Job Description

Job description
We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced nurse to lead the newly established Sheffield Community Infection Prevention & Control (CIPC) service.

Background

Sheffield is a large city with a diverse population and geography, over one-hundred care homes, supported living homes and Extra Care housing facilities, as well as a number of early years, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) schools, and temporary accommodation settings that support some of the most vulnerable residents of the city.



The newly established Sheffield Community Infection Prevention & Control (CIPC) service, which sits within the Public Health and Integrated Commissioning Directorate, aims to provide high quality, specialist IPC advice, support, local surveillance, and care to community-based settings such as these that provide health and social care services.

The role

We are looking for an experienced NMC-registered nurse to lead the Community Infection Prevention & Control (CIPC) team. You will oversee and contribute to the provision of all aspects of the Sheffield Community Infection Prevention & Control Delivery Plan, including managing and overseeing the activities of the team.



You will lead the team in promoting effective IPC practice and techniques to both staff and service users, with the aim of reducing the burden of avoidable infections, the transmission of infectious disease, and subsequent poor health outcomes across the community. You will help to foster a service that is flexible, convenient, confidential, and tailored to meet the needs of the population.

Key responsibilities

Service and Programme Delivery: You will lead the day-to-day delivery of the service, providing senior-level specialist advice and supporting timely, evidence-based IPC guidance across community settings. Working closely with health and care system partners, you'll help shape local IPC strategies, ensure compliance through audits and policy development, and drive high standards of practice using clinical expertise and behavioural insights.



Performance Management: You will monitor and review the CIPC service to ensure high-quality delivery, support improvements in public health outcomes, reduce preventable healthcare-associated infections, and assist commissioners in maintaining effective IPC standards across community-based services.



Planning: You will lead the development of local IPC policies and plans, ensuring cross-sector collaboration and long-term strategic alignment. This includes conducting health surveillance, needs assessments, and data analysis to inform policy and address health inequalities.



Resource Management: You will use your specialist knowledge to allocate resources effectively and ensure value for money.



People Management: You will manage members of the team, overseeing recruitment, supervision, appraisals, and development to support staff performance and growth. This includes providing clinical supervision, supporting public health trainees, and fostering a positive, motivated team culture that maximises individual and team contributions.



Stakeholder Management: You will build and maintain strong relationships with commissioners, health partners, community settings, and Council teams to ensure effective collaboration and communication. Using strong communication and negotiation skills, you will share updates, reports, and training across stakeholders with varying levels of clinical knowledge, manage conflict where necessary, and ensure service outcomes are clearly understood and met.



Representation: You will represent the service at strategic forums and communities of practice, contributing to IPC quality improvement and ensuring the service's interests are reflected in local, regional, and national discussions, particularly around antimicrobial resistance.

Skills and experience

We are looking for somebody who:


Has substantial nursing experience and specialist knowledge in infection prevention and control. Has led change, managed teams, and delivered training and educational programmes. Is skilled in problem-solving, critical analysis, applying research to practice, and is proficient in data analysis. Demonstrates strong leadership, communication and influencing skills, and is skilled in building collaborative relationships. Has experience developing and managing audit activity.

There are many benefits to joining Sheffield City Council. The package includes one of the best pension schemes available as well as flexible working arrangements, and we offer generous annual leave entitlement.



Shortlisting will be based on the specific skills and experience requirements listed above.



Dates for interview will be: 2nd September 2025



Please contact Ruth Granger, Consultant in Public Health ruth.granger@sheffield.gov.uk for an informal discussion about the post.



We are investing in our workforce and are promoting opportunities to our under-represented groups. We value equality, diversity and inclusion and are focused on increasing the diversity of our workforce, particularly the number of Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic, Disabled and LGBTQ+ people, so that our teams reflect the communities in the city we serve. We are also supporting staff with unpaid caring responsibilities to work flexibly.



It is a great time to join us and we welcome your application.



Under the Disability Confident Scheme, disabled applicants, who meet the essential criteria of this job, are guaranteed an interview.



We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare and safety of children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff to share this commitment. All successful candidates will be required to complete an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service Check.



Full-time employees work 37 hours for 52 weeks of the year and we offer a generous holiday entitlement. We are open to discussions about a wide range of flexible working opportunities which benefit you and the Council, including reduced hour contracts, working part time or as a job share.



If you are appointed to this role, your starting salary will be at the bottom of the grade. If you provide payslip evidence that your basic pay is greater than the bottom of the grade, we will consider starting you at the point of minimum advantage within the grade.



Equality of pay is extremely important to us. All roles at Sheffield City Council are going through an evaluation process which may result in changes to some pay arrangements from 2026. Find out more on our Sheff news page.

Job details

---------------


Job reference
REQ003519
Date posted
14/07/2025
Application closing date
17/08/2025
Location
Sheffield
Salary
Grade 11 55,994 to 61,321
Package
Permanent
Contractual hours
37
Basis
Blank
Job category/type
Public Health