Breakthrough project officer jobs

To be part of the team responsible for the administration of the multi-million-pound response mode funding programme for discovery cancer research.

Reporting to the Research Funding Manager, to assist with the processing of funding applications, their review by external experts and the charity’s Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), the administration and financial management of the resulting awards.

About the role and what we’re looking for

What will you be doing?

· Supporting applicants from all over the world to bring us their new ideas in cancer research by providing guidance in a timely manner. You’ll receive and process discovery cancer research funding applications, ensuring validity and completeness.  

· Leading on the expert peer review process. You’ll identify appropriate expert reviewers to ensure that the charity receives high quality, independent review advice to inform funding decisions.

· Managing funded grants. You’ll build relationships with grantholders and process change requests to best serve the science of our funded awards.

· Working with partner organisations.  You’ll collaborate with our research partners to manage co-funded projects as well as providing funding information for internal and external purposes. 

· Demonstrating our values. As a Curestarter, you’ll demonstrate our values every day - curious, united, real, entrepreneurial and spirited – as you help bring about our vision that no life is cut short by cancer.

What are we looking for?

· With a higher degree in a biomedical related field, you have excellent scientific understanding of molecular and cell biology as well as a broad knowledge of cancer research.

· You have a good understanding of research funding processes, particularly peer review and conflicts of interest.

· You’re a collaborative person who works respectfully in a diverse team of experts to deliver work that makes an impact.

· As a detailed planner and organiser, you thrive on deadlines and feel confident prioritising your time across multiple, concurrent projects.

We’re looking for a Science Communications Officer (Fixed term) to join our team

Salary: £35,000

Base: Central Edinburgh/hybrid

Hours: Full time and fixed term for one year.  35 hours a week over core working hours of 10am - 3pm, Monday to Friday, with a one-hour lunch break. The office is open 8am – 7pm daily and our hybrid working policy requires all full-time employees to work at least two days a week in the Edinburgh office. 

Benefits: 10% employer pension contribution; private medical insurance; employee assistance programme and counselling service; enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption pay; enhanced sick pay; 31 days’ paid holiday/year plus four paid winter public holidays; 2-weeks fully remote working/year; three paid carer days/year; death in service benefit; cycle to work and travel season ticket schemes.

To support the Team’s work-life balance, we work a nine-day fortnight where the charity is closed every second Friday.  

About the role and why we need you

You can make an impact every day using your passion for science and your excellent communication skills. Our Science Communications team have a key role at Worldwide Cancer Research, engaging the wider team and our supporters (known as Curestarters) about the incredible research we fund.

We are looking for a creative, multi-skilled Science Communications Officer to champion our research and our global researchers through compelling storytelling. This involves collaborating across the charity to ensure content is accurate and audience appropriate. You’ll also be interacting with everyone in the organisation to help them understand how cancer behaves and how our research is helping to find new cures.

Our values are curious, united, real, entrepreneurial and spirited, all of which you’ll have the opportunity to demonstrate in your work. You’ll be curious about our research and be innovative in how you present it. Your strong interpersonal skills will help you to work well with other teams, particularly Marketing and Fundraising, to help us provide the best supporter experience and grow our Curestarter community.

We need someone who shares our enthusiasm for discovery cancer research and who has experience of breaking down complex science into easy-to-understand content and fascinating stories. From presenting to colleagues to creating social media posts, you’ll be required to balance different tasks efficiently and to manage your own time effectively.

You will be joining us at a time that holds the greatest potential for fundraising in our history, following the launch of the UK Government’s Delivery Plan for ME and initial findings of the DecodeME genetics study (co-led by Action for ME) in Summer 2025. 

Building on our charity’s already established level of support from major donors, you will provide exceptional relationship management to existing donors alongside growing our network of high value supporters.

Working closely with the CEO, alongside managing a portfolio of donors and prospects ensuring excellent stewardship, you will support our Breakthrough-ME Group (a group of high net worth and highly networked individuals). There is an established level of support from major donors at Action for ME so this is a role that will require exceptional relationship management to retain our current valued supporters while growing this crucial area of fundraising. 

This would be an ideal role for an experienced philanthropy professional seeking to work for a small but ambitious charity, helping us to achieve our mission to improve the lives of all people affected by ME – better meeting their needs today while taking action to secure change for tomorrow.

Key duties

Major Donor Fundraising

• Successfully develop and implement the philanthropy strategy to secure and maximise funds from high value individuals for Action for ME achieving annual income of £250k+

• Set plans and budgets which will deliver income through major gift fundraising and philanthropic giving through family trusts and foundations, including quarterly forecasting.

