Public sector jobs in Oldham

The Royal Oldham Hospital, run by Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, and Oldham Council are the two largest public employers in Oldham. Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health services in the borough, and the schools, Greater Manchester Police and the fire and ambulance services recruit locally too. NHS pay starts at £25,272 on band 2 from April 2026, and council pay at £25,614 on the NJC spine.

Royal Oldham Hospital and the Northern Care Alliance

The Royal Oldham Hospital is on Rochdale Road, and NHS.UK lists Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust as the organisation that supplies its information. The employer on an advert is the trust, so check which site the post is based at before you apply.

Agenda for Change rates apply. From 1 April 2026, band 3 runs from £25,760 to £27,476, band 4 from £28,392 to £31,157 and band 6 from £39,959 to £48,117. Most posts are on NHS Jobs, and how to use the NHS Jobs website explains saved searches and alerts.

Pennine Care

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust lists Oldham among its boroughs, alongside Bury, Stockport, Tameside and Glossop, and Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale. Its careers pages mention mental health nursing, peer support workers, CAMHS jobs, apprenticeships and preceptorship, plus a guide to its staff benefits. Mental health roles are on the same Agenda for Change bands as acute hospital ones. A band 5 nurse earns £32,073 to £39,043 whichever trust employs them.

NHS staff in both trusts join the NHS Pension Scheme. In 2026/27 members pay 8.3% on pensionable pay of £28,855 to £35,155 and 9.8% on £35,156 to £52,778.

Oldham Council

Oldham Council’s website lists housing, education, adult social care, children and families, libraries, leisure, parks and roads among its services, and describes the borough as a co-operative one. Its jobs section covers apprenticeships and a “Get Oldham Working” programme, and links to the Greater Jobs vacancy site at greater.jobs. Council pay is on the NJC spine from SCP 3 (£25,614) from 1 April 2026, and staff join the Local Government Pension Scheme. How to get a council job covers the usual stages.

Schools

Oldham has maintained primary and secondary schools and academies. Teachers outside London start on £34,069 (M1) from 1 September 2026. The government has accepted that award, and the pay document was published on GOV.UK on 16 October 2026, so maintained schools apply it from 1 September 2026, backdated where needed. Support staff, including teaching assistants, are on the NJC spine, paid pro rata and usually for term time only.

Police, fire and ambulance

Oldham is one of the ten metropolitan districts in the Greater Manchester police area, so Greater Manchester Police covers it, and a constable earns £32,255 from 1 September 2026. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service is the fire service. Firefighters earn £31,539 in development and £40,358 when competent, from 1 July 2026. North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust employs the ambulance crews and control staff.

Manchester and Salford

Oldham is part of the Greater Manchester job market, and Manchester and Salford are the nearest cities with their own councils and trusts. Public sector jobs in Manchester and public sector jobs in Salford cover the biggest of them. Compare pay with the take-home pay calculator before accepting a longer journey.