Lead System Accountant

Grade A - £55,172-£68,348 (National) or £61,028-£74,204 (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

Contract Type: Permanent

Location: Home or office based, flexible location (or London office)

Closing date: Thursday 2 July 2026 at 11.59pm

Make a difference 
Every role at CQC contributes to our mission. If you’re looking for a new role in Finance that gives a true sense of meaning and purpose, then you’ve found it! As our Lead Systems Accountant, you’ll help ensure our financial systems and data are trusted, enabling better decisions that support safe, high-quality care.

Picture this

 You’re improving how finance systems work across the organisation, making it easier for teams to access reliable data and insightful reports to make confident decisions that improve outcomes. You’ll work with a wide range of colleagues to shape smarter processes that support CQC’s mission.

• In the last year as a Lead Systems Accountant in Finance, you might have led the rollout of a new suite of financial reports, underpinned by quality data and driven by effective finance system and efficient processes, improving the accuracy and timeliness of reporting to enable confident decision making.
• You might also have overseen testing and quality assurance for system updates, ensuring strong controls and reliable reporting that supports effective decision making across CQC.

The role

You’ll play an important part in delivering our mission. In this role, you’ll:

• Shape finance systems and processes: Work with senior colleagues to plan and deliver improvements to systems, data quality and reporting that support Finance and the wider organisation.
• Deliver system changes: Lead the planning, implementation and monitoring of updates, ensuring they are delivered on time, within budget and to a high standard.
• Support teams and stakeholders: Work closely with colleagues across CQC, offering guidance, managing risks and issues, and helping teams use systems effectively through training and support.

Show us
We will be looking for specific skills, knowledge and experience in your application form:

• Evidence of in-depth experience working with finance related systems to achieve successful outcomes, including experience of planning, implementing and managing risks associated with system changes and updates.
• Professional accounting qualification, with experience using financial knowledge to improve systems, processes or reporting in an organisation.
• Experience working with a range of stakeholders across different levels, including providing clear advice or insights that support decision making and improve ways of working. 

Compliance
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 Gemma Skipsey Deputy Director of Finance, Email Gemma.Skipsey@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.