Director of Quality Governance & Compliance

• Educated to Master's degree level in a relevant subject, or able to demonstrate equivalent senior leadership experience and expertise.
• Relevant postgraduate qualification in quality governance, patient safety, risk management, healthcare leadership or a closely related field.
• Evidence of continuing professional development at an advanced level.
• Substantial senior leadership experience in quality governance, patient safety, clinical risk or regulatory compliance within a large and complex healthcare organisation.
• Demonstrable experience of holding accountability for organisation-wide quality governance, patient safety, clinical risk or regulatory compliance arrangements.
• Significant experience of providing expert advice, constructive challenge and assurance to Executive Directors, Board Committees or a Trust Board.
• Successful leadership of major regulatory inspections, external reviews, accreditation activity or complex organisational responses.
• A demonstrable record of improving quality, strengthening assurance, reducing risk or delivering sustained organisational learning.
• Experience of leading and developing multidisciplinary teams through senior managers and professional leaders.
• Experience of handling highly complex, sensitive and high-profile quality or safety matters, including engagement with patients, families, regulators or legal processes.
• Experience of managing budgets, workforce and competing priorities at senior level.
• Expert knowledge of NHS quality governance, patient safety, clinical risk and assurance systems.
• Expert understanding of statutory and regulatory frameworks relevant to NHS providers, including Care Quality Commission requirements and national patient safety expectations.
• Advanced understanding of Board assurance, risk management, control effectiveness, assurance mapping and escalation.
• Expert understanding of systems-based learning, human factors, safety culture and organisational learning.
• Strong knowledge of clinical audit, effectiveness, accreditation, complaints intelligence, claims, mortality and inquest processes and how these contribute to quality governance.
• Understanding of NHS strategy, provider oversight, integrated care systems and the wider policy and financial context.
• Knowledge of equality, diversity, inclusion, health inequalities, safeguarding, information governance and duty of candour as they relate to quality and safety.
• Exceptional leadership, influencing and relationship-building skills, with the credibility to work effectively with Board members, executives, clinicians, managers, regulators, patients and external partners.
• Ability to exercise independent expert judgement and provide constructive challenge in complex, politically sensitive or high-risk situations.
• Highly developed analytical skills and the ability to synthesise complex quantitative and qualitative information into clear conclusions and recommendations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including production and presentation of high-quality Board reports, regulatory submissions and executive briefings.
• Ability to lead across organisational and professional boundaries and secure delivery where direct authority may be limited.
• Advanced negotiation, facilitation and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability to prioritise, make decisions and maintain effective oversight across a broad and demanding portfolio.
• Ability to lead change, develop organisational capability and embed sustainable improvements.
• High level of digital literacy and ability to use information systems to support governance, analysis and reporting.
• The ability to understand and always behave, towards patients, visitors and colleagues according to the Trust values of safe, kind, excellent.
• Embodies the NHS Constitution and Trust values.
• Visible commitment to patients, families, staff and the delivery of safe, kind and excellent care.
• Open, inclusive and collaborative, while able to challenge and hold others to account.
• Politically astute, resilient and able to remain credible and composed under pressure.
• Curious and improvement-focused, with a commitment to learning and evidence-based practice.
• Able to understand and consistently demonstrate the Trust values and behaviours.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

• Current registration with an appropriate clinical or healthcare professional body.
• Postgraduate management, leadership, improvement or Board-level quality governance qualification.
• Experience across more than one NHS provider, system or regulatory environment.
• Experience of Board or committee development relating to quality, safety, risk or assurance.
• Experience of research, publication, teaching or national policy contribution in a relevant field.
• Knowledge of improvement science, implementation methods and evaluation approaches.
• Knowledge of data analytics and methods for identifying variation, weak signals and emerging risk.
• Formal training in coaching, mediation, quality improvement, human factors or systems thinking.