Senior Lawyer (Criminal) - Litigation, Prosecution & Inquest Team

As a Senior Lawyer, you will provide expert legal advice and support across a range of complex regulatory matters, helping ensure our decisions are fair, lawful and focused on protecting people who use health and care services.

Working closely with colleagues across CQC, you will lead legal work on investigations, prosecutions and inquest cases, providing practical advice and helping shape legal strategies that support effective regulatory and enforcement activity.

You will also play an important leadership role within the team, supporting colleagues through supervision and coaching. Building strong relationships with senior stakeholders, you will help to ensure Legal Services continues to deliver high-quality, consistent support across the organisation.

Qualifications as a solicitor, barrister or legal executive in England and Wales
- At least five years' professional legal experience, including managing caseloads and advising on complex legal matters
- Experience handling legal proceedings, including presenting cases in the criminal courts, coronial settings or a background in regulatory enforcement work
- Experience leading or supporting colleagues while applying knowledge of investigations, prosecutions or public law to solve complex problems

We're the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and we work to improve health and adult social care in England.

We have a purpose to regulate health and adult social care, work together with the public, systems and providers of care to protect people, and to promote and improve quality of care. Our vision is to see everyone receiving safe, effective and compassionate care.

We're committed to listening, acting, informing and protecting the public, helping providers and systems of care to improve and innovate, ensuring our people feel valued and do great work, and working together with partners who share our purpose for better care.

One of our main commitments is to become a truly inclusive organisation and to role model a diverse and representative culture. To do so, we work with a variety of networks, including the Disability Equality Network, Race Equality Network and LGBT+ Equality Network.

We are now looking for a Senior Lawyer to join our Litigation, Prosecution & Inquest Team on a full-time, permanent basis, working 37 hours per week. For the right candidate, compressed hours may be considered.

Salary of £55,172 (National Framework) or £61,028 (London Framework if you are London office-based or home-based and live within the boundary of the M25). There is also a £600 annual homeworking allowance for full-time homeworkers and an annual Recruitment and Retention Allowance of £2,500
- 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!

Why this could be a great role for you…

This is a fantastic opportunity for a high-calibre, qualified lawyer with experience of criminal litigation, prosecutions, inquests or regulatory enforcement work to join our vital national organisation.

With genuine flexibility, you'll be enabled to work from home anywhere in the UK, work from one of our offices, or combine the two through hybrid working. Through these options and the potential of compressed hours, we are focused on helping you achieve a healthy balance between your career and personal commitments.

What's more, you'll benefit from excellent professional development opportunities, a highly competitive pension scheme and a supportive environment where your expertise and contribution will be valued.