Head of Regulation

BRITISH PSYCHOANALYTIC COUNCIL; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A professional association for psychotherapy is seeking a Head of Regulation to lead its regulatory function and oversee complaint processes. The ideal candidate should be a qualified legal practitioner with at least 5 years of experience in a regulatory environment. This role involves managing Fitness to Practise complaints, developing strategic interests, and maintaining professional standards. Flexible working arrangements are available, with a salary range of £60,000 - £70,000.

Benefits

28 days annual leave plus 8 bank holidays

Employer pension contribution

Qualifications

• At least 5 years PQE as a legal practitioner.
• Demonstrable strong experience in a statutory health regulator.
• Ability to manage a workload and prioritize conflicting tasks.

Responsibilities

• Manage Fitness to Practise complaints from start to finish.
• Draft guidance for Registrants and update existing policies.
• Line manage the Senior Paralegal.

Skills

Communication skills

Experience with statutory health regulations

Managing demanding caseloads

Regulatory process improvement

Ability to work in small organisations

Education

Legal practitioner qualification

Job description

Head of Regulation

£60,000 - 70,000

Full time (flexible/different working hours will be considered)

Welcome from the CEO

Please note: we are actively interviewing as applications come in, and may offer the role if we find the right candidate and close the job early.

Do get in touch if you would like to discuss the role before putting in an application.

Thank you for your interest in joining our team as the Head of Regulation.

We are the leading professional association and a Professional Standards Authority Voluntary Accredited Register for the psychoanalytic and psychodynamic psychotherapy profession in the UK.

With a small team of twelve, based at our offices in North London, and with an annual turnover of c£900k we regulate the profession, adjudicating on complaints and maintaining professional standards.

We enjoy a reputation for high clinical and professional standards within the counselling and psychotherapy profession and, unlike other similar organisations, we are purely psychoanalytic in our focus. We accredit training programmes operated via our Member Institutions, ensuring that they meet our exacting standards. Individuals who qualify from these accredited trainings are eligible to become Registrants of the BPC and appear on our public Register. Registrants must comply with our code of ethics and Continuing Professional Development requirements.

As well as our regulatory role, we advance the knowledge and understanding about psychoanalysis and psychoanalytically informed therapies, through working with policy makers and through conferences, publications and other activities.

Having undergone a period of change and growth over the last few years, we are currently looking for a new Head of Regulation to join our Senior Leadership Team. We implemented a new complaints process in January 2022 and are looking for the right person to lead the BPC’s Fitness to Practise function into the next phase. We are also currently recruiting a permanent Senior Paralegal, who will report into the Head of Regulation, and together these roles will oversee all concerns and complaints raised about BPC Registrants.

This role requires someone with strong experience within a regulatory environment who will be responsible for leading the regulatory function of the organisation, continuing to embed and encourage culture change within the organisation, our Member Institutions and Registrants. We are looking for an experienced regulatory solicitor who is looking for a new challenge of working within a small organisation with a wide reach. They will be prepared to work at a high level within the Senior Leadership Team and also happy to support with administrative tasks, and everything in between.

You will understand the context we work in, including regulatory frameworks, and will be a highly effective, engaging manager and leader who embraces the potential of the BPC as we continue to develop.

Whilst you may have knowledge of psychoanalytic ideas or practice, this is not essential. Most importantly, you will be able to demonstrate a commitment to psychoanalysis, both as a way of thinking about society and as a method of treatment.

For the right candidate, this is an exciting opportunity to be part of an ambitious, friendly organisation where your voice, your ideas and your contribution will have a critical impact on our success.

If you believe you have what we are looking for then we very much look forward to hearing from you.

Greg Ross-Sampson

Chief Executive

Reporting to Chief Executive

Contract type: Permanent

Hours: Full time (35 hours per week)

Salary: £60,000 - £70,000 FTE

Location: Hybrid, at least one day a week in the office. Suite 7, 19-23 Wedmore Street, London N19 4RU

Benefits: 28 days annual leave plus 8 bank holidays (for full time), and employer pension contribution.

