Our people are the reason why we’re beating cancer. We couldn't do it without them. The following benefits are provided at the Charity's discretion and do not form part of your contractual terms and conditions of employment. The Charity reserves the right to amend, vary, or withdraw these benefits at any time without prior notice.
We develop ways to improve our people’s mental health and resilience with resources to support them through any of life’s challenges and to continue to reduce the stigma associated with mental health.
We know flexibility matters, and we offer it in many forms — from home‑working and reduced or flexi‑hours to job shares, job‑splits, compressed or core hours. Most of our office‑based roles only require you to be on‑site one or two days a week on average.
You’ll receive 25 days of annual leave plus bank holidays, with an extra day for Christmas Eve. We offer full flexibility on bank holidays, so you can use them at another time — whether to celebrate a different religious festival or simply take time when it suits you. You can also choose to buy up to one additional week of annual leave each year.
Our occupational health and mental wellbeing services are designed to be flexible and relevant to you and your family. We offer a suite of support options to help you work through physical or mental health issues, as well as financial difficulties.
Employees can access everyday wellbeing support, free counselling, Mental Health First Aiders, and online health assessment tools.
If you work in Trading, you also have access to confidential wellbeing support from the Retail Trust.
We signpost to support for our people to understand their finances and build a resilient financial position.
Our pay is designed to attract and retain the most talented and dedicated employees. We aim to be competitive in the market whilst ensuring we are affordable to the charity, keeping our research and supporters front of mind.
Saving for the future is important. Our ‘Retirement Plan’ offers generous employer contributions, which could be worth up to 12% of your salary, depending on the level of your contributions. All employees are offered a flexible way to build a pension fund, no matter which stage of your career you are at. You will have the advantage of being given choice, control, financial benefits and valuable protection benefits. There is also the option of making sustainable investment decisions within your pension plan.
We provide non-contractual employer‑sponsored insurance at no cost to you which are subject to policy terms and conditions.
If you are unable to work due to a long‑term illness, you may be eligible to receive 50% of your basic salary under the Charity’s Group Income Protection policy.
If you die while employed by the Charity, a lump sum payment equal to four times your annual basic salary will be paid to your nominated beneficiaries under the Group Life Assurance Scheme. This benefit is provided at the Charity’s discretion.
We support you when having or adopting a child, offering three types of leave for new and expectant parents — Maternity/Adoption Leave, Shared Parental Leave and Paternity Leave.
We also recognise that unexpected situations arise when a child or dependent is ill or care arrangements break down, so we provide paid dependants’ leave for emergency circumstances.
You can support any charity of your choice tax‑free through Payroll Giving. It’s an efficient way to donate to causes you care about — for example, a £10 monthly gift costs £8 for a standard‑rate taxpayer, or £6 for a higher‑rate taxpayer.
You’ll have free access to several discount portals offering a wide range of deals, benefits and cashback options to support your financial wellbeing. These include discounts from well‑known retailers and brands across groceries, cinema trips, electronics, clothing and more.
Staff based at our Stratford head office can also enjoy additional local offers from nearby shops, bars and restaurants.
We encourage staff to travel to work on public transport, and offer an interest-free loan to help spread the cost of travel. This might be a bus pass, season ticket, or travel card used to get you to your place of work.
We support our people to make positive steps to improve their physical health and wellbeing including raising awareness of health concerns and developing healthy lifestyle techniques and habits.
Our offices support physical activity and healthy nutrition, with healthy food options, bike storage and outdoor spaces.
Our head office in the International Quarter offers walking and running routes, fitness classes and discounted healthy food.
Regular computer users (DSE) users may access free eye tests and lens contributions, and our workstations are set up to help prevent aches or injuries.
We also provide free period products in our London and Oxford offices.
Our cycle to work scheme gives you the opportunity to save money and travel in an environmentally sustainable way while getting numerous health benefits. You can purchase a bike and safety equipment through the cycle to work scheme.
We've partnered with Better Gyms for employees to receive up to 10% discount on some membership deals.
We provide support for our employees with disabilities or long-term health conditions through our Workplace Adjustments guidance, including Occupational Health and Access to Work support.
We provide a free suite of wellbeing services to support you and your family with physical or mental health issues and financial difficulties.
You can access everyday wellbeing support, free counselling, Mental Health First Aiders and online health assessment tools.
If you work in Trading, you also have access to confidential wellbeing support from the Retail Trust.
We create inclusive opportunities for our people to build strong social connections within work and opportunities to contribute to positive change in our communities.
Our people are exceptional at what they do, and they deserve to have their work recognised. Our Heroes is our colleague recognition scheme, created to thank and celebrate those who go above and beyond. Each year, the colleagues who truly embody our values are honoured at a peer‑judged awards ceremony.
Our staff networks help us recognise the diversity of our people and foster a positive, inclusive culture. All networks are open to everyone across the charity.
Our current networks include: Age Positive, Fertility and Baby Loss, Gender Equality, Grief and Bereavement, Health and Disability, Multi‑faith, Parents and Carers, Pride (LGBTQIA+), and Race Equality and Equity.
The clubs and connections available vary depending on the interests of our people, who lead and run these groups. Colleagues are currently taking part in activities such as softball, netball, board games, crafts, a Song of the Day Yammer group, choir and singing sessions, and the Cancer Research UK Vegans and Vegetarians Yammer group.
You can also discover opportunities to get involved in different Cancer Research UK events or in our shops.
Our comprehensive learning and development offer is designed to give you the tools you need to make sure your career steps are the right ones for you. We focus on allowing you to take ownership of your development, build your expertise in your area of responsibility and to work effectively with others.
Alongside our core learning offer, we also offer:
Access to our online learning platform which offers a wide range of content, resources and subject matter communities.
Bespoke departmental learning and development interventions, designed to help you excel through all the things you do at Cancer Research UK.
Professional qualifications – we provide opportunities for staff at all stages of their career to gain qualifications across a broad range of our professions. We currently have staff working towards qualifications in technology, retail, management, data, marketing, fundraising, HR, finance and more via apprenticeship programmes.
Leadership Transition Programmes developing individuals who are identified for accelerated progression into future leadership roles.