• Manage a portfolio of prospects and donors at the £5k to £100k level, to develop and maintain strong and long-standing partnerships

• Work closely with the Director of Fundraising and Development and other colleagues to ensure that plans and activities for fundraising from high value individuals are integrated into the overall fundraising strategy and plan for significant growth.

• Be responsible for our Breakthrough-ME Group with high quality proposition development.  Contribution to Group fundraising activities with a specific focus on ensuring their networks support pipeline growth for future fundraising.

• Lead the delivery of our biennial fundraising gala dinner, maximising income and new opportunities from attendees.

• Develop engaging and inspiring opportunities to steward and cultivate support creating a calendar of activities including events, presentations, approaches, networking and meetings.

• Utilise the CRM database (Raisers Edge) to provide the data required to strategise your approach to philanthropy, monitor progress and provide a high-quality donor experience.

• Ensure utilisation of insight & data, producing management information data to inform planning and strategy development.

• With the Director of Fundraising & Development, create inspiring cases for support and resulting propositions with clear budgets and outcomes.

• Create adequate systems and processes to support the major donor programme.

• Undertake and manage research into prospects and major donors, preparing for approaches and presentations and briefing senior leadership and trustees for donor meetings and events.

• Develop and maintain relationships with donors, a wide range of staff and volunteers from trustee level down.

• Provide regular feedback and internal reporting to line management.

• Work with other fundraisers to ensure that all fundraising opportunities and leads are followed up – particularly in corporate, community and trust fundraising.

• Work with Trustees, the Chief Executive and members of the Leadership Team to develop relationships with major donors.

• Self-administrate including managing your own diary and meetings, keeping accurate and up to date records of activity

• Occasional travel to London, Bristol & events

Other duties

• To positively promote the work and activities of Action for M.E. at all times.

• To contribute to the team’s overall, ongoing and annual planning and budgeting.

• To undertake any other reasonable activity in line with the responsibilities of the post as requested by the Director of Fundraising and Development, Chief Executive or any other senior Action for ME management.

• Act as an advocate for the Charity and its work.

• To work in accordance with Action for ME’s values of collaboration, equity and empathy.

eCommerce Assistant

Manse Lane Warehouse, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire

We are committed to paying the Real Living Wage.

About Us

Yorkshire is one of the regions hardest hit by cancer. Together, we can change this.

Yorkshire Cancer Research is a charity dedicated to funding research so that you and those you love live longer healthier lives, free of cancer.

Thanks to supporters, the charity funds vital cancer research and pioneers innovative new services for people with cancer. These life-giving medical breakthroughs are helping more people survive cancer – in Yorkshire, and beyond.

As an inclusive employer, our aim is to ensure our workforce reflects the rich diversity of our region. We believe a diverse workforce is vital to us taking action to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer more effectively in Yorkshire. We offer equal opportunities regardless of race, religion or belief, age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnerships.

The Benefits

We offer all employees a wide range of benefits including an enhanced contributory pension scheme, 25 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays (increasing to 30 days after 5 years’ service), flexible working arrangements, private medical insurance, enhanced maternity leave, career progression, learning and development, wellbeing initiatives, offices within walking distance of Hornbeam Park train station, free onsite parking and a whole lot more.

We’ve got a strong set of values that inform everything we do and we’re looking for people who are aligned with these. As our eCommerce Assistant, you will put people in Yorkshire at the heart of everything you do, unite with colleagues and other organisations in this cause, and dare to think big and bold to make positive solutions happen.

The Role

As our eCommerce Assistant, reporting to the eCommerce Officer, you will play a key role in supporting the day-to-day trading activity of our eCommerce Team. Your focus will be on helping us meet our online sales targets by efficiently listing products and ensuring orders are shipped promptly to our customers. You will also help us to make the most of our premium warehousing space, by keeping our listed products stored in the best possible locations for easy access and smooth operations.

As eCommerce Assistant you will have a passion for generating income for the charity, and a relentless commitment to delivering and exceeding targets to generate income for funding life-saving research.  

Specifically, you will:

E-commerce

• Set up warehouse locations for our new goods and products to support sales on our Shopify platform, ensuring they are set up correctly to maintain inventory.

• Support the eCommerce and Product Manager to identify opportunities to improve procedures and systems and support our volunteers with any changes to ways of working.

• Identify innovative new online trading and business opportunities to increase income, ensuring that these are raised with your line manager.

