Careers at Cancer Research UK

!

Content not working due to cookie settings.

Manage your cookie settings here

Join a team of over 4,000 people from a diverse range of backgrounds and help create a world where people can live longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer. Find a purposeful career that will empower you to grow and collaborate with like-minded experts. Together, we are beating cancer.

View current vacancies

Be part of an inclusive charity

Three people sitting down and conversing and smiling in the office

Our vision is to create a diverse charity where everyone feels they belong and benefits from the work we do. We value different perspectives that could help us find innovative solutions to our challenges and we want a workforce that represents our communities. We’re committed to funding research into cancer inequalities, diversifying our research community and developing an inclusive culture for all staff. This is how we’ll beat cancer for everyone. 

 

Find out more

Find your team

Our specialist teams and departments are structured across six directorates. All of our teams play an important role in supporting our mission. 

Chief Operating Office
The Chief Operating Office brings together four exceptions departments under one function - HR, Finance, General Counsel and Technology.

Marketing, Fundraising and Engagement
The people in our Marketing, Fundraising and Engagement teams are essential to engaging with the UK public in deep and meaningful ways, ultimately growing our fundraising.

Philanthropy
The Philanthropy team help the charity to engage with the biggest philanthropists and partners from across the world to build transformative new approaches to cancer reserch.

Policy, Information and Communications
The Policy, Information and Communications directorate works to identify and reduce the barriers that are stopping new innovations in cancer prevention, diagnosis and care from being made available and used.

Research and Innovation
Our Research and Innovation directorate aim to be the world's leading cancer research and innovation organisation.

Retail
Our superstores, eCommerce operation and around 550 shops across the UK are a major source of our fundraising.

Strategy
The Strategy team leads on the charity’s corporate strategy. They work with more than 120 partners and philanthropists in the UK and around the world. 

 

Learn more about our different teams

Launch your charity career

male worker in office

Whether you’re a student, a graduate or you’re looking to change careers, we have paid programmes that'll help you learn and develop your skills. Make your professional life one that matters.

 

Explore early careers opportunities

 

Explore our staff benefits

shop worker holding clothes

We want to develop and sustain a working environment that supports the wellbeing of our people, providing support options to enable everyone to bring their best possible selves to work. We believe that having compassion at the very foundation of who we are, paired with the right practical support, will create a better performing charity and give us the best chance to beat cancer. 

 

Discover our staff benefits

 

Connect with our values

Our values represent who we are and will help us to bring our best to what we do and ensure Cancer Research UK is a great place to work. 

From the outside, the value of working for an ambitious, purpose-driven organisation like Cancer Research UK is clear – it's highly rewarding to know our work is having such a positive impact on so many people's lives. But I also find it an extremely fulfilling workplace on a day-to-day basis. I am surrounded by professional, dedicated and caring people, I trust our leadership and direction, the work is varied and challenging and the office environment is one I enjoy coming into. Cancer Research UK embodies the kind of progressive values that resonate with me and I am grateful for the personal and professional development I've experienced in my time here.

James Loosley, Chief Operating Office

 
 

Join a workplace that encourages collaboration

We encourage a flexible working culture, including options such as home-working, reduced or flexi-hours, job shares, job-splits, compressed and core hours. We also offer a high level of flexibility for the vast majority of our office-based roles, meaning that you’ll only be required to work from a specific location for one or two days a week on average.  

Volunteering

Portrait of a volunteer dressing a mannequin in a charity shop

There are lots of ways you can involved and support our pioneering work. If a paid job for us isn’t right for you just now, why not volunteer with us instead?

Our Strategy

Portrait of a scientist in a lab

We exist to beat cancer. Our focus is making discoveries, driving progress and bringing hope to people affected by cancer.

Contact us

Backs of five people in Cancer Research UK branded t-shirts hugging

Our specialist recruitment teams are here to support you if you have any questions or should you require any adjustment due to a disability or a long-term health condition.