Head of Quality Compliance and Assurance

Are you an inspiring senior leader with a passion for driving exceptional quality in health and social care? Do you thrive in complex, fast‑paced environments where your decisions directly shape the lives of the people we support? If so, this is your opportunity to make a transformational impact at one of the UK’s largest and most respected social care charities. We are seeking a dynamic Head of Quality, Compliance & Assurance to lead our organisation’s quality strategy, audit frameworks and assurance systems—ensuring safe, high‑quality care everywhere, every day.

This highly influential role will shape how we deliver outstanding support across England and Scotland, driving continuous improvement and embedding best practice at scale.

This is a full time permanent role with some national travel expected and a need to attend our head office in Widnes as and when required.

• Flexibility: You can work your 37.5 hours over 4 days and enjoy a long weekend, or split the hours over 5 days to accommodate your other commitments. You can work from home, or from our head office in Widnes, or a flex between the two. There will be a requirement to travel to our head office at least once a week.
• Benefits: retail discounts, holiday discounts, cycle to work scheme and travel discounts through our benefits app
• Best Lives Bolder: You'll be working for an award winning charity who is passionate about ensuring our colleagues and the people we support lead the best lives bolder
• Development: We'll work with you to develop your career or to learn and experience new things. We're passionate about developing our people!
• Support: From our Employee Assistance Programme (available 24/7), financial support options, and wellbeing fund you'll have the support available to lead an easier (financial) life

Reporting to the Chief Quality & Risk Officer, you will join our Senior Leadership Team and work collaboratively with operational leaders, governance specialists and external regulators to build a sector‑leading approach to quality, compliance and assurance.

• Develop and deliver a robust, organisation‑wide audit and quality assurance programme.
• Set national quality standards and build systems that ensure regulatory excellence across the UK.
• Lead effective inspection activity to provide rigorous scrutiny of service delivery.

• Use insights from clinical governance audits, thematic reviews and incidents to shape policy and practice.
• Oversee compliance processes, controls and risk mitigation strategies.
• Design early‑warning mechanisms to inform decision‑making and safeguard quality.
• Lead transformation activity to improve systems, processes and operational effectiveness.
• Co‑design quality improvement initiatives with operational and support service leaders.
• Embed a person‑centred ethos in all quality and assurance activity.

• Maintain strong relationships with regulators including CQC and the Care Inspectorate.
• Stay connected to sector developments and ensure we remain at the forefront of best practice.
• Provide visionary leadership to the Quality Team.
• Develop talent, build capability and inspire a culture of excellence and accountability.
• Offer matrix leadership to quality operations across the organisation.

• Significant senior leadership experience in quality, compliance or assurance within health or social care.
• Deep knowledge of CQC, Care Inspectorate and relevant regulatory frameworks.
• Demonstrable success in designing and leading quality assurance systems, audits and transformation activity.
• Experience leading major incidents, investigations and thematic reviews.
• Strong analytical capability, strategic thinking and decision‑making confidence.
• Exceptional communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills.
• A collaborative, resilient and improvement‑focused leadership style.
• A relevant qualification in health or social care (or equivalent experience).
• National remit with regular travel across England and Scotland.
• Participation in the…