation

We are an independent charitable organisation working to build a healthier UK. Health is our most precious asset. Good health enables us to live happy, fulfilling lives, fuels our prosperity, and helps build a stronger society. Yet good health remains out of reach for too many people in the UK and services are struggling to provide access to timely, high-quality care.

It doesn't have to be like this. Our mission is to help build a healthier UK by:

1. Improving people's health and reducing inequalities
2. Supporting radical innovation and improvement in health and care services
3. Providing evidence and analysis to improve health and care policy.

We aim for excellence across our work and will achieve this by producing research and analysis, shaping policy and practice, building skills, knowledge, and capacity, and acting as a catalyst for change. Everyone has a stake and a part to play in improving our health. By working together, we can build a healthier UK.
About the role

Are you passionate about shaping policy to improve workforce health and reduce inequalities? Do you bring deep expertise in the labour market and/or working-age welfare, and a proven ability to influence change at the highest levels?

The Health Foundation is seeking a Senior Fellow to lead a complex and high-impact programme of work focused on employment, welfare, and health. This is a unique opportunity to drive forward the recommendations of the Commission for Healthier Working Lives, shape national policy, and work directly with employers to test innovative workplace interventions that support better workforce health.

We're looking for someone who:

• Has a strong grasp of employment and/or welfare policy and its impact on health.
• Brings experience in shaping and delivering complex programmes of work.
• Is confident representing an organisation externally, including with senior stakeholders and in the media.
• Thrives in a fast-paced environment with high levels of autonomy.
• Communicates with clarity and influence, producing high-quality policy outputs.
• Is proactive, strategic, and committed to reducing health inequalities.

You'll join the Economic Determinants of Health team within the Healthy Lives directorate. Our work focuses on the wider determinants of health, such as employment, education, and housing-and how they shape people's lives. We use our independence and endowment to innovate, influence, and test real-world solutions that can drive long-term change.

How to apply

Our priority is to find the right individual for each opportunity. We are dedicated to building an inclusive workplace that values diversity and invite you to find out more. You can find the job description for this role here. If you would like to apply, please submit your CV, and using no more than 1000 words answer the following application questions:

1. Describe your experience of working in employment, welfare and/or health. Include the programmes of work you have delivered, where your policy and analysis skills are strongest and where you have expertise?
2. Share your achievements in developing ideas that have had an influence on national or local employment or health policy. How did you make the case for change and gain traction for the idea?
3. Give an example where you have led a programme with a number of different elements of varying levels of complexity and duration? How did you go about designing this programme, ensuring it ran to time and had the intended impact?

Our commitment to inclusion and diversity

We are committed to an inclusive hiring process, where every candidate has the chance to showcase their unique skills and experience in an accessible, and supported environment, to ensure that we can make the best appointment for each job on merit. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and encourage those from underrepresented groups in this field to apply to us.

We have identified three diverse groups, in particular, we want to achieve a better balance across our organisation between men and women, increase representation of people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds and recruit more people with disabilities. As part of this commitment, we particularly welcome applications from these groups.

Apply to join our team and let's work towards building a diverse and inclusive workplace together. If you require any support through this process, please contact Help us work together to make the recruitment process and potential future employment more accessible and enjoyable for you.

Closing date: August 25, 2025, at 23:00.

Interview date: September 4 or 5, 2025.