Principal Analyst (Local Authority Assessment)

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 30 hours per week. Talk to us about flexible working.

Contract Type: Fixed term for 12 months to deliver project work within an evolving programme.

Location: Homebased

Closing Date: 01 June 2026 at 11.59pm

 Make a difference

 Every role at CQC contributes to our mission. If you’re looking for a new role in Data & Insight that gives a true sense of meaning and purpose, then you’ve found it. As a Principal Analyst – Local Authority Assessments, you’ll help turn data into insight that supports fair, effective assessments of local authorities and improves care for people across England.

 Picture this

 You’re working side‑by‑side with colleagues who care deeply about improving people’s lives. Your insight helps shape how local authorities are assessed, and your work supports better decisions about care for thousands of people.

• As a Principal Analyst in Data & Insight, you will help shape analytical plans with senior leaders to support key assessment activity across the country.
• You will also guide people on the use of data and insight tools that help teams understand trends in local authority performance. 

The role

 This is a new role and new team at CQC therefore you will  be required to work with senior leaders and stakeholders to establish the team, the analytical approach and ensure delivery of a high-quality analytical service to support delivery of Local Authority assessments.

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

• Lead analytical planning: Work with senior colleagues to shape and deliver analytical work that supports Local Authority assessments and helps CQC understand key themes and trends.
• Guide teams and quality: Support and lead analysts, ensuring insight is accurate, consistent and useful, and that teams have the tools and methods they need to deliver strong results.
• Strengthen data use across CQC: Promote good data practice, encourage effective use of insight products, and help build a strong data culture across the organisation. 

Show us

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

• Experience leading analytical work: Show us how you have planned, delivered or overseen analytical projects that informed decisions, including working with senior stakeholders.
• Experience guiding and developing others: Tell us how you have supported, coached or led analysts or multi‑disciplinary teams to deliver high‑quality insight.
• Experience communicating insight clearly: Demonstrate how you have presented complex findings in simple, engaging ways for different audiences, including senior or external groups. 

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 to have an informal chat about the role you can contact – Hamish Young, Deputy Director of Operational Insights; Hamish.Young@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.