Senior Regional Media and Communications Advisor

Grade B: £42,044 (National) or £47,900 (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. Contracted Hours: Full-time 37 hours per week. Internal applicants must obtain written confirmation from their line manager, granting permission to be released from their current role, before applying for this opportunity. Contract Type: Secondment opportunity until 28 February 2027 cover for current postholder’s secondment. Location: Home-based Closing Date: Friday 19 June 2026 at 11.59pm Make a difference Every role at CQC helps us protect people who use health and social care services. This role sits within our Regional Media and Communications team, helping us connect with local communities, partners and media. You’ll support how we share important information, build trust, and make sure people understand the quality of care in their area. Picture this In the last 12 months, as a Senior Regional Media and Communications Advisor, you could have: Worked with regional media outlets and key stakeholders to share important information about the quality of local health and care services, helping the public make informed choices and raising awareness of CQC’s role. The role You’ll play a key role in the organisation by: Working with the Regional Media and Communications Manager and the wider directorate to deliver elivering a consistent programme of engagement with local stakeholders in line with CQC priorities. Building and managing strong relationships with regional media to promote inspection work. Supporting and overseeing a Regional Media and Communications Officer, including coaching and day-to-day guidance. Providing advice and training to inspection colleagues on handling media enquiries and communications. Using insight, data and feedback to evaluate regional media engagement and improve how we communicate. Show us What we’re looking for in your application: Significant experience of working within a communications or public relations field, including experience of media relations and / or journalism. Demonstrable knowledge and experience of using different media and IT packages. Excellent copy writing and sub-editing skills. High level organisation skills. Exceptional verbal and written communication skills. Highly effective presentation skills. Strong stakeholder management skills. Able to provide advice and guidance at all levels. Able to work independently and as part of a team 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 – Kerri James, Regional Media & Communications Manager, [email protected]. For general enquiries, please email [email protected] . 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 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 [email protected] . 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.