Strategic People Business Partner

This advert is for current internal applicants only. External applications will be closed.

Grade A - £55,172 (National) or £61,028 (London – for London office based or homebased workers within the boundary of the M25). There is also an additional homeworking allowance of £600 per annum for those working from home.

Contracted Hours: Full time 37 hours per week

Contract Type: Two secondment opportunities until 31 March 2027 – to provide additional capacity within the Business Partnering team to support the Rebuilding Our Organisation project.

Applicants must obtain written confirmation from their line manager, granting permission to be released from their current role, before applying for this opportunity.

Closing date: Thursday 27 August 2026 at 11.59pm

Potential Interview Date: Thursday 10 September 2026

Make a difference. Every role at CQC contributes to our mission. If you're looking for a new role in People Directorate that gives a true sense of meaning and purpose, then you've found it!

We have two opportunities for Strategic People Business Partners to make a real impact, helping shape a positive and inclusive workplace that enables colleagues across CQC to deliver the best possible outcomes for people using health and social care services.

Picture this: You'll work alongside senior leaders to shape the future of their directorates, helping them plan for change, develop their workforce and deliver meaningful improvements for colleagues. This is a role where you'll influence big decisions and support work that has a lasting impact across CQC.

As a Strategic People Business Partner in the People Directorate, you might get the chance to:

• Lead an organisation-wide people initiative focused on talent management, workforce planning or colleague engagement.
• Deliver major people changes driven by new employment legislation or external developments, supporting CQC to adapt successfully.

The role: You’ll be key in helping us deliver our work. In this role, you’ll:

• Partner with senior leaders: Provide strategic people advice that supports directorate priorities, workforce planning and the delivery of long-term organisational goals.
• Support organisational change: Work with leaders to design and deliver people solutions, helping teams navigate change while maintaining a positive colleague experience.
• Use data to inform decisions: Commission and interpret workforce information and insight, helping leaders make informed decisions about people, resources and future priorities.

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

• A CIPD qualification, degree-level qualification in HR management, or equivalent professional experience, together with experience working at a strategic HR business partner level.
• Experience developing and delivering people strategies that support organisational objectives, workforce planning and business performance.
• Experience advising senior leaders on complex people matters, using workforce data and insight to influence decisions and deliver positive organisational outcomes.

Compliance: This is a secondment opportunity. Please read the recruitment and selection policy section on secondments. You must discuss your application with your line manager before applying. 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. 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.

You can read the full details of the role in the Job Description. If you’d like an informal chat about the role contact Rebecca France, Deputy Director of People Strategy & Practice; Rebecca.France@cqc.org.uk. For general enquiries, please email recruitment@cqc.org.uk.

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.

This includes people of any: Age, Sex, Gender identity or expression, Sexual orientation, Religion or belief, Ethnicity, Disability.

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.

A Note on AI: AI tools can be great for research and refining ideas, but we want to learn about you. If you use AI or Chatbots to help you with your application, keep these points in mind:

• AI can support research, structuring and refining your writing, but your application must reflect your real skills and experience.
• Spell-checking and condensing word counts are great ways to use AI effectively.
• Do not copy and paste AI generated answers. These will not help you stand out; remember we want to hear about your skills and experience.
• Providing false and insincere examples goes against our core values of honesty and integrity and may lead to your application being withdrawn or termination of your employment.