Healthy City Coordinator

BACKGROUND

Healthy Cities and Counties Programme

The Healthy Cities and Counties Programme is a Department of Health funded initiative delivered through local government. Its focus is on promoting lifelong wellbeing, preventing illness, creating supportive environments for health, and reducing health inequities. The programme emphasises the important role local authorities play in improving community wellbeing outcomes.

The programme supports a whole-of-local-government approach. It demonstrates how co-ordinated action across the wider determinants of health – such as housing, environment, transport, and community services – can improve wellbeing and contribute to broader development and policy objectives. Aligning health and wellbeing activity with other local government initiatives that share similar goals strengthens collaboration and ensures a more coherent approach to community wellbeing.

The programme operates within the Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) structure, giving it a strong governance foundation and enabling it to support the high-level goals set out in Local Economic and Community Plans.

Each of the 31 Local Authorities has a dedicated Healthy Cities/Counties Co-ordinator (Administrative Officer grade) responsible for delivering the programme locally. A Healthy Ireland Fund, provided by the Department of Health, is allocated to each Local Authority to support targeted wellbeing initiatives. The Co-ordinator manages and administers this fund as part of their overall work programme.

The primary role of the Healthy City Co-ordinator is collaborative. It involves building networks, supporting the implementation of key wellbeing objectives across local government, identifying partnership opportunities at local, regional, and national levels, and influencing resource allocation towards wellbeing-focused projects. The role also includes seeking opportunities from a European perspective, informed by the WHO European Healthy Cities Network and relevant EU programme activity.

THE ROLE

The Healthy City Co-ordinator will perform duties as assigned, facilitating, implementing, and promoting the policies and objectives of Dublin City Council to advance the Healthy Cities & Counties Programme. The post holder will report to the Senior Executive Officer or any officer designated by the Chief Executive or Executive Manager as appropriate. The role involves co-ordinating, influencing, and leading multi-sectoral initiatives to improve health and wellbeing and address inequalities across the Dublin City Council area.

The Healthy Cities Co-ordinator position operates within a multi-level governance environment – from Local Area Committee meetings and community level to national and European levels. The post holder will be responsible for coordinating, influencing, and aligning activity across political, managerial, sectoral, and community domains, working at local, plenary, regional, national, and European levels.

The position requires professionals with the ability to co-ordinate, influence, and lead cross-sectoral and community initiatives that:

• Address health inequalities

• Promote prevention and wellbeing

• Build resilient, inclusive communities within Dublin City Council

The role will support the delivery of:

• The emerging outcomes framework for Healthy Ireland in 2026

• The WHO European Healthy Cities Network (Phase VIII) objectives at local and regional levels

The position prioritises actions to improve the wider determinants of health through local government’s statutory and developmental responsibilities, with a strong emphasis on:

• Empowering communities and fostering inclusive participation

• Research, innovation, and evidence-informed decision-making

• Intersectoral collaboration across public, private, and community stakeholders

• Data management, monitoring, and reporting on programme outcomes

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE SHALL HAVE

• Knowledge and understanding of Sláintecare Reform, Healthy Ireland Outcomes Framework

• Experience of building, managing and nurturing partnerships and relationships across a wide range of key stakeholders

• An understanding and/or experience of local government structures and political environment

• Facilitation and group-work skills

• An understanding of those who experience health inequalities

• Experience of report writing, strategic planning and funding application processes

• Effective communication skills

• Excellent IT & administration skills, including MS Word, Excel & PowerPoint

• Good character with a friendly, open and outgoing disposition is essential

• The ability to stay focused and resilient under pressure

• The capacity to interact effectively with local elected members and people from a broad range of sectors including local development/community organisations

• The enthusiasm for meeting and working with a variety of people and groups on an ongoing basis

• Experience in managing budgets and finances and experience with processing payments

• An understanding and/or experience in gathering qualitative and quantitative data, analysis, research and evaluation to policy and practice

• An appreciation of use of social media and varied communication platforms

• An understanding of multi-level governance and/or experience of working across local, regional, national and European contexts

QUALIFICATIONS

CHARACTER:

Candidates shall be of good character.

HEALTH:

Candidates shall be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, ETC.:

Each candidate must, on the latest date for receipt of completed application forms:

(a) Hold a third-level degree (NFQ Level 8 or higher) in a relevant field such as community/sports development, youth work, social sciences, public health, social policy, public administration, planning, or related discipline.

A minimum of 2 years’ relevant experience in any of the following:

• Local government, public sector, or similar roles involving strategic planning, project coordination, or community engagement

• Work with disadvantaged communities or target populations to address social exclusion or inequality

• Cross-sectoral co-ordination or partnership development

• Policy development, research, or evaluation related to the determinants of health

• Operating effectively within political, community and policy-making environments, demonstrating ability to work across boundaries of role, sector and geography

• Project management, budgeting and performance-monitoring experience

DUTIES

The duties of the post include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Work intensively with communities of interest and place to co-design, develop, and implement locally tailored wellbeing initiatives

• Apply principles of empowerment, participation, social justice, and equality in all aspects of planning and delivery

• Collaborate with relevant Healthy Ireland partners to ensure integrated and improved delivery of health and wellbeing initiatives and support programmes across the Local Authority

• Use and gather relevant local datasets to target communities experiencing the greatest health inequities and build an evidence base for resource allocation or interventions

• Develop a 5-year Healthy Cities and Counties Work Programme based on local needs and priorities, established through innovative and participatory community engagement and needs assessment exercises, with Annual Action Plans including Healthy Ireland Fund or similar funding to implement local priorities

• Participate in Regional Healthy Ireland Co-ordinator Cluster and National Network fora

• Map, align, and leverage local authority activities that influence the wider determinants of health, incorporating them into relevant Healthy Ireland data-gathering exercises

• Advise elected members and senior executives on policies and programmes related to health and wellbeing and deliver relevant upskilling and enabling opportunities

• Facilitate Local Authority-wide or Regional Health and Wellbeing Networks and support the development of local wellbeing forums and leadership initiatives within communities

• Work confidently and sensitively with elected representatives, senior executives, and cross-sectoral leaders to address determinants of health activity within the Local Authority

• Act as a catalyst and connector across directorates and sections (e.g. planning, transport, housing, environment, community) to align activity with health and wellbeing objectives

• Champion whole-system, place-based, preventative approaches to health and wellbeing, collaborating across directorates and with external partners to create enabling environments that foster wellbeing for all

• Explore resource mechanisms across all Government Departments and at EU level to address local community priorities

• Leverage research, data, innovation, and WHO/EU collaboration to encourage local government leadership in improving health and wellbeing outcomes

• Develop or contribute to funding bids, in conjunction with communities, to resource local priority initiatives

• Demonstrate capacity to influence, align, and coordinate across internal directorates and external stakeholders; manage partnerships effectively (e.g. co-ordination of the Sláintecare Healthy Communities Local Implementation Team)

• Use local data, research, and evidence to inform decisions and measure outcomes

• Represent Dublin City Council in regional and national networks and participate in international platforms such as the WHO European Healthy Cities Network

• Drive whole-of-local-government, whole-of-community, and whole-of-place approaches to wellbeing, focusing on the social, economic, environmental, and cultural determinants of health

• To carry out such other duties as may be assigned from time to time