Head of philanthropy and relationships jobs in westminster, greater london
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Job TitleCommunications Manager
LocationHome based (Home working with regular meetings in London)
Salary£35,000 - £45,000
HoursFull Time, permanent
Reports to Chief Policy Officer
NOTE:
- Please include notice period and salary expectations in application letter.
- First round interviews will be held on Friday 7 November, final round interviews will be held on Friday 14 November
About Parentkind
As one of the largest federated charities in the UK, with arguably greater reach into the lives of families and educational settings than any other non-Government organisation, Parentkind is on a bold and urgent mission: to support, champion, and empower parents to be partners in their children’s education and wellbeing.
Although best known for our support of almost 24,000 Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs), Parent Councils, and Schools, helping them build strong school communities whilst they raise approaching £140 million each year to enhance children’s education, our work stretches far beyond the school gates. Parentkind is building a powerful movement that recognises parental engagement not as a nicety, but a necessity.
Supporting parents beyond the school gate
In recent years, families have faced a series of compounding challenges: the cost-of-living crisis, rising child poverty, and deepening educational inequality. These pressures have left many parents struggling to meet basic needs—let alone feel confident engaging in their child’s learning journey. Parentkind has responded to this moment with compassion, agility and purpose, through a series of transformative campaigns, resources, and partnerships.
Our No Cold Child initiative with FatFace stepped in to address a stark statistic: over 150,000 children in the UK do not own a winter coat due to poverty. Through our trusted relationships with schools we distributed 10,000 warm, high-quality coats worth £600,000 to the children who needed them most. Winning the Business Charity Awards ‘Fashion & Retail’ Award, and shortlisted for two further awards, the campaign has been praised not just for providing warmth, but for restoring dignity, inclusion, and school readiness to thousands of children.
The All Dressed Up campaign—developed with World Book Day and Rubies Masquerade—confronted the often-overlooked issue of financial exclusion on key celebration days. More than 100,000 free dressing up costumes worth £1.34 million were delivered to children from low-income families. By enabling participation in events like World Book Day, we helped spark imagination, joy, and belonging for children who might otherwise feel left out—boosting self-esteem and supporting a positive connection to learning.Furthermore, helping attract children into school on a day which often sees struggling parents keep their children at home.
Alongside these national campaigns, Parentkind supports families year-round through a growing suite of programmes designed to inform, prepare and empower parents. Our Be School Ready programme offers crucial guidance and confidence to parents preparing their children for the leap into primary education. With a mix of practical advice, developmental tips, and reassurance, through the distribution of 150,000 copies of Be School Ready and an online campaign, it supports families at one of the most formative moments in their child’s life.
We also deliver a wide-ranging series of live expert webinars and parent-friendly resources, covering topics such as managing anxiety, supporting special educational needs, navigating school transitions, and building home-school partnerships. These resources, developed in consultation with experts and rooted in lived parent experience, equip families to feel informed and empowered, no matter what challenges arise.
Our direct support of schools
Our collaboration with Asda on Cashpot for Schools is another example of unlocking support at scale. This innovative community-led funding model allowed shoppers to nominate and fund their local schools simply through everyday spending. This campaign has generated £5.78 million for schools during the past twelve months, supporting everything from basic classroom supplies to vital extracurricular programmes and pupil wellbeing initiatives. Also shortlisted for a Business Charity Award, it is already a model for community-driven philanthropy.
In April, we launched our Parent-Friendly Schools Accreditation Programme, designed to formally recognise schools that go above and beyond in fostering positive, inclusive relationships with parents. The accreditation celebrates schools that actively listen to parent voices, make engagement easy and accessible, and embed family partnership in their culture. It is a practical and inspiring tool to drive long-term change in the sector and offers a roadmap for schools wanting to strengthen their community.
Our focus on Policy & Research
Our work is grounded in evidence. Since 2023, we have conducted the UK’s largest annual parent survey: the National Parent Survey. With approaching 6,000 participants providing 130,000 bits of data to provide invaluable insights into the struggles, concerns, hopes and fears of parents. The findings are fed directly into government consultations and have already informed national debates on school funding, attendance, mental health support, SEND provision, and curriculum reform.
