Job Description

Salary: 60,000-65k
Location: Hybrid - Eurocentral, with travel across Scotland
Sector: Health & Social Care
Reporting to: Head of Strategic Development

Working Arrangement : 9 month Interim Contract with the opportunity to go permanent

I am currently recruiting on behalf of a well-established, forward-thinking charity delivering person-centred social care across Scotland.

The organisation supports people across 28 local authority areas, delivering human rights-driven, self-directed support through an established Personal Assistant model. With a strong focus on inclusion, independence and choice, the organisation is committed to continually improving the quality of support and the outcomes achieved for the people it supports.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the senior leadership team at a time of continued development and transformation, with quality firmly at the centre of the organisation's future strategy.

We are looking for an experienced Head of Quality & Compliance to lead the development and transformation of the organisation's approach to quality, assurance and continuous improvement.

This is a strategic leadership position, rather than a role focused solely on compliance. You will have the opportunity to shape the quality framework across the organisation, embedding a culture of continuous improvement, learning and accountability while ensuring regulatory and contractual requirements are consistently met.

Working closely with the executive and operational leadership teams, you will provide strategic oversight across quality, audit, compliance, risk, safeguarding and assurance, while supporting services to identify opportunities for improvement and deliver better outcomes.

You will also lead and develop the Quality, Audit and Compliance function, ensuring the team has the structure, expertise and processes required to support a high-performing organisation.

• Lead the development and implementation of a forward-thinking quality and assurance strategy.
• Develop a quality framework focused on continuous improvement, learning and positive outcomes rather than compliance alone.
• Provide strategic leadership across quality, audit, compliance, governance, risk and safeguarding.
• Lead regulatory readiness and ensure the organisation remains compliant with relevant legislation, regulation and contractual requirements.
• Develop and oversee a structured quality and audit programme, including KPIs, reporting and assurance mechanisms.
• Use data, insight and benchmarking to identify areas for improvement and measure the impact of quality initiatives.
• Work closely with operational leaders to drive improvements across services and address areas of risk or underperformance.
• Ensure the views and experiences of the people supported are central to quality improvement and service development.
• Build strong relationships with external stakeholders, including regulators, local authorities, safeguarding partners and professional bodies.
• Provide high-level advice and assurance to the executive leadership team on quality, governance and risk.
• Lead, support and develop the Quality, Audit and Compliance team.

We are looking for a senior quality professional with significant experience within health or social care, ideally someone who has operated at Head of Quality, Director of Quality or a similar senior level.

You will ideally bring:

• Extensive senior-level experience leading quality within a social care or healthcare environment.
• Strong knowledge of Scottish care regulation and the Care Inspectorate.
• Experience across quality assurance, audit, compliance, governance, risk and safeguarding.
• Proven experience developing and implementing quality strategies and frameworks.
• A strong understanding of continuous improvement and transformational change.
• Experience using data and performance information to drive service improvement.
• Experience working with senior stakeholders and providing assurance at Executive level.
• Strong leadership and people management experience.
• Excellent communication, influencing and relationship-building skills.
• A strategic, analytical and solutions-focused approach.
• The ability to work effectively in a complex and changing environment.

A degree-level qualification in health, social care or a relevant discipline would be advantageous, alongside evidence of continued professional development in quality, leadership or assurance.

This role would suit an established Head of Quality, Director of Quality, Head of Quality & Compliance, Head of Governance, Quality Director or senior quality professional who is looking for an opportunity to have genuine strategic influence.

You will need to be more than a compliance specialist. The successful candidate will be someone who can take quality strategy, governance and assurance and translate this into meaningful improvements across services and, ultimately, better outcomes for the people being supported.

You will be a values-led and credible senior leader, comfortable working with Executive teams, operational leaders, regulators and external stakeholders, while remaining focused on the people at the heart of the organisation.

Search is an equal opportunities recruiter and we welcome applications from all suitably skilled or qualified applicants, regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/beliefs, sexual orientation or age.