Planning & Assurance Officer

Grade C: £32,471 (National) or £38,143(London – for London office based or homebased workers within the boundary ofthe M25) – There is also an additional homeworking allowance of £581 per annumfor those working from home. For part time roles – please note this will be prorata.

ContractedHours: Full-time 37 hours per week. Talk to us about compressed hours.

ContractType: Fixed Term/Secondment opportunity until 31January 2027.

Location: Home or office based,flexible location. Hybrid working (working 2 days a week from home). CQC’s offices are in London, Newcastle, Leeds,Nottingham and Bristol

Closing Date: Wednesday 26 November 2025at 11.59pm

Every role at CQC helps us protect people who usehealth and care services. If you’re looking for a role in Engagement that givesreal meaning and purpose, this is it. As a Planning & Assurance SupportOfficer, you’ll help the Engagement Deputy Directors deliver importantprogrammes and projects. Your work will help us stay on track with our goals,manage risks, and make sure we use our resources wisely.

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In the last 12 months, you could have:

• Led a project to improve how we track risks across the directorate, helping teams spot problems early and fix them quickly.

• Created a new way to report performance across different teams, making it easier for senior leaders to see what’s working and what needs attention.

• Supported a management assurance review leading to a new assurance framework designed specifically for our team, helping us lead our work and align to the organisation.
  

You’ll Playa Key Role in the Organisation By

• Supporting teams to plan and report on their work, making sure everything lines up with our team and organisational goals.
• Helping manage budgets, spotting issues and suggesting ways to save money.
• Leading the Directorate Support Team and making sure support services run smoothly.
• Preparing reports, presentations, and papers for senior meetings.
• Keeping track of risks and making sure we follow rules and standards.
  

Show Us

We’re looking for:

• Experience using data to support decisions – for example, presenting financial or workforce data to help plan better.
• Experience leading or supporting teams – showing how you’ve helped others deliver their work.
• Experience working with different people – such as senior managers or external partners, to solve problems or improve services.

Compliance

Note for internal candidates:
This is a secondment/fixed termopportunity. Please read the recruitment and selection policy section onsecondments. You must discuss your application with your linemanager before applying.

To progress your application, you’ll need to provide evidence of your right towork in the UK. Without valid right to work you won’t be eligible for therole. We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role. Someroles 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 – Chris Hares, Deputy Director for StrategicCommunications Priorities; Christopher.Hares@cqc.org.uk. For general enquiries, please email recruitment@cqc.org.uk.

The Benefits
Weoffer 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. See our ED&I page for more about this.

We welcomeapplications from everyone, and colleagues can find supportand 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.