In each of the past two years the number of policymakers, educators, parents and researchers accessing the National Parent Survey exceeded seven thousand, and the survey featured in more than two hundred media outlets each year. In addition to the National Parent Survey, Parentkind undertakes representative polling of parents throughout the year on a variety of important topics, which increasingly find exposure in the media and policy discussion.
Parentkind provides the secretariat for the Westminster APPG for Parents and the Stormont APG for Parental Participation in Education. Two very successful parliamentary groups bringing together policymakers and a variety of stakeholders to consider the challenges faced by parents and act as a voice for them through a variety of policymakers.
Our Media Engagement
Since becoming recognised as the UK’s largest parent charity, with likely more groups and frontline volunteers than the Scouts or Girlguiding, Parentkind has gained increasing prominence in the media.Beyond the reach of the National Parent Survey and our regular polling, Parentkind receives frequent requests for quotes of reflection and input by media in relation to their journalism and from Government and non-Government entities in support of policy announcements.
Beyond this, the Parentkind community of volunteers and PTAs share local or regional media announcements of their own.Whether or not it celebrating the completion of large projects they have invested countless hours and thousands of pounds into realising, or the community event they have worked into the night to deliver for their school communities.
It will be your role to take this much further, gaining increasing exposure for the work of Parentkind, its community, and parents more broadly.
If you believe, like we do, that when parents matter, children succeed, we’d love to hear from you.
What we are looking for…
- Someone with a “nose for news” and an understanding what makes a newsworthy opinion poll that will hit the headline and go big on social media.
- We are a small, fast paced team, there are no line management responsibilities attached to the role. We’re looking for someone with a “roll up your sleeves up and get on with it” mentality.
- Being able to demonstrate you can sell our parent voice research and amazing existing data to media across broadcast, social media and print media
- Being able to lead and deliver a plan to raise our profile on social media, broadcast and in print media
- A good understanding of the challenges faced by children and families, education debates and education policy, we are the voice of parents.
- We are a cross party charity and we work with all parties, we want someone who understands that approach and brings it to their work.
- Someone who can to respond to social media debates at pace and make sure are part of the debate.
- Experience of writing compelling written documents when 100 words would make a stronger case than 1,000. You can bring evidence to life and make an argument to convince.
- Someone with experience of appearing on broadcast media and willing to be a ‘talking head’ for Parentkind as required. This is not essential, but it would be great to have someone willing to do this.
Your mission is to massively increase our online, in print and social media presence with a specific focus on policy, research and impact, to make us the highest profile parent charity in the UK. We have a huge amount of data on what parents think and we need you to get it seen. This is a great job for someone who wants to grab hold of a “comms” function and make it their own.
Parentkind is a UK wide charity, you will be expected to support our work in other parts of the UK where necessary.
UK-based applications only will be considered.
Thank you!
Senior Officer Digital Optimisation
Salary: £38,999 - £43,105
Contract: Permanent contract
Reports to: Head of Digital Fundraising, UK for UNHCR
Office location: Shoreditch, London EC2A 4EG (Hybrid Working Model)
Key relationships: Digital fundraising and Communications Teams, UNHCR Google and CRO teams
JOB PURPOSE
We are looking for a creative, ambitious, and data-driven individual to join us as Senior Officer Digital Optimisation, specialising in UX/UI to lead on the development and delivery of UK for UNHCR’s testing and optimisation strategy to improve conversion rates and user experience online, including our website, donation pages, and various subdomains. The role reports to the Head of Digital Fundraising and manages all donation pages, digital testing and tracking, as well as a range of Google and optimisation products.
The primary purpose is to optimise digital performance through A/B testing across our websites and supporting teams to adopt and implement a test-and-learn framework in their digital channels to raise more funds for refugees.
An existing A/B testing roadmap has been developed and is ready for your input and ideas. However, testing and optimisation is not limited to fundraising and will aim to improve digital conversion and performance across teams, channels and platforms – playing a key part in UNHCR’s annual fundraising programme to enable UNHCR to deliver its vision of a world where every person forced to flee can build a better life.
