Head of Quality & Compliance

About this role

Lead Quality, Compliance and Organisational Risk in a Life-Changing Organisation

The Orpheus Centre is a specialist charity and college supporting young disabled adults to develop independence, confidence and employability through the arts. Founded by Sir Richard Stilgoe, Orpheus places joy, inclusion and ambition at the centre of everything it does.

Hours: Full-time (35 hours per week) / 52 weeks per year – Part-time/job share considered

Contract: Permanent

The Role

We are seeking an exceptional Head of Quality & Compliance to join our Senior Management Team and lead our organisation's quality assurance, regulatory compliance, risk management and supported housing compliance functions.

This is a newly created strategic role offering the opportunity to shape organisational quality and compliance frameworks while making a meaningful impact on the lives of the young people we support.

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, you will provide expert leadership across quality assurance, compliance and organisational risk. Acting as a trusted adviser to senior leaders and the Board, you will ensure the Centre maintains the highest standards across education, care and supported housing services.

You will lead on

• Quality assurance and continuous improvement across the organisation
• Regulatory compliance and inspection readiness
• Supported housing legislation and housing compliance
• Risk management and governance assurance
• Data protection and information governance
• Policy development and organisational compliance frameworks
• Quality and compliance reporting to senior leaders and trustees

This role is particularly suited to an experienced compliance, quality or governance professional with significant knowledge of supported housing regulation and the ability to translate complex legal and regulatory requirements into practical operational improvements.

About You

We are looking for someone who can combine strategic thinking with a practical, solutions-focused approach.

You will have

• Significant experience in quality assurance, compliance, governance or regulatory roles
• Experience of supported housing, social housing, housing associations or housing-related regulatory environments
• Experience leading audits, inspections, reviews and improvement programmes
• Knowledge of housing legislation, regulatory compliance and governance requirements
• Strong understanding of safeguarding, risk management and quality assurance
• Experience advising senior leaders and boards on compliance and regulatory matters
• Knowledge of UK GDPR, information governance and data protection compliance
• Outstanding communication, analytical and stakeholder management skills

Experience within education, social care, SEND provision or the charity sector would be advantageous.

Why join the Orpheus Centre?

At Orpheus, our values are at the heart of everything we do. We are:

Joyful | Bold | Inclusive | Resilient | Determined

This is an exciting opportunity to join a passionate organisation where your expertise will directly contribute to improving services and outcomes for young disabled adults.

Safeguarding & Inclusion

The Orpheus Centre is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable young adults. All posts are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and satisfactory references.

This post is classed as having a high degree of contact with vulnerable adults and is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. It is an offence to apply for this role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.

As part of our safer recruitment process and in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025, online searches may be undertaken as part of due diligence.

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds. We value difference and are committed to creating an inclusive, respectful and supportive workplace.

In order to be considered you must be eligible to work in the UK.

For a full job description and person specification, click below or paste into your browser:

https://tinyurl.com/5n7x33vn

The Orpheus Centre is proud to be a disability confident employer.

We have made a positive commitment to employing disabled people. Reasonable adjustments will be made to the recruitment procedure as required in consultation with the applicant to ensure no-one is disadvantaged because of their disability. If a disabled person is selected for a position, reasonable adjustments will be made to the workplace, including premises and equipment, work duties and practices or policies, as appropriate. All disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role as set out in the role profile and person specification will be considered for interview.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are

• Challenging attitudes towards disability
• Increasing understanding of disability
• Removing barriers to disabled people and those with long-term health conditions
• Ensuring that disabled people have the opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspiration

Apply Now

• If you are an experienced quality and compliance professional looking for a rewarding leadership role where you can influence organisational excellence and make a genuine difference, we would love to hear from you.

Pay: £41,000.00 per year

Benefits

• Bereavement leave
• Canteen
• Casual dress
• Company pension
• Discounted or free food
• Enhanced maternity leave
• Enhanced paternity leave
• Free parking
• Health & wellbeing programme
• On-site parking
• Work from home

Ability to commute/relocate

• Godstone RH9 8ND: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Application question(s)

• What attracts you to the Head of Quality & Compliance role at the Orpheus Centre, and how does your experience align with the role requirements?

Education

• Diploma of Higher Education (preferred)

Experience

• Quality assurance: 3 years (required)
• Compliance management: 3 years (required)

Work authorisation

• United Kingdom (required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Godstone RH9 8ND

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