Governance & Compliance Manager

Primary Eyecare Services; Manchester; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Primary Eyecare Services in Manchester is seeking an experienced Governance & Compliance Manager to lead governance, compliance, risk, information governance and assurance across our national healthcare organisation.

Reporting to the Director of Quality & Governance, you will work with senior leaders to drive robust governance arrangements, support regulatory compliance, coordinate external assurance and foster continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Significant experience within governance, compliance, quality, risk, assurance or information governance.
• Experience managing complex programmes of work and competing priorities.
• Experience coordinating audits, inspections, accreditations or external reviews.
• Experience developing policies, procedures, governance frameworks and assurance documentation.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, analytical and reporting skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead governance, compliance, risk, information governance and assurance activities.
• Work with senior leaders to ensure robust governance arrangements and regulatory compliance.
• Coordinate assurance activities and drive continuous improvement across the organisation.
• Develop, review and implement policies, procedures, governance frameworks and assurance documentation.

Skills

Governance

Compliance

Risk management

Information governance

Assurance

Policy development

Stakeholder engagement

Tools

DSPT / Data Security Toolkit

DTAC

ISO 9001

ISO 14001

ISO 27001

Cyber Essentials

Job description

Job summary

Help shape governance, compliance and assurance across a national healthcare organisation.

We are seeking an experienced Governance & Compliance Manager to join our Quality & Governance team.

Reporting to the Director of Quality & Governance, you will lead governance, compliance, risk, information governance and assurance activities across the organisation. You will work closely with senior leaders to ensure effective governance arrangements are in place, support regulatory compliance, coordinate assurance activities and drive continuous improvement.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced governance, compliance or risk professional looking to make a meaningful impact within a growing national healthcare organisation.

Main duties of the job

• We're looking for someone with experience in:
• Governance, compliance, risk, assurance or information governance
• Managing complex workstreams and organisational priorities
• Supporting audits, inspections, accreditation or external assurance processes
• Developing policies, procedures and governance frameworks
• Providing practical advice and constructive challenge to stakeholders at all levels
• Working within a regulated environment

Healthcare or NHS experience would be advantageous but is not essential.

About us

Primary Eyecare Services is the largest not-for-profit provider of NHS primary and community eye care services in England, supporting commissioners and healthcare partners through a network of over 3,000 optometry practices.

Job responsibilities

Please review the attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details of the role, responsibilities and requirements.

Application Questions

1. Please describe your experience working in governance, compliance, quality, risk, assurance or information governance functions. Please include the types of organisations or environments you have worked in and the level of responsibility you held.
2. Tell us about a complex programme of work, governance workplan or set of competing priorities you have managed. How did you organise the work, monitor progress and ensure key actions were completed?
3. Please describe your experience coordinating or supporting audits, inspections, accreditations or external reviews. What was your role, what evidence or assurance activity were you responsible for, and what was the outcome?
4. Please outline your working knowledge of UK GDPR, data protection and governance/risk/compliance principles. How have you applied this knowledge in practice to provide advice, manage risk or improve compliance?

Closing Date

• Applications must be received by 3:00pm on Friday 23 October 2026.
• We reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive a high volume of suitable applications. Early applications are therefore encouraged.

Person Specification

Essential

• Please review the attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details of the role, responsibilities and requirements.

Experience

Essential

• Significant experience within governance, compliance, quality, risk, assurance or information governance functions.
• Experience managing complex programmes of work and competing priorities.
• Experience coordinating audits, inspections, accreditations or external reviews.
• Experience developing policies, procedures, governance frameworks and assurance documentation.
• Experience influencing stakeholders and providing advice at varying levels of an organisation.
• Working knowledge of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
• Knowledge of governance, risk management and compliance principles.
• Understanding of audit, assurance and continuous improvement approaches.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability.
• Ability to produce clear reports and recommendations.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently and make sound judgements.
• Commitment to professionalism, integrity and confidentiality.
• Ability to support and develop others.

Desirable

• Experience within the NHS, healthcare or another highly regulated environment.
• Knowledge of: Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT), DTAC, CQC requirements, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials
• Experience supporting certified management systems.
• Relevant qualification in governance, compliance, risk, quality or data protection.
• Previous line management or supervisory experience.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Primary Eyecare Services

Address

Waulk Mill [2.3]

51 Bengal Street

Manchester

Cheshire

M4 6LN

United Kingdom