You will work very closely with the digital fundraising team and wider Individual Giving team, as well as Communications and Philanthropy/ Corporate Partnership colleagues, our digital agency and international fundraising teams.
Passionate about UX/UI and fundraising, you will be a skilled communicator, tech-savvy and an experienced project manager. You will have strong problem-solving skills, a test-and-learn approach and a track record of meeting deadlines and meeting/ exceeding set KPIs.
WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO
United Kingdom for UNHCR is the United Nations Refugee Agency’s national charity partner for the United Kingdom. We generate public awareness of the plight of refugees and raise funds to help protect them through UNHCR’s humanitarian operations across the world.
Our supporters include UK private individuals, communities, corporate partners, trusts and foundations. The funds we raise help UNHCR work in partnership with displaced communities to deliver emergency relief such as shelter, medical care and life-saving supplies to people fleeing conflict and persecution. We also support education and livelihood opportunities that enable people to rebuild their lives and lead their own solutions over the long term.
Nobody chooses to be a refugee, but we can all play a part in their protection, and we want those who work with us to share our values and passion for the cause.
Role Responsibilities
- Develop and lead strategy for conversion rate optimisation, including the management of a testing roadmap to regularly execute A/B and multivariate tests and the use of new and existing technology, e.g. heatmapping to reduce friction rates and continuously improve and optimise conversions.
- Lead UX/UI across organisation, overseeing and implementing tests and analysis across teams to improve web experience and achieve required KPIs and objectives.
- Manage Google suite of tools and relevant relationships, ensuring everything is up to date and operating as necessary.
- Manage all donation pages and fundraising landing pages, building new pages, maintaining existing pages and closing pages; identify areas for improvement and work with relevant stakeholders to test and optimise.
- Utilise and manage suite of third-party platforms, e.g. Optimizely, Mouseflow, iRaiser, Sleeknote, Typeform to improve user experience and increase donations and conversions.
- Remain flexible and quickly respond to emergency situations, identifying fundraising opportunities and develop relevant comms and journeys as needed, collaborating with colleagues from across the organisation.
- Use data and insights to produce regular reports on performance against KPIs; use analytics to identify trends and optimise activities based on user behaviour.
- Manage and maintain vanity and tracking links across the organisation, utilising Google Tag Manager and UTMs to monitor performance and results.
- Stay up to date with digital best practices and technology, including sector trends, follow industry policies, including GDPR, PECR regulations, attending training and optimising plans accordingly.
- Stay up to date with issues affecting displaced communities, campaigns from international, content and reports from the field.
- Share creative and insights with UK colleagues, global teams, and HQ.
- Participate in training seminars, workshops, and skill shares where applicable.
The above list is not exhaustive, and the post holder may be required to perform duties that are not detailed above.
Personal Attributes and Experience
Essential Experience
- Experience of implementing and optimising digital marketing campaigns across channels, including paid and organic social, search and display; preferably within the charity sector.
- Experience of developing and delivering strategies for conversion rate optimisation and user experience/user interface.
- Experience of using digital channels for lead acquisition and conversion to grow income.
- Experience of measuring, evaluating and reporting on digital activity and performance across multiple channels and digital campaigns, paid and organic.
- Experience of working with external agencies and suppliers.
Essential Skills/Knowledge
- Experience of using Google Analytics or other web behavioural analytics tools.
- Experience with experimentation tools like Optimisely or similar.
- Strong project management and stakeholder management experience.
- Excellent written communication skills: able to produce compelling, persuasive, and concise copy for a range of specific target audiences.
- Attention to detail and proofreading skills and an ability to give clear and constructive feedback on creative and copy.
- Proven proficiency with design principles and tools (Canva/Adobe suite).
- Able to demonstrate flexibility and do what it takes to get the job done.
- Understanding of HTML and other coding languages.
- Able to juggle and prioritise multiple tasks and meeting programme deadlines.
- Strong presentation, communication (written and verbal) and interpersonal skills.
- Excellent stakeholder and relationship management.
