CQC Interim Deputy Director of Programme Delivery

Contracted Hours: Full time 37 hours per week

Contract Type: Secondment / Fixed Term Appointment until 31st March 2027

Location: Home-based, with travel to meetings as required

Closing Date: Friday 29 May 2026 at 11.59pm

Interview Date: TBC via MS Teams

Make a difference

Every role at CQC contributes to our mission. We are seeking an interim experienced and credible Deputy Director of Programme Delivery to lead the successful delivery of a defined programme of complex projects that will shape the effectiveness and efficiency of operational support and enabling services at CQC.

As a senior leader within the Project Delivery Profession, you will be accountable for end‑to‑end delivery, working closely with the Programme Director, Senior Responsible Owners (SRO), and Deputy Director peers across Business Change, Portfolio Assurance and Quality Improvement. You will operate in an environment of complexity and uncertainty, delivering robust governance, proactive risk management, and organisational readiness for change. This is a high‑profile role requiring strong leadership, excellent stakeholder engagement skills, and a proven track record of delivering large‑scale, people centred, politically sensitive or technically complex programmes.

Picture this

We are seeking an experienced and motivated individual who can:

• Lead and shape improvements, ensuring robust frameworks and processes.
• Drive alignment between organisational priorities and change initiatives, embedding best practice and statutory compliance.

The role

In this fixed term role, you’ll:

• Create an environment in which projects can succeed – working effectively together and managing dependencies.
• Deliver benefits and outcomes as set out in the business case remaining in scope, on time, on budget and with the appropriate competencies and capabilities to succeed.
• Build and maintain a strong delivery-focused project/programme and business change cross-functional team.
• Provide leadership and direct larger multi-disciplinary teams to deliver successfully.

Show us

We will be looking for specific skills, knowledge and experience in your application form:

• Significant experience delivering multiple projects or programmes focused on organisational design and implementation across low to high levels of complexity, including business change.
• Strong leadership capability with experience of leading large, matrix‑managed, multi‑disciplinary teams.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, including influencing at Executive and Board level.

How to apply…

To apply for this role, please submit a copy of your CV and Supporting Statement (no more than 750-words) via the Recruitment System. Your Supporting Statement should cover the following:

• How your previous experience makes you suitable for this role?
• What strengths will you bring to the role that will have an immediate positive impact?

You will also be required to complete additional role specific questions at the beginning of your application. If you’d like to have an informal chat about the role you can contact Fiona Dolman, Programme Director on Fiona.Dolman@cqc.org.uk. For general enquiries, please email recruitment@cqc.org.uk.

Compliance

Note for internal candidates: This is a secondment/fixed term opportunity. Please read the recruitment and selection policy section on secondments. You must discuss your application with your line manager before applying. To progress your application, you’ll need to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK. Without valid right to work you won’t be eligible for the role. We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role. Some roles may also be subject to a satisfactory DBS check.

Next steps

If you apply, you’ll need to create a profile and complete an online application form. Your application will be completely anonymous. Please see our information for applicants for more details on the process. We contact every applicant to let them know the outcome of their application, so you will hear from us whether or not you are shortlisted.

The Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits, including:

• Annual leave starting at 27 days per year, rising to 32.5 days with service, plus bank holidays (usually 8 days per year).
• Training and development opportunities.
• Wellbeing initiatives, such as gym discounts and meditation.
• NHS pension scheme, with around 14% employer contribution.
• Discount schemes (including eligibility for a Blue Light card, at a cost of £4.99 and valid for 2 years), reward vouchers, car leasing and more!

Please see our benefits page for the full list.

Equity for all

We know job descriptions can feel intimidating. Research shows they can cause some people to doubt whether they’re a good fit. This happens more often to people from underrepresented groups (e.g. ethnic minority backgrounds). If this role interests you, we encourage you to apply. Your unique perspective, skills, and experience could be exactly what we need.

We want every candidate to feel supported and able to do their best. If you need adjustments to our process, we’ll work with you to remove any barriers. Visit our accessibility page for more on this. If you’d like to chat, please contact recruitment@cqc.org.uk. Please note, if you have previously informed us of adjustments you need for interview or within your role these are not carried over and must be discussed for each individual application you make.

We promote a workplace where fairness, respect and inclusion are a priority. Diverse teams make our work better, help us deliver our mission and make our culture stronger. We welcome applications from everyone, and colleagues can find support and community among our many employee networks.

Values and vision

We are guided by our core values, which shape our work and our culture:

• Excellence – being a high-performing organisation.
• Caring – treating everyone with dignity and respect.
• Integrity – doing the right thing.
• Teamwork – learning from each other to be the best we can.

We are a disability confident employer and a carer confident employer.