Governance & Compliance Manager

Organisation
Primary Eyecare Services

Job Title
Governance and Compliance Manager

Accountable to
Director of Quality & Governance

Terms
Full-time

Hours
35 hours per week

Remuneration

Location
Hybrid working (60% home, 40% office)

Benefits
Pension match up to 5%
25 days annual leave
Training and Development Opportunities
Performance-related pay
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
Cycle to Work scheme

Primary Eyecare Services is the largest not-for-profit provider of NHS primary and community eye care services in England. Working with commissioners and healthcare partners nationwide, we support the delivery of accessible, high-quality eye care through a network of more than 3,000 optometry practices.

As we continue to grow and evolve, effective governance, compliance and assurance remain central to delivering safe, resilient and high-quality services.

We are seeking an experienced Governance & Compliance Manager to lead and coordinate governance, compliance, risk management, information governance, assurance and organisational resilience activities across the organisation.

Reporting to the Director of Quality & Governance, you will play a key role in ensuring Primary Eyecare Services maintains effective governance arrangements, meets statutory and regulatory obligations, and is able to provide robust assurance to internal and external stakeholders.

Working closely with senior leaders across the business, you will support the development of a positive governance culture, promote continuous improvement and help ensure the organisation remains audit-ready, compliant and resilient.

This role also provides leadership to Governance Officers and is responsible for overseeing governance workplans, assurance activities, policy management and organisational improvement initiatives.

This role is central to ensuring Primary Eyecare Services remains:

• Compliant with legal, regulatory and contractual requirements
• Prepared for audit, inspection and assurance activity
• Effective in managing organisational risk
• Resilient and prepared for disruption
• Supported by robust governance processes and controls
• Committed to continuous improvement

You will:

• Lead and monitor compliance with UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and NHS information governance requirements.
• Provide practical advice on information governance, confidentiality, records management and data sharing.
• Oversee Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) and information sharing arrangements.
• Coordinate responses to Data Subject Rights Requests and Freedom of Information requests.
• Lead investigations into information governance incidents and personal data breaches.
• Maintain information governance records, registers and assurance documentation.
• Coordinate completion of the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT).
• Promote information governance awareness and compliance throughout the organisation.

You will:

• Support and maintain the organisation’s risk management framework.
• Monitor governance and compliance workplans and ensure actions are completed.
• Coordinate organisational readiness for audits, inspections and accreditation reviews
• Act as a key contact during external assurance activities.
  Maintain assurance evidence and compliance records.
• Track corrective actions and improvement plans through to completion.

You will:

• Lead the policy and document control framework.
• Maintain policy registers and review schedules.
• Support document owners with policy development and review activity.
• Quality assure policies, procedures and standard operating procedures.
• Ensure effective version control, publication and communication arrangements.

You will:

• Produce governance, compliance, risk and assurance reports.
• Prepare papers and assurance updates for senior management and stakeholders.
• Support governance meetings and action tracking.
• Oversee governance correspondence and enquiries.
• Manage governance work streams and monitor progress against agreed objectives.
• Support the development of organisational publications and statutory declarations.

You will:

• Analyse governance and compliance data to identify trends and opportunities.
• Monitor legislative, regulatory and NHS developments.
• Implement improvements to governance systems and processes.
• Lead the development and review of Business Continuity and…