- An understanding of GDPR, PECR and other regulatory compliance for fundraising and electronic communication.
Desirable Skills/Experience
- An understanding of digital fundraising practices and principles
- Experience with Google Tag Manager or other tag management platform is a plus, but not a requirement
- Experience of working across a broad channel mix (social, web, email, SEO, SEM and other Direct Marketing channels would be advantageous).
- Knowledge or experience working with Salesforce (or similar CRM platform).
- Knowledge or experience working with Wordpress and iRaiser (or similar CMS / ecommerce platforms).
- Experience of, or a passionate interest in the charity sector, and the drive to further their fundraising knowledge.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION AND BELONGING
We strongly value diversity and recognise that it is critical to our success and the cause that we serve. We are committed to providing an inclusive environment for all who work with us and strongly welcome applications from diverse backgrounds, particularly those with lived experience of being a refugee, asylum seeker, internally displaced person, or a stateless person.
UK for UNHCR is proud to have Diversity & Inclusion Working Group. The Diversity & Inclusion Working Group is a group of colleagues focusing on tasks that drive action in the implementation of our D&I Approach. The group also works to create safe spaces that brings colleagues together for events, discussions and learning experiences that celebrate and support diversity and tackle barriers to inclusion.
We are also open to flexibility in many ways, including flexible hours. Please don’t be afraid to speak to us about this during initial conversations, so we can explore what’s possible.
WHY JOIN UNITED KINGDOM FOR UNHCR?
You will be part of a high-performing agile team of talented people; all committed to build solidarity and raise funds for refugees and displaced people worldwide. You will be working in a flexible, supportive, and inclusive environment, where your work will be recognised and appraised.
What else?
Wellbeing
- 28 days’ annual leave per annum plus 8 bank holidays (pro-rata for part-time working).
- ‘WeCare’ Employee Assistance programme providing 24/7 access to online GP, mental health support, get fit programmes, virtual wellbeing support and much more.
- Hybrid home-working model with dedicated Team Days in the office.
- Toothfairy dental app.
- Access to 100s of perks with discounts on everyday purchases.
- Office wellness perks.
- Staff socials.
Financial
- Pension scheme with an employer contribution of 8%.
- Non-contributory group life assurance scheme.
- Non-contributory Income protection scheme.
- One-off contribution towards homeworking set-up.
- Enhanced maternity, paternity, shared parental, and adoption pay.
- Enhanced sick pay scheme.
- Eye-test allowance.
- Financial wellbeing support.
Development
- Comprehensive training and continuing development opportunities.
- Individual training budget.
HOW TO APPLY
If you have the relevant skills and the passion to use them to support refugees, please apply by completing our application form which is available in the documents section.
Closing date: Monday, 20 October at 9am
Interviews date: Week commencing 27 October 2025
If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments to the application or hiring process that may better facilitate your participation, please contact us. We will make every effort to respond to your request for assistance as soon as possible.
United Kingdom for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is registered with the Charity Commission (England & Wales), charity no. 1183415. It is the UK national partner of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Refugee Agency.
Registered Charity
51 - 100
We stand with refugees – will you join us?
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Advice and Programmes Manager
Theatres Trust is seeking a passionate and experienced individual to join our team of sector specialists in the new role of Advice and Programmes Manager.
The Advice and Programmes Manager will take a leading role in helping to create, protect, and adapt theatres across the UK for the benefit of communities, audiences, and artists.
Working across our Theatre Buildings and Theatre Management portfolios, the postholder will help deliver our Theatres Advice Service, which provides bespoke strategic advice and guidance to key stakeholders including theatre operators, theatre managers, and local authorities, as well as community and campaign groups working to bring theatres back into public use.
For full details of this position please download the Recruitment Pack
We are committed to being an equal opportunities employer and actively encourage people from a wide variety of backgrounds, experience and skills to join us and influence and develop our working practice. We particularly encourage applications from Black and global majority people, and candidates who self-identify as disabled.
Salary: £45,000
Contract: Full-time, permanent
Location: Hybrid, minimum two-days per week in office.
