Head of Regulation and Compliance

Salary

£75,000 Per Year

About the role

The Head of Regulation and Compliance Manager is a senior role within the Quality and Governance Directorate, responsible for leading the Group's regulatory compliance function and acting as the expert advisor to the Quality and Governance Director on all matters relating to CQC (England), CIW (Wales), and Care Inspectorate (Scotland) regulation. Reporting directly to the Quality and Governance Director, the postholder manages the Quality Assurance Leads, who are responsible for conducting internal quality inspections against the internal quality assurance framework - and plays a central role in ensuring the Group's homes are consistently inspection-ready, compliant, and improving. The Head of Regulation and Compliance also takes a lead role in supporting the Quality and Governance Director with the management of regulatory enquiries, complaints, serious concerns, whistleblowing concerns and strategic oversight of resident and relative experience, using feedback, concerns, emerging themes and Group-wide KPI data to identify patterns, risks, and improvement opportunities across the portfolio. This is a highly visible, expert-level role that requires deep knowledge of the care regulatory landscape, strong analytical capability, and the communication skills to translate complex regulatory intelligence, whistleblowing themes and resident experience insight into clear, actionable guidance for operational and senior leadership teams.

About You

• Relevant professional qualification or equivalent senior-level experience in adult social care, health and social care regulation, quality governance, compliance, assurance or operational leadership.
• Comprehensive knowledge of adult social care regulatory frameworks, inspection methodologies and compliance expectations across England, Wales and Scotland, including CQC, CIW and Care Inspectorate requirements.
• Strong understanding of regulatory enforcement processes, statutory notifications, Provider Information Returns, CIW Responsible Individual duties, Regulation 80 Responsible Individual Quality Visit Reports and Regulation 73 Quality of Care Review Reports.
• Knowledge of complaints governance, whistleblowing processes, duty of candour, safeguarding interfaces, resident and relative experience, and how these inform regulatory risk, assurance and improvement priorities.

• Strong strategic leadership and influencing skills, with the ability to set direction, provide expert regulatory advice, shape standards and drive consistent compliance across a large, multi-site portfolio.
• Highly developed analytical skills, with the ability to interpret regulatory intelligence, inspection outcomes, complaints, whistleblowing concerns, resident and relative feedback, KPI data and assurance evidence to identify risk, variation and improvement priorities.
• Excellent written communication skills, with the ability to produce high-quality reports, briefings, factual accuracy responses, assurance papers, regulatory submissions and improvement recommendations for senior and external audiences.
• Confident communication, challenge and stakeholder engagement skills, with the credibility to advise Executive, Regional, Area and Home leadership teams on complex or sensitive regulatory matters.
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities, regulatory deadlines, enforcement activity, complaints, whistleblowing concerns, sensitive information and national travel.

• Experience working across a national, multi-region or large multi-site adult social care, healthcare or regulated service organisation.
• Experience engaging directly with CQC, CIW, Care Inspectorate or other regulators, including supporting inspection preparation, regulatory reporting, enforcement response or improvement activity.
• Experience managing, supervising or developing quality assurance, compliance, governance, inspection or regulatory support colleagues.

• Resident-focused, with a strong commitment to safety, quality, dignity, choice and positive outcomes for people living in care homes.
• Credible, calm and professionally curious, with the confidence to interpret complex information, ask the right questions and provide clear, balanced regulatory advice.
• Constructively challenging and solutions-focused, able to identify risk, address poor standards and support teams to take proportionate, evidence based improvement action.
• Collaborative and relationship-led, with the credibility to work across operational, quality, governance and support teams while maintaining appropriate independence and objectivity.
• Committed to kindness, integrity, learning and continuous improvement, with high professional standards and a strong focus on assurance, accountability and regulatory confidence.