Remote, with occasional travel as required | Permanent | Full Time

Are you an experienced Risk & Compliance leader looking for the opportunity to shape and lead the risk, compliance and governance agenda across a growing healthcare group?

We’re looking for a Head of Group Risk & Compliance to join Ascenti Group in a senior leadership role with responsibility for developing a pragmatic, effective and proportionate approach to risk and compliance across our organisation.

Reporting directly to the Chief Financial Officer and working closely with our Executive Team, Senior Leadership Team and colleagues across the Group, you’ll have the opportunity to influence how we operate, strengthen our controls and help ensure our colleagues, patients and customers remain safe and protected.

What you’ll be doing

This is a broad and influential role, leading our Group Risk & Compliance function and providing expertise, challenge and guidance across a wide range of areas.

You’ll be responsible for:

• Developing and continuously improving our Group risk and compliance frameworks, ensuring they remain effective, proportionate and aligned with regulatory requirements.
• Establishing and monitoring our risk register, working with senior stakeholders to identify risks and ensure appropriate mitigations are in place.
• Leading our corporate compliance framework across areas including data protection, information governance, health & safety, ISO standards and corporate risk.
• Acting as our Data Protection lead, working alongside our external Data Protection Officer and overseeing GDPR compliance, policies, training, data processing activity and privacy impact assessments.
• Overseeing information governance and supporting the effective management and protection of organisational information assets.
• Leading internal and external audit activity, ensuring actions and findings are addressed effectively.
• Overseeing business continuity, incident and risk management, whistleblowing and fraud/bribery investigations.
• Managing our insurance and claims processes, including relationships with insurers and brokers.
• Supporting customer due diligence, contractual compliance, tender activity and supply chain compliance.
• Leading the development and review of Group policies, creating greater clarity around ownership and ensuring our policy framework remains practical and effective.
• Chairing and contributing to relevant governance and compliance committees.
• Providing practical advice, training and support to colleagues and senior leaders across the Group.
• Acting as the Group’s Designated Safeguarding Lead, setting the overarching framework, standards and policies and working closely with Deputy DSLs within our Business Units.

What we’re looking for

We’re looking for an established Risk & Compliance professional who can combine strong technical knowledge with pragmatic, commercially aware leadership.

You’ll bring:

• Significant experience working within compliance, risk management or a related discipline, ideally within a regulated environment.
• Strong knowledge of regulatory requirements and ISO standards.
• Experience across areas such as data protection, information governance, health & safety and corporate compliance.
• A proven track record in risk management, incident handling and developing effective compliance frameworks.
• Experience leading audits, customer due diligence and supply chain compliance.
• Excellent leadership, communication and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to work effectively with senior leaders across multiple areas of a business.
• The ability to translate complex regulatory requirements into clear, practical processes that work operationally.
• A relevant degree, professional qualification or equivalent experience within compliance or risk management.

Experience working within a matrix or multi-channel organisation, leading organisational change, or holding specialist qualifications in areas such as ESG, data protection or audit would be an advantage.

Why join Ascenti?

We are Ascenti – a leading provider of physiotherapy and mental health services, helping thousands of people live active lives every day.

With more than 25 years’ experience supporting both the public and private sectors, we’ve built a business around strong clinical standards, collaboration and a commitment to doing the right thing.

This is an opportunity to take ownership of a genuinely Group-wide function, working with senior leaders across our organisation and helping shape how risk, compliance and governance evolve as the business continues to grow and mature.

You’ll have the scope to make a visible impact: strengthening existing frameworks, introducing improvements where needed and creating a risk and compliance approach that protects the business while enabling our teams to operate effectively.

Most importantly, you’ll be joining an organisation united by a shared purpose: helping people live fuller lives.