Director of Care and Quality in Ilford

Essex, Kent, Cambridgeshire & Bedfordshire

Salary: £90,000 - £100,000 + Bonus + Car Allowance + Benefits

The Opportunity

Compass Associates are partnering with an established care provider to appoint a Director of Care & Quality, overseeing a portfolio of nursing homes across Essex, Kent, Cambridgeshire, and Bedfordshire. This is a pivotal senior leadership role, focused on elevating clinical standards, strengthening governance, and driving consistency in quality across multiple services. Working closely with the executive team, you will play a key role in shaping clinical strategy, ensuring services not only meet but exceed regulatory expectations, while delivering genuinely person-centred care. This is a high-impact position suited to an experienced clinical leader who is comfortable operating both strategically and operationally, with the credibility to influence at all levels.

The Role

You will take full responsibility for care and quality across a multi-site portfolio, ensuring strong clinical governance, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement. A core part of the role is partnering with General Managers and clinical teams, providing both support and challenge to drive high standards and sustainable performance. You will act as the clinical voice within the senior leadership team, ensuring quality remains at the centre of all operational decision-making.

Core Focus

• Clinical Strategy & Leadership: Set and drive the clinical vision across the portfolio, ensuring consistently high standards of care delivery.
• Quality, Compliance & Governance: Maintain robust clinical governance frameworks, ensuring services are inspection-ready and aligned with CQC standards at all times.
• Performance & Continuous Improvement: Use data and insight to identify risk, drive improvements, and deliver sustained enhancements in quality and outcomes.
• Leadership & Capability Building: Develop and empower General Managers and clinical leaders, building strong, accountable, and high-performing teams.
• Resident Experience & Outcomes: Champion person-centred care, improving resident wellbeing, satisfaction, and overall quality of life.
• Specialist Care Excellence: Embed best practice across dementia care, end-of-life care, and complex nursing services.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Act as a key point of contact for regulators and external stakeholders, building credibility and confidence in service delivery.

What They’re Looking For

This role requires a credible, experienced clinical leader with a strong track record in multi-site care environments. You will bring:

• Registered Nurse (RGN/RMN) with an active NMC PIN (essential).
• Proven experience in a senior clinical leadership role within the care home sector.
• Strong working knowledge of CQC regulations and inspection frameworks.
• Demonstrable success in improving quality ratings across multiple services.
• The ability to influence, support, and challenge senior operational leaders.
• Commercial awareness, balancing quality with performance.
• A visible, hands-on leadership style.
• Willingness to travel regularly across the region.

Why This Role

• Opportunity to shape and influence clinical standards across a multi-site portfolio.
• Direct impact on quality, compliance, and resident outcomes.
• Close working relationship with an engaged and supportive executive team.
• A role combining strategic leadership with operational influence.
• The chance to make a meaningful, visible difference across services.

The Package

• Competitive base salary.
• Performance-related bonus.
• Company car or car allowance.
• Ongoing professional development and leadership training.
• Supportive and collaborative working environment.

Process

A streamlined two-stage interview process, focused on experience, leadership capability, and cultural alignment.

Next Steps

For a confidential discussion, please contact: Zenon Raddon, Lead Consultant – Compass Associates.