National Professional Advisor – Surgery
Executive Level 3 - Aligned
to Professional Experience (please note for part time roles – this will be pro rata) Contracted Hours: Part-time
1 day per week (equivalent to 7 hours – 0.2 FTE)Contract Type: Fixed
Term / Secondment Opportunity until 31/3/2028Location: Homebased with travel as and when requiredClosing date: Thursday 2 April 2026 at 11.59pmInterview date: TBC via MS Teams Make a difference Every role at CQC helps us make sure people get safe, high‑quality care. If you’re looking for a new role in the Hospitals Inspectorate that gives a real sense of purpose, then you’ve found it. As a National Professional Advisor, you’ll bring senior surgical expertise that guides national oversight of hospital care and shapes our future direction in regulating surgical services. Picture this In this role, you’ll use your surgical background to guide how hospital services are assessed, giving expert advice to CQC staff that protects people and supports safe care. You’ll work with leaders across CQC to help shape new ways of regulating surgical services. As a National Professional Advisor in the Hospital Inspectorate, you will be asked to: Advise on complex regulatory cases where surgical insight is required to support fair decision making. Help shape new inspection models for surgical services, making sure they reflect real‑world pressures and current clinical practice. The roleYou’ll be key in helping us deliver our work. In this role, you’ll: Provide specialist clinical insight: Offer senior‑level surgical advice to inspection teams, directors and the Chief Inspector of Hospitals to support strong, consistent and credible regulatory decisions. Shape national practice: Review new clinical guidance, emerging surgical standards and policy changes, and help CQC design future inspection and regulatory models that reflect the pressures of surgical practice. Strengthen external credibility: Build trusted relationships with senior surgical stakeholders and professional bodies, helping CQC stay connected to frontline expertise and maintain confidence in our regulation of surgical services. Show usWe will be looking for specific skills, knowledge and experience in your application form:Experience leading or advising at a regional, national or equivalent level in a surgical field, including guiding clinical groups, shaping improvements or supporting high‑level decision making.Ability to give clear, expert advice on complex clinical matters, including explaining surgical risks, interpreting emerging guidance and supporting inspection or regulatory decisions.Experience working with senior professional stakeholders, such as national surgical bodies or specialist forums, using empathy and inclusive leadership to influence and support change.Join us and help CQC shape the future of health and care.You can read the full details of the role in the NPA 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 – Nicola Wise, Director of Hospitals: [email protected] or Dr Prem Premachandran, National Professional Advisor for Urgent and Emergency Care. For general enquiries, please email [email protected] 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.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. Next stepsIf 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. The BenefitsWe
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 allWe 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 visionWe 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 AIAI 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.
Apply Now
to Professional Experience (please note for part time roles – this will be pro rata) Contracted Hours: Part-time
1 day per week (equivalent to 7 hours – 0.2 FTE)Contract Type: Fixed
Term / Secondment Opportunity until 31/3/2028Location: Homebased with travel as and when requiredClosing date: Thursday 2 April 2026 at 11.59pmInterview date: TBC via MS Teams Make a difference Every role at CQC helps us make sure people get safe, high‑quality care. If you’re looking for a new role in the Hospitals Inspectorate that gives a real sense of purpose, then you’ve found it. As a National Professional Advisor, you’ll bring senior surgical expertise that guides national oversight of hospital care and shapes our future direction in regulating surgical services. Picture this In this role, you’ll use your surgical background to guide how hospital services are assessed, giving expert advice to CQC staff that protects people and supports safe care. You’ll work with leaders across CQC to help shape new ways of regulating surgical services. As a National Professional Advisor in the Hospital Inspectorate, you will be asked to: Advise on complex regulatory cases where surgical insight is required to support fair decision making. Help shape new inspection models for surgical services, making sure they reflect real‑world pressures and current clinical practice. The roleYou’ll be key in helping us deliver our work. In this role, you’ll: Provide specialist clinical insight: Offer senior‑level surgical advice to inspection teams, directors and the Chief Inspector of Hospitals to support strong, consistent and credible regulatory decisions. Shape national practice: Review new clinical guidance, emerging surgical standards and policy changes, and help CQC design future inspection and regulatory models that reflect the pressures of surgical practice. Strengthen external credibility: Build trusted relationships with senior surgical stakeholders and professional bodies, helping CQC stay connected to frontline expertise and maintain confidence in our regulation of surgical services. Show usWe will be looking for specific skills, knowledge and experience in your application form:Experience leading or advising at a regional, national or equivalent level in a surgical field, including guiding clinical groups, shaping improvements or supporting high‑level decision making.Ability to give clear, expert advice on complex clinical matters, including explaining surgical risks, interpreting emerging guidance and supporting inspection or regulatory decisions.Experience working with senior professional stakeholders, such as national surgical bodies or specialist forums, using empathy and inclusive leadership to influence and support change.Join us and help CQC shape the future of health and care.You can read the full details of the role in the NPA 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 – Nicola Wise, Director of Hospitals: [email protected] or Dr Prem Premachandran, National Professional Advisor for Urgent and Emergency Care. For general enquiries, please email [email protected] 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.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. Next stepsIf 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. The BenefitsWe
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 allWe 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 visionWe 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 AIAI 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.
Apply Now