Head of Quality Governance and Risk | The Christie NHS Foundation Trust


Company:	The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
Salary:	£66,582 - £77,368 Pro Rata Per Annum
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Manchester, M20 4BX
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	15 Sept 2026
Closing date:	18 Oct 2026

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Summary

We are seeking an experienced, knowledgeable, and driven leader for the role of Head of Quality Governance & Risk at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust. The right person will have an ambitious approach to leading the quality governance agenda to drive the very best patient outcomes and experience. Supporting the Assistant Director of Quality Governance, this role will play an important part in continuing to drive forward and provide leadership to the Trust’s Quality Governance agenda and Risk Management Strategy. They will provide visible professional leadership which inspires, motivates, and engages teams across the organisation.

The right candidate will be able to demonstrate success in delivering Quality Improvement Methods and Strategies with a solid background in project management and transformation. They will act as a subject matter expert on quality improvement, risk management, patient safety standards and regulatory requirements. They will be a confident communicator who models civility and compassion and able to engage a wide range of stakeholders. The post holder should be resilient, self-motivated, politically astute, and able to negotiate challenging situations and interactions.

Applicants should note that to be successful at the initial stage of recruitment, the personal statement and job history need to demonstrate a solid understanding and evidence of implementation of a range of Quality Improvement methodologies and project / programme management experience.

Deputising for The Assistant Director of Quality Governance, The role will provide strategic and operational leadership to ensure robust systems and processes are in place for effective governance across The Christie NHS Foundation Trust.

Provide senior level leadership and direction to the Patient Safety, Clinical Governance, Health & Safety, Risk and Quality Improvement teams.

Lead the continual development and evolution of the Trust Local Risk Management System and associated strategies.

The postholder will work collaboratively to promote a culture of transparency, learning, and continuous improvement, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and delivering high standards of care.

The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 15% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country.

We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world; chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals; highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer; and a wide range of support and diagnostic services. We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years.

We run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK.

Responsibilities

• Act as the formal deputy to the Associate Director of Quality Governance,

including representation at senior meetings, committees, and external forums.

• Provide leadership in the absence of the Associate Director, ensuring

continuity across quality governance functions.

• Contribute to Board-level and executive reports related to risk, patient safety,

complaints, legal, health & safety and regulatory compliance

Governance and Assurance

• Support the production, publication and delivery of the Trust’s Quality

Improvement Strategy and Governance Framework, working closely with

divisional and corporate teams.

• Oversee the administration and review of the Trust’s risk registers, ensuring

alignment with the Board Assurance Framework and risk management

strategy.

• Coordinate the production of external assurance submissions, CQC evidence

preparation, and regulatory reporting.

• Contribute to governance training and development across the Trust.

• Embed improvement methodologies into governance processes.

• Drive the learning culture by supporting knowledge transfer from internal and external reviews, inquiries and national guidance.

JD & Person Specification Head of Quality Governance & Risk; March 2025

Risk Management

• Lead the implementation and monitoring of the Trust’s Risk Management

Strategy aims and objectives.

• Promote the integration of risk management into operational and clinical

processes.

• Lead a culture that supports staff to identify, assess, and manage clinical and

non-clinical risks.

• Ensure robust escalation processes are in place.

Patient Safety and Incident Response

• Oversee incident reporting systems and ensure investigations are undertaken

in line with the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework.

• Monitor trends, themes, and learning from patient safety incidents,

complaints, claims, and inquests.

• Work collaboratively with the Patient Safety Team to ensure that learning from incidents is embedded across the Trust.

Duty of Candour

• Champion the Duty of Candour, ensuring staff are trained and supported to

deliver open and honest communication with patients and families following harm events.

Health and Safety and Legal Assurance

• Work in collaboration with the Head of Health and Safety and Legal Services to provide assurance on compliance with the Health and Safety at Work Act and NHS Resolution processes.

• Provide input to claims management, coronial processes, and learning from inquests.

Leadership and Team Management

• Provide leadership to teams responsible for patient safety, risk management, complaints & PALS, health and safety, claims and quality improvement & clinical audit

• Ensure staff have access to appropriate training, support, and development opportunities.

• Foster and role model a culture of collaboration, professionalism, and

continuous improvement.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Promote patient and public involvement in governance and service

improvement initiatives.

• Foster close working relationships with divisional leadership teams to align divisional governance arrangements with governance arrangements ensuring accountability and oversight

Finance

• Ensure value for money and best use of resources when planning and

initiating.

• Quality improvement activities in dispensing allocated budgets.

• Responsible for management of managed employees and directorate budget.

• monitoring the budget position within the department to ensure spending is reasonable, of the best value and accurately recorded.

• Seek out opportunities for value improvement / efficiencies within budgets.

This advert closes on Thursday 1 Oct 2026

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