Director of Nursing & Compliance
Location: South London, Surrey & South East England
Salary: £85,000 - £95,000 + Car Allowance + KPI Bonus
*Senior multi-site nursing home experience is essential for this appointment*
Compass Associates have partnered with a progressive, family-led care provider, on the appointment of a Director of Nursing & Compliance to join their senior leadership team.
This is a pivotal, Board-facing role offering the opportunity to shape clinical quality, regulatory excellence, and workforce capability across a growing portfolio of services. Working in close partnership with the Operations Director and Regional teams, you will provide independent clinical and compliance leadership, ensuring the organisation consistently delivers safe, effective, and compassionate care.
This is more than a governance role it’s an opportunity to influence culture, strengthen clinical standards, and build long-term capability across a quality-focused care group with ambitious growth plans.
The Role
As Director of Nursing & Compliance, you will act as the organisation’s senior professional authority on clinical quality, nursing standards, and regulatory compliance.
You will lead the development of robust governance frameworks, provide assurance to the Board, and oversee the organisation’s training and development function to ensure a capable, confident, and high-performing workforce.
Working alongside the Operations Director, you will maintain clear independence in your professional oversight role, while enabling services to achieve sustainable, high-quality performance.
What You’ll Do
* Provide strategic leadership for clinical quality, nursing practice, and regulatory compliance across all services
* Act as the senior point of expertise for safeguarding, clinical risk, and quality governance
* Ensure all services are inspection-ready, with a consistent focus on achieving Good and Outstanding outcomes
* Design and embed a robust quality and compliance assurance framework, with clear reporting to Board level
* Lead internal audits, mock inspections, and improvement programmes, ensuring learning is embedded and sustained
* Oversee key clinical areas including medication management, infection control, falls, pressure care, and complex nursing needs
* Maintain strong relationships with regulators, commissioners, and external stakeholders
* Lead and develop the organisation’s Training function, aligning workforce capability with quality and compliance priorities
* Drive the development of competency frameworks, leadership programmes, and career pathways to support retention and progression
* Support Regional Managers through expert guidance, helping resolve complex or high-risk clinical and regulatory challenges
* Contribute to strategic initiatives including new service mobilisation, acquisitions, and service development
Who You Are
* An experienced senior clinical leader (Director / Head of Nursing / Quality) within care homes
* Proven track record across multi-site nursing home environments
* Deep understanding of CQC frameworks, clinical governance, and regulatory compliance
* Strong background in driving quality improvement and achieving positive inspection outcomes
* Experienced in leading or shaping training, workforce development, or clinical capability programmes
* A credible and confident leader, able to influence at Board level and build trust across operational teams
* Able to balance support and challenge, maintaining independence while enabling operational success
* Values-led, with a passion for delivering outstanding, person-centred care
Why This Role
This is a unique opportunity to take on a true Group-level leadership role, with the autonomy to shape clinical strategy, governance, and workforce capability across an ambitious and values-driven organisation.
You’ll be joining a business that:
* Has a strong commitment to quality and person-centred care
* Invests in its people, systems, and infrastructure
* Offers clear role clarity between operations and clinical governance
* Is growing sustainably, with exciting plans for the future
This role offers the platform to make a lasting impact, not just on compliance, but on culture, standards, and the overall quality of care delivered across the group.
How to Apply
If you’re a senior clinical leader within the care home sector looking to step into a strategic, high-impact Director role, I’d love to hear from you.
Contact Zenon at Compass Associates on 02393 877 352 or email your CV to for a confidential discussion.
Referral Reward
Know someone who could be a great fit for this role? We offer a £500 voucher of your choice for every successful referral placed.