• Ensure all customers are communicated to effectively, and all posting and packaging is completed within prescribed timescales.

• Using ListingMonsterAI, produce listings for our eBay shop, ensuring that your KPIs are met.

• List appropriate items for sale on our Depop and Vinted channels, using your experience and training to establish what items will resonate with the demographics on those platforms.

People management

• Support our team of well-trained volunteers to ensure that they are operating in line with the expectations of the Yorkshire Cancer Research eCommerce team.

• Play a part in the wider eCommerce team and work to ensure that targets are met across the whole function, providing support to peers and managers, as and when required.

Financials

• Deliver the eCommerce budgets and KPIs.

• Consistently deliver the listing targets to ensure that there is a constant flow of new products online to drive interest and maintain the eBay algorithm

Strategic

• Ensure that listings generate brand awareness through adhering to brand guidelines.

• Work with colleagues to monitor supporter journeys for online shop customers.

Relationships

• Create an environment of continued volunteer engagement.

• Professionally represent Yorkshire Cancer Research as an ambassador in working relationships with external partners.

• Champion and role model excellence in customer and supporter experience and engagement within your team.

About You

To be considered for this role, you will need:

· To be educated to GCSE or equivalent level qualification.

· To have a proven track record in, or passion for, eCommerce.

· To have a full UK driving licence, access to own vehicle and ability to travel across Yorkshire.

· To have experience of sales target delivery.

· To have experience of identifying process inefficiencies.

· To have a good understanding of eCommerce platforms including, but not limited to, eBay, Depop, Vinted and Shopify.

· To be familiar with eBay's policies.

· To be able to work at pace.

· To be able to communicate effectively at all levels with internal and external stakeholders.

· To have excellent organisation skills and ability to plan and manage priorities.

· To be able to work independently and as part of a team.

· To have the ability to understand and analyse sales figures.

Application

Before applying, please visit our Careers Page to view the full role profile and find out more about working for Yorkshire Cancer Research.

To apply please submit a CV and cover letter outlining your suitability for the role to Claire Wooldridge, Head of People, before 24 September 2025. Please read our privacy notice before applying.

Yorkshire Cancer Research is a responsible and flexible employer.  We welcome any discussion for flexible working at the interview/offer stage where we will consider an individual’s circumstances against the needs of the charity.

We positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates from all backgrounds. If we can make any reasonable adjustments to support your application, please contact the Recruitment Team.

Community Fundraiser - Home Counties

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Are you ready to take on a new challenge with a leading charity making a real difference in brain tumour research? ​

Brain Tumour Research is seeking an experienced and motivated fundraiser to join our team. As a key part of our fundraising efforts in our high-performing East region, you will have the opportunity to drive income generation through a variety of initiatives, including challenge events, fundraising groups, and corporate partnerships such as charity of the year. You will also be responsible for driving initiatives to increase our profile and supporter base within Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire and Essex. 

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Key Responsibilities: ​

• ​Generate income across a range of community fundraising initiatives and events, with the opportunity to lead on key projects 
• Steward supporters to help drive the charity’s fundraising activities and growth 
• ​Work with the fundraising team to develop and maintain strong relationships with fundraisers, donors, partners, and key stakeholders ​
• Contribute towards the growth and success of fundraising efforts, ensuring a sustainable income stream for the vital ongoing funding of brain tumour research ​

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Requirements: ​​

• At least one year of fundraising experience, with a proven track record in income generation 
• Strong experience in supporter stewardship  
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage and inspire supporters and partners alike ​
• Passion for Brain Tumour Research and its mission to fund research and ultimately find a cure 

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If you are looking for a fulfilling and impactful role and have the level of experience and skill we are looking for, we welcome your application.

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​We will give preference to those candidates living in the Bucks, Beds and Northants areas of this region.​​​

​We reserve the right to close the application window early and advise candidates to apply in good time to avoid disappointment.​

We are asking for a CV as the first step but applicants may be asked to provide a targeted covering letter as part of the selection process.  Interviews will be conducted during the application window as appropriate, and will consist of a first interview via MS Teams, progressing, if successful to a face to face second interview, held at our offices in Milton Keynes.

Closing Date: 26th September 2025

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We are looking for people who share our passion for finding a cure for brain tumours and who have the skills and experience to make a difference. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, cultures, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, and ages. We believe that diversity enriches our organisation and helps us achieve our mission. We are committed to providing an inclusive and supportive environment where everyone can be themselves and contribute to our vision.

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