Subject Matter Expert - Accessibility

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

Grade A: £55,172 (National) or £61,028 (London) – 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: 12-months fixed-term or secondment opportunity

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: Homebased with travel

Interviews: w/c 31 August 2026 and w/c 7 September 2026

Closing Date: Monday 17 August 2026 at 11.59pm

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

As a Subject Matter Expert – Accessibility, you’ll help shape accessible services and technology so that colleagues can regulate health and social care services effectively and inclusively across England. You’ll be at the heart of one of CQC’s most important transformation programmes, making sure accessibility is built into the services, systems and processes we create for the future. Working with colleagues from across CQC, you’ll help turn accessibility needs into practical improvements that make a real difference.

Picture this In the last 12 months, as a Subject Matter Expert – Accessibility you could have:

• Gathered and prioritised accessibility requirements from inspectorates, working closely with digital teams to ensure they were embedded within new services and technology solutions as part of Rebuilding our Regulatory Services.
• Supported testing, piloting and assurance activities, helping to ensure products were accessible and compatible with assistive technologies before being rolled out across CQC.

The role You’ll work closely with others to deliver shared outcomes. In this role, you’ll:

• Lead accessibility improvements: Work with colleagues across CQC to identify accessibility needs, influence service design and ensure accessibility requirements are reflected in future solutions and processes.
• Support change and implementation: Help develop guidance, training and implementation plans that support colleagues to adopt new ways of working and embed lasting improvements.
• Build engagement and assurance: Work with stakeholders across programmes and workstreams, provide assurance on progress, and champion the benefits of accessible services with internal and external audiences.

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

• Experience using accessibility expertise to influence the design, development or improvement of services, systems, processes or digital products.
• Experience working with a wide range of stakeholders to deliver change, including building consensus, managing differing views and influencing decisions without direct management responsibility.
• Experience translating complex requirements, policies or technical information into practical guidance, training or communications that can be understood and applied by different audiences.

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 you are shortlisted.

You can read the full details of the role in the Job Description. If you’d like to have an informal chat about the role you can contact Jane Cummings, Deputy Director for Rebuilding our Regulatory Services at Jane.Cummings@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 Blue Light card, costing £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.

We promote a workplace where fairness, respect and inclusion are a priority. See our ED&I page for more about this. 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.

A Note on AI We know 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.