Key Responsibilities

Fitness to Practise Complaints

• Expeditiously, and effectively manage and progress Fitness to Practise cases from initial receipt to Final Hearing, including appeals;
• Ability to oversee all aspects of scheduling hearing cases, with the support of the Senior Paralegal, from commencement to conclusion;
• Ensure Fitness to Practise outcomes are correctly updated on the website and shared with any relevant third parties;
• Work to ensure our Member Institutions and Registrants understand the Fitness to Practise process and principles, and their roles within these;
• Manage internal and external relationships connected to complaints; chambers, legal advisors, clinical experts, the Screening Committee, Hearing Panellists;
• Continuously identify and address areas of improvement in the complaints and surrounding processes.

General

• Line manage the Senior Paralegal in accordance with BPC HR processes;
• Responsibility for drafting guidance for Registrants; whether autonomously or in conjunction with clinicians, updating existing policies and procedures, drafting Board papers, and providing Fitness to Practise data to the Board and the Ethics Committee;
• Providing training and/or organising the delegation of Panellist training to external providers;
• Providing relevant Fitness to Practise training to BPC staff, the Board of Trustees, Member Institutions and Committees.

Senior Management

• Working as part of the small Senior Leadership Team to both develop the strategic interests of BPC, improve processes across the organisation as well respond flexibly to the day to day needs of the organisation;
• Deputise for CEO when needed;
• Support with management of other staff within the organisation, whilst acting as a role model both internally and externally;
• Working closely with the Board of Trustees to keep them updated on and making recommendations for regulatory matters (where appropriate);
• Working with the Head of Operations to develop FtP related budgets in the wider context of the whole budget. Reporting on these areas of the FtP budget frequently and working to keep costs low where possible.

PSA accreditation and wider regulatory matters

• Responsibility for and/or contributing to the drafting of the BPC’s PSA reaccreditation report and responding to ad hoc requests for information from the PSA;
• Maintain an ongoing relationship with the Professional Standards Authority;
• Liaising with the BPC’s legal advisors on complaints and all other regulatory matters.

Membership

• Collaborate on training and registration policies where necessary to ensure they align with Fitness to Practise processes and best practice;
• Working alongside the Registrar, help establish and consolidate the governance of any newly incorporated Member Institutions, including their professional standards and ethics structures;
• Working with Head of Operations to manage integrity of the Register, and processes to ensure we are compliant with regulation best practise.

Other

• Undertake such other duties and responsibilities of an equivalent nature as from time to time may be required as agreed with the Chief Executive;
• Attending some evening and occasional weekend committee meetings and other events related to the duties of the post as agreed with the Chief Executive.

Key Requirements

Essential

• Legal practitioner qualification with at least 5 years PQE;
• Demonstrable strong experience gained within a statutory health regulator(s) or equivalent;
• Experience of working autonomously and managing a demanding caseload;
• Experience or detailed understanding of the management of hearings;
• Ability to manage a wider ranging workload and prioritise conflicting priorities as well as tracking progress on tasks;
• Excellent communication skills and maturity in dealing with colleagues and organisations;
• Experience of working with particularly vulnerable witnesses, complainants and Registrants;
• Experience of developing and improving regulatory processes;
• Ability to contribute to the strategic and operational aspects of the BPC’s activities;
• Ability to work flexibly in a small organisation with limited resources;
• Ability to work at both strategic and hands on levels and everything in between;
• Commitment to BPC’sapproach to equality, diversity and inclusion;
• Ability and willingness to occasionally work outside normal working hours/days and to occasionally travel to meetings / events around the UK.

Desirable

• Experience of senior management in a similar organisation;
• Experience of or interest in mental health provision, and specifically psychoanalysis or psychodynamic psychotherapy;
• Experience of budget setting and management.