Strategy Manager

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. For part time roles – please note this will be pro rata.

Contracted Hours: Full-time 37 hours per week or Part-time 3.5 days per week (minimum). Job-share will be considered. Talk to us about compressed hours.

Contract Type: Fixed Term / Secondment opportunity until 31 March 2027. We are currently rebuilding our organisation and reviewing our structures and ways of working across several areas of the business, including Strategy and Engagement. As a result, this position is being offered on a fixed-term basis, and we would encourage applicants to carefully consider the contract duration as advertised.

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

Location: Home-based

Closing Date: Tuesday 22 September 2026 at 11.59pm

Make a difference: Every role at CQC contributes to our mission. If you're looking for a role in Strategy and Engagement that offers genuine purpose and impact, we'd love to hear from you.

As a Strategy Manager, you'll help shape how CQC responds to the opportunities and challenges facing health and social care. Working within the Strategy team, you'll lead strategic policy projects, analyse complex issues, and develop practical solutions that support CQC's role as the independent regulator of health and social care.

Picture this: In the last 12 months, as a Strategy Manager, you could have:

• Been part of a major strategic review to help CQC respond to emerging changes in health and social care, identifying risks and opportunities and recommending practical actions for the organisation.
• Delivered a complex cross-organisational project, bringing together colleagues from different teams to solve a significant strategic challenge and improve how CQC carries out its regulatory work.
• Worked in partnership with others in CQC to understand the impact of new legislation to anticipate changes, so that the organisation keeps pace with these developments and remains fit for purpose.
• Carried out research and analysis into an emerging strategic policy issue, turning complex information into clear recommendations that helped shape CQC's future direction.

The role: You'll play a key role in the organisation by:

• Leading strategic projects and ensuring they deliver meaningful outcomes for CQC and the people who use services.
• Analysing evidence, identifying trends, and using insights to support decision-making and future planning.
• Building effective relationships with colleagues, partners, and stakeholders across health, social care, government, and regulation.
• Providing clear advice, briefings, and recommendations to senior leaders to support strategic decision-making.
• Supporting and developing colleagues while promoting an inclusive, respectful, and collaborative working culture.

Show us: What we're looking for in your application:

• Significant experience leading strategic, policy, analytical, or improvement projects that delivered clear organisational impact.
• Experience gathering and analysing complex information and turning it into clear recommendations for senior decision-makers.
• Experience working across teams and stakeholders to deliver outcomes in complex, changing, or uncertain environments.

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.

You can read the full details of the role in the Job Description. If you’d like an informal chat about the role contact – Vicky Howes, Deputy Director of Strategy; Victoria.howes@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 23.7% 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.

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.