Clinical Director

Living Life Voluntary Counselling; Bray; On-site; EUR 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Living Life Voluntary Counselling is seeking a Clinical Director to provide strategic leadership, clinical governance oversight and professional assurance across counselling services. The role is co-located in Bray/Arklow and supports safe, ethical, evidence-informed practice for diverse client needs in a charity setting.

Responsibilities include supervising counsellors, coordinating intake, ensuring regulatory compliance, and contributing to training and quality improvements.

Qualifications

• Accredited Psychotherapist with current membership/accreditation in good standing with a recognised Irish body (IACP, ICP, IAHIP, etc.)
• Accredited Clinical Supervisor for Psychotherapists with current membership/accreditation in good standing with a recognised Irish body (IACP, ICP, IAHIP, etc.)
• Significant senior leadership experience in counselling, mental health, health or social care services.
• Experience leading clinical governance, quality assurance, safeguarding and risk management.
• Experience developing and implementing organisational or service strategy.
• Strong understanding of professional, ethical and regulatory requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead the organisation’s clinical governance framework and quality improvement agenda.
• Provide oversight and assurance regarding clinical quality, client safety, safeguarding and professional practice standards.
• Monitor clinical outcomes, audit findings, incidents, complaints and service performance to drive continuous improvement.
• Ensure learning from audits, reviews, incidents and safeguarding concerns is embedded across the organisation.
• Chair the Ethics Subcommittee.
• Lead GDPR compliance through our CRM (Training will be provided).
• Develop and implement the organisation’s clinical strategy in support of its mission and objectives.
• Advise the COO and Board on clinical developments, emerging risks and opportunities.
• Lead service innovation, development and future readiness in response to changing needs.
• Promote evidence-informed practice and a culture of excellence, learning and accountability.
• Maintain strategic oversight of clinical risk management and safeguarding.
• Ensure compliance with legal, ethical, professional and regulatory standards.
• Oversee policy and governance systems with the Clinical Manager.
• Prepare for accreditation, inspection and regulatory requirements with CORU and bodies.
• Provide professional leadership and support to the Clinical Manager, supervisors and clinical teams.
• Ensure systems for supervision, competency assurance, professional development and workforce governance.
• Promote reflective practice and continuous learning.
• Attend Board meetings to provide assurance and reports on clinical governance, quality, safeguarding and risk.
• Represent the organisation on clinical matters with external stakeholders and regulators.
• Build strategic relationships to strengthen clinical quality and organisational impact.

Skills

Accredited Psychotherapist

Accredited Clinical Supervisor

Senior leadership

Clinical governance

Quality assurance

Risk management

Strategic leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Volunteer engagement

Non-profit sector

Accreditation knowledge

Job description

Company Description

Living Life Voluntary Counselling provides affordable general counselling services to individuals who cannot access private counselling in County Wicklow and parts of Southeast County Dublin. The organisation offers individual, couples, child, and adolescent counselling, typically up to 24 sessions over a six-month period. Living Life supports people impacted by addictions, including those in recovery and their family members and friends. The service also assists individuals experiencing anxiety, low mood, financial and relationship difficulties, depression, isolation, bereavement, loneliness, and social or economic disadvantage. The organisation is committed to accessible, person-centred care in a community setting.

Role Purpose

The Clinical Director is the senior clinical leader of Living Life Voluntary Counselling CLG and is responsible for providing strategic leadership, clinical governance oversight, and professional assurance across all counselling and psychotherapy services.

The postholder will ensure that services are safe, effective, ethical evidence-informed and aligned with organisational objectives, regulatory requirements and sector best practice. While the Clinical Manager is responsible for day-to-day service delivery and operations, the Clinical Director provides organisational leadership in relation to strategy and growth, clinical governance, quality assurance, risk management, workforce development and service innovation.

The Clinical Director is a full-time/part-time, on-site role co-located in Bray/Arklow, responsible for overseeing the clinical services and ensuring high-quality, ethical counselling practice. Day-to-day responsibilities include providing clinical leadership, supervising counsellors, and maintaining appropriate clinical governance, policies, and procedures. The Clinical Director will coordinate intake and case allocation, monitor caseloads, and support practitioners working with a wide range of client issues, mental health challenges, and social disadvantage. The role involves collaborating with administrative staff, supporting service development, and ensuring compliance with relevant professional and regulatory standards. The Clinical Director will also contribute to training, professional development, and quality improvement initiatives to enhance client outcomes.

Person Specification

• Accredited Psychotherapist with current membership and accreditation in good standing with a recognised Irish counselling or psychotherapy professional body (ie. IACP, ICP, IAHIP, etc.)
• Accredited Clinical Supervisor for Psychotherapists with current membership and accreditation in good standing with a recognised Irish counselling or psychotherapy professional body (ie. IACP, ICP, IAHIP, etc.)
• Significant senior leadership experience in counselling, mental health, health or social care services.
• Demonstrable experience leading clinical governance, quality assurance, safeguarding and risk management.
• Experience developing and implementing organisational or service strategy.
• Strong understanding of professional, ethical and regulatory requirements.
• Excellent leadership, communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• The ability to demonstrated understanding of volunteer engagement, support and mentoring, with the ability to foster commitment, retention and professional development within a volunteer-based service.
• Experience within the charity or not-for-profit sector.
• Experience of accreditation, quality standards, inspections or regulatory compliance programmes.

Key Responsibilities

Clinical Governance and Quality

• Lead the organisation’s clinical governance framework and quality improvement agenda.
• Provide oversight and assurance regarding clinical quality, client safety, safeguarding and professional practice standards.
• Monitor clinical outcomes, audit findings, incidents, complaints and service performance to drive continuous improvement.
• Ensure learning from audits, reviews, incidents and safeguarding concerns is embedded across the organisation.
• Chair the Ethics Subcommittee.
• Lead GDPR compliance through our CRM (Training will be provided).

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and implement the organisation’s clinical strategy in support of its mission and strategic objectives.
• Advise the COO and Board on clinical developments, emerging risks and opportunities.
• Lead service innovation, development and future readiness in response to changing client, regulatory and sector requirements.
• Promote evidence-informed practice and a culture of excellence, learning and accountability.

Clinical Risk, Compliance and Professional Standards

• Maintain strategic oversight of clinical risk management and safeguarding.
• Ensure compliance with relevant legal, ethical, professional and regulatory standards.
• Oversee the development and review of clinical policies, procedures and governance systems alongside the Clinical Manager
• Lead organisational preparation for accreditation, inspection and regulatory requirements in line with CORU and psychotherapeutic professional bodies.

Workforce and Professional Leadership

• Senior clinical authority within the organisation.
• Provide professional leadership and support to the Clinical Manager, supervisors and clinical teams.
• Ensure appropriate systems for supervision, competency assurance, professional development and workforce governance.
• Promote a positive culture of reflective practice, continuous learning and professional excellence.

Board and External Relations

• Attend Board meetings to provide regular assurance and reports to the Board on clinical governance, quality, safeguarding and risk.
• Represent the organisation on clinical matters with external stakeholders, professional bodies, funders and regulatory agencies.
• Build strategic relationships that strengthen clinical quality, workforce development and organisational impact.