To apply, please send your CV and a cover letter of no more than two A4 pages each, along with a completed Equal Opportunities monitoring form
Deadline for applications: 10am, Wednesday 22nd October
Interviews: Wednesday 5th November, at our central London offices
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
UK for UNHCR – Director of Individual Giving
Contract: Initial two-year fixed-term contract.
Location: Hybrid working, with one to two team days per week in London, EC2A.
Working hours: 35 hrs/week.
Salary: £76,000-£84,000 per annum.
UK for UNHCR, the UK partner of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), is seeking an Individual Giving leader to shape the future of Individual Giving at the organisation and unlock long-term, sustainable income growth.
UNHCR stands alongside people forced to flee their homes, advocating for their rights and raising funds to support their protection, dignity and futures. UNHCR’s work has never been more important – by the end of 2024, a record 122.6 million people were displaced, with children accounting for 40% of all forcibly displaced people
UK for UNHCR (UK4U) builds solidarity and raises funds in the UK for refugees worldwide - last year UK4U raised a total income of £25.5 million and continues to build on strong foundations since its beginnings in 2019.
The charity is now seeking a Director of Individual Giving in a new and exciting opportunity to explore how UK4U can expand on these foundations, with a focus on increasing the sustainability of the donor base and maximising lifetime value, as well as identifying opportunities for transformational income growth.
The role will be responsible for leading a team of 12 people and strategic leadership for all fundraising from the UK public, including mid-value and legacy supporters, and covering both digital and offline channels. The post-holder will utilise market insight, data intelligence and an innovative approach to design a high-performing long-term Individual Giving strategy that puts UK4U’s supporters and refugee communities at the heart of everything they do.
The ideal candidate will have substantial experience of leading successful, large-scale multi-million-pound Individual Giving programmes and proven leadership experience at a senior, strategic level. You will have a strong track record of fostering innovation in Individual Giving, alongside the experience shaping strategy and making significant investment decisions.
You will also have a deep understanding of the UK Individual Giving fundraising market across all channels and of programmes that focus on value, high average gift rates and mid-value programmes. Finally, you will be an inclusive and empowering leader with a strong commitment to the refugee cause. Experience of fundraising for international humanitarian and development causes would be an advantage, as well as understanding of mid-value programmes.
UK4U strongly values diversity and recognises that it is critical to the success of the organisation and the cause that they serve. They are committed to providing an inclusive environment for all who work with them and strongly welcome applications from diverse backgrounds, particularly those with lived experience of being a refugee, asylum seeker, internally displaced person, or a stateless person. The charity is also open to flexibility in many ways, including the possibility of reduced hours, flexible start and finish times, or compressed hours. Please don’t be afraid to speak to AAW and UK4U about this, so that we can explore what’s possible.
Please download our Candidate Pack for further information [PDF], which includes details on how to apply.
Closing date: Monday 20th October, 9.00 am.
Registered Charity
51 - 100
We stand with refugees – will you join us?
Thank you!
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Community Fundraiser - Home Counties
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.
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
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
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.
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: 06th November 2025
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.
Registered Charity
51 - 100
To find a cure for all types of brain tumours To increase the UK investment in brain tumour research
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Salary: £45,981
Contract: Full-time, permanent
Location: Turn2us London Hub (Farringdon) & homeworking
As the Supporter Engagement & Legacy Manager you will play a key role as we seek to reignite our legacy marketing programme and grow overall individual giving income to help ensure long-term support for those facing financial difficulty. You will be responsible for the project management and implementation of all supporter engagement activity, acquisition, and legacy marketing activities, ensuring all activity is optimised and campaigns include enhanced digital and social media content.
Reporting to the Co-Heads of Supporter Engagement and managing the Supporter Engagement Officer, you will develop a multi-year plan to rebuild legacy income and a pipeline of legacy supporters, including re-engaging the EFH care home staff and major donors.
You will be responsible for supporting the strategic direction, operational plans and effective management of Turn2us’s giving programmes from individuals including appeals, regular giving and legacies, maximising net income from new and existing income streams.
The successful candidate will have experience of managing direct marketing campaigns in a charity environment as well as