Deputy Director National Enforcement

Executive Level 3 - £75,183 per annum, pro rata Contracted Hours: 18.5 hours per week Job Share (working Monday, Tuesday & Friday) Contract Type: Permanent, commencing 1 October 2026 Location: Homebased with travel as necessary Closing Date: Monday 20 July 2025 at 11.59pm Interview Date: Wednesday 12 August 2026 - Face to Face in Manchester

Make a difference

Every role at CQC contributes to our mission, if you’re looking for a new role in Operations that gives a true sense of meaning and purpose then you’ve found it. As a Deputy Director National Enforcement , you will help shape how we take action to protect people and ensure safe, high-quality care across the system.

Picture this

You’re working at a national level, guiding enforcement activity that helps keep people safe, while supporting teams to respond to complex and high-risk situations. You bring together insight, expertise, and collaboration to make sure our approach is fair, consistent, and impactful.

In the last year as a Deputy Director National Enforcement, you might have:

• Led a complex, cross-system enforcement response, aligning surveillance, complex civil (representations) and criminal action to address serious risks in care provision.
• Used insight from across CQC and partner organisations to identify trends, improve our enforcement approach, and strengthen how we work together across systems.

The role

Your insight and leadership will influence what we do and how we do it. In this role, you’ll:

• Lead national enforcement delivery: Oversee criminal and complex civil enforcement, surveillance, and unregistered provider activity, supporting teams to carry out their work effectively in order to keep people safe and hold providers to account when things go wrong.
• Manage operational risk and resources: Make sure work is well planned, risks are managed, and teams are supported with the right focus and capacity.
• Build strong internal and external relationships: Work closely with colleagues and partners to support joined-up working, shared learning, and improved outcomes for people using services.

Show us

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

• Evidence of leading large-scale enforcement, regulatory, or operational activity, including managing risk and delivering outcomes in complex settings.
• Experience working across CQC or with key partners to influence decisions , shape approaches, and improve how services are delivered.
• Experience using data, insight, or evidence to inform decisions , identify patterns, and improve operational or policy outcomes.

You can read the full details of the role in the Job Description

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?

If you’d like to have an informal chat about the role you can contact – Debbie Westhead, Director of Registration & National Enforcement; Deborah.Westhead@cqc.org.uk For general enquiries, please email recruitment@cqc.org.uk

Next steps If you apply, you’ll need to create a profile and complete an online application form. 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.

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 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.