Public sector jobs in Derby

The NHS is the largest public employer in Derby. University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust runs the Royal Derby Hospital, and two further trusts provide mental health and community services from the city. Derby City Council, the schools and the county’s emergency services make up most of the rest. NHS pay starts at £25,272 on band 2 from April 2026 and council pay at £25,614 on the NJC spine.

NHS trusts in the city

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust was formed in 2018 when the Derby and Burton trusts merged. The Royal Derby Hospital is its main acute site, with an emergency department and a wide range of specialist services, so it recruits nurses, doctors, allied health professionals, healthcare assistants, porters, domestic staff and administrators all year round. Some posts are trust-wide and may involve working at Queen’s Hospital in Burton upon Trent as well.

Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health, learning disability and substance misuse services, and Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust runs community nursing, community hospitals and therapy services across the county. East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust covers 999 calls in the region.

These trusts pay Agenda for Change rates for England. From 1 April 2026, band 4 runs from £28,392 to £31,157, band 5 from £32,073 to £39,043 and band 7 from £49,387 to £56,515. Most vacancies go on NHS Jobs, and how to use the NHS Jobs website explains alerts and saved searches.

Derby City Council

Derby City Council is a unitary authority, so it handles social care, children’s services, education support, housing, highways, waste, parks and libraries for the city. Derbyshire County Council, which covers the rest of the county, is based in Matlock, though some of its staff work in or around Derby.

Council jobs are graded on the NJC pay spine, starting at SCP 3 (£25,614 from 1 April 2026). Social workers, planners, environmental health officers and other professional roles sit higher up the spine. Derby also has a large number of care and support roles in the independent sector. They are not on council terms even when the council funds the service, so read the employer’s name on the advert.

Police, fire and ambulance

Derbyshire Constabulary recruits officers, PCSOs, call handlers and staff across the county. A constable appointed now starts on £32,255 from 1 September 2026. Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service pays national firefighter rates: £31,539 in development and £40,358 when competent, from 1 July 2026. East Midlands Ambulance Service recruits emergency care assistants, paramedics and control room staff for its Derby operations.

Comparing the pensions

People in Derby often move between the NHS and the council, especially in social care, admin and facilities work, and the two pension schemes take different amounts from your pay. Here is what a member would contribute on a hypothetical salary in 2026/27:

Salary	Local Government Pension Scheme (main section)	NHS Pension Scheme
£26,000	5.8%	6.5%
£32,000	6.5%	8.3%
£40,000	6.5%	9.8%

The NHS scheme charges the rate on the whole of your pensionable pay once you are in a tier. The LGPS also has a 50/50 section where you pay half the contribution and build up half the pension, which some people use for a while when money is tight. The LGPS and NHS Pension Scheme guides explain how the benefits differ.

Schools

Derby has council-maintained schools and academies, and several multi-academy trusts operate across the city and into Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Teachers start on £34,069 (M1) from 1 September 2026, outside London. The pay document setting this out was still in draft in October 2026, so maintained schools apply the new rates once it comes into force, with backdating. Teaching assistants and other support staff are usually on the NJC spine, paid pro rata for the hours they work and term-time only.

Nottingham is about 20 minutes away by train and has two large hospital trusts, a university hospital and another council. If your search area takes in both cities, public sector jobs in Nottingham covers the employers there.