Senior Specialist – Mental Health (Secure / Forensic Services)

The Senior Specialist is a recently created role within Regulatory Leadership and provides an exciting opportunity to support complex and high-risk activities, working into the Operations Network to provide mental health sector advice and support. This role requires expert knowledge of mental health. You will be responsible for assisting Regulatory Leadership in understanding and influencing our national approach to forensic mental health including High Secure Hospitals to support the delivery of CQC priorities and our new strategy. This includes development of policy, processes, guidance, and delivery of training., • Accountable for supporting a multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) across the network on complex or high-risk sector specific activities.
• Works across their Network supporting the focus on sector specialism, professional development and supervision.
• Supports MDT by providing senior specialist support and decision making to the management of regulatory risk across complex or high-risk issues. This may be at provider or place-based level, supporting the team to escalate or take action via the relevant ways of working, governance, and scheme of delegation.
• Influences the view of quality and safety and regulatory actions of MDT, as a senior specialist.
• Ensures Data, insight and sector-based learning informs operational delivery via MDTs, working in collaboration with line manager, wider sector specialists, other MDTs, Network colleagues, Hub, Data & Insight unit and wider CQC colleagues as required.
• Supports the work of the MDT externally, including to influence and collaborate with all external stakeholders as required.
• Works with the MDT Manager, Network Deputy Director and Operations to support person centred experience approaches and sector-based leadership capability for MDT members.
• Ensures appropriate and timely safeguarding, working to senior leaders steering the safeguarding agenda and approach
• Supports the organisation with strategic and operational influence.
• Works closely and effectively with operational managers, and other key business partners to support delivery, taking proactive steps to drive improvements, problem solve and manage issues as they arise and to ensure a successful outcome.
• Liaises with and ensures effective support from function Business Manager and/or support team.
• Responsible for developing and managing relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Supports CQC to respond to concerns from the public, POCU and MPs.
• Supports development of MDT colleagues, feeding into any performance and people management activities as required to support a confident, empowered, and trusted team.
• Promotes team and individual awareness of CQC strategy, policies and procedures.
• Plays an active corporate leadership role across their area of Regulatory Leadership and of Operations, including role modelling inclusive behaviours in everyday interactions and promoting diversity and equality of opportunity, treating everyone with dignity and respect and challenging discrimination.
• Promotes a culture of respect and fairness and understands personal responsibilities around delivering against CQC diversity and inclusion strategy.
• Role models and supports others to instil CQC values into everything that we do.

You must have an excellent knowledge of mental health (ideally secure / forensic services), with a passion and commitment to continuous personal and professional development. An understanding of how to translate methodologies into reality, whilst working collaboratively within and external to CQC to promote excellence in safeguarding practice, including delivering work through projects.
Excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills are essential to this role, alongside having the analytical capability to use internal and external data to drive decision making and quality improvements. Whilst not essential, an understanding of the role organisational culture plays in delivering safe care and knowledge of risk management would be beneficial., Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

What we can offer you...
Your health and wellbeing are important to us and are supported through generous annual leave (starting at 27 days and rising with service to 32.5days, plus 8 Bank Holidays), a cycle to work scheme, discounted gym vouchers and access to a free employee assistance service 24 hours a day. We also understand the importance of financial health and offer membership of the NHS pension scheme, contributing about 14% of basic salary. You will also be able to access discounts to supermarkets, high street stores, electronics, fleet cars, plus we also have an internal reward scheme which could see you earn yourself a voucher or two! All of our Homeworkers are also kitted out with everything they need to comfortably work from home.
We want to support you to succeed and be your very best, with opportunities for training and development along with the support of experienced managers and mentors.
We want to make working for CQC a great experience for everyone, and to role model a diverse and representative culture. To support an inclusive environment where colleagues feel empowered to bring their whole self to work, we support a variety of staff networks, including the Race Equality Network, LGBT+ Equality Network, Carers Equality Network, Disability Equality Network and Gender Equality network