Overview
Researcher
Grade C: £32,471 (National) or £38,143 (London – for London office based or homebased workers within the boundary of the M25) – There is also an additional homeworking allowance of £581 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. We may also be able to offer part time hours (minimum 30 hours) or a variety of flexible working patterns.
Contract Type: Permanent
Location: Home or office based, flexible location. Hybrid working.
Closing Date: Friday October 3 2025
Make a difference
Every role at CQC contributes to our mission. If you’re looking for a new role in the Analytic Content team that gives a true sense of meaning and purpose, then you’ve found it! Our team helps shape national and local understanding of patient experience through powerful research and insight._
Picture this
In the last 12 months, as a Researcher in the Analytic Content team, you would have:
• Designed and delivered national NHS Patient Experience Surveys, helping improve care across England.
• Led a research project from start to finish-scoping, designing, analysing and reporting findings that influenced policy decisions and helped services improve.
• Worked with colleagues across CQC, as well as colleagues across CQC, as well as external partners and stakeholders, to ensure research outputs met the needs of the public, providers and regulators.
• Educated to degree level or have equivalent professional experience to real-world research-While degree in social sciences is desirable, what truly matters is your ability to gather high-quality data using complex surveys and turn this into clear, compelling stories that improve care and inform decision-making.
You’ll play a key role in the organisation by
• Carrying out primary research using quantitative survey methods, including analysis and reporting.
• Supporting the delivery of the NHS Patient Experience Survey programme.
• Collaborating with internal teams and external contractors to deliver high-quality research.
• Creating clear, actionable reports and outputs from research findings.
• Managing research projects to ensure timely and impactful delivery.
Show us
What we’re looking for in your application:
• Experience designing and delivering large-scale surveys, including contributing to best practices in survey data collection.
• Ability to analyse data and present findings clearly, using statistical software packages and visual storytelling.
• Experience of working with stakeholders, tailoring insights to meet different needs and expectations.
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 – Nicola Lawson, Senior Researcher; Nicola.Lawson@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 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 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.
