Head of Governance and Compliance

CLINICAL PARTNERS LIMITED; Long Cross; On-site; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health service provider in the UK seeks a Governance, Risk, and Compliance Lead to oversee regulatory frameworks and ensure compliance across the organization. This role requires a strategic individual with experience in healthcare compliance, excellent communication skills, and a proven ability to lead audits. The position offers a competitive salary starting from £65,000 and benefits including flexible working opportunities and a healthcare cash plan.

Benefits

25 days paid holiday

Healthcare Cash Plan

Life Assurance

Flexible working opportunities

Access to a Wellbeing portal

Qualifications

• Proven experience in governance, compliance, and risk management within healthcare or mental health services.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Ability to lead audits and manage regulatory inspections.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and improvement of governance frameworks aligned with CQC standards.
• Ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee the organisation's risk management strategy.

Skills

Governance and compliance frameworks

Communication skills

Stakeholder engagement

Knowledge of CQC regulations

Risk management

Audit management

IT skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint)

Education

Professional qualification in governance, compliance, or risk (e.g., ICSA, IRM, ISO Lead Auditor)

Job description

Overview

We are seeking a strategic and detail-oriented individual to lead and embed robust governance, risk, and compliance frameworks across our organisation. This pivotal role will ensure regulatory excellence, drive continuous improvement, and foster a culture of safety, transparency, and accountability. Proven experience in governance, compliance, and risk management within healthcare or mental health services is required.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and improvement of governance frameworks aligned with CQC standards and ISO certifications
• Ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements, including safeguarding, data protection, and clinical governance
• Oversee the organisation s risk management strategy, maintaining a dynamic risk register and ensuring mitigation plans are in place
• Lead the incident management process, ensuring timely investigation, reporting, and learning from serious incidents and complaints
• Monitor trends and themes to inform proactive safety improvements
• Design and deliver internal audit programmes to assess compliance and operational effectiveness
• Coordinate external audits and inspections, including CQC and ISO assessments
• Provide assurance reporting to the Director of Governance and Compliance and executive leadership
• Maintain and update governance-related policies and procedures, ensuring alignment with best practice and legal requirements
• Ensure the company has a thorough and robust document management process
• Support the development of decision-making protocols
• Ensure effective document control and version management across compliance materials
• Collaborate with clinical, operational, and corporate teams to embed governance and compliance into everyday practice
• Line manages governance and compliance staff, fostering a high-performing and values-driven team
• Represent the organisation in external forums and regulatory engagements

Qualifications

• Strategic and detail-oriented with the ability to lead and embed governance, risk, and compliance frameworks
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder engagement skills
• Strong knowledge of CQC regulations, ISO standards (e.g. ISO 9001, ISO 27001), and incident and risk management frameworks
• Ability to interpret complex regulatory requirements and translate them into practical solutions
• Experience leading audits and managing regulatory inspections
• Solution-focused, with a desire and ability to innovate
• Highly organised with the ability to prioritise a constantly changing workload and remain calm under pressure
• Excellent IT skills including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and SharePoint
• Ability to work with cross-functional teams to deliver on a common goal
• Desirable: Experience working in a remote or digital healthcare setting
• Desirable: Familiarity with safeguarding frameworks and clinical risk management
• Desirable: Professional qualification in governance, compliance, or risk (e.g. ICSA, IRM, ISO Lead Auditor)
• Desirable: Understanding of Neurodiversity assessment process and challenges faced within the healthcare industry

Employment Details

• Salary starting from 65,000 per annum
• 25 days paid holiday (increasing with service to 28 days) plus bank holidays
• A day off for your birthday
• Healthcare Cash Plan
• Benefits Platform
• Life Assurance
• Discount Vouchers
• Flexible working opportunities to suit your personal needs
• Opportunities to take part in charitable events
• Access to a Wellbeing portal and Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Please note that this position requires a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check prior to commencing employment

At Clinical Partners, we are proud to be one of the UK s leading providers of mental health services, working across both private and NHS sectors to support individuals and families facing emotional and psychological challenges. Our commitment to delivering safe, high-quality care is at the heart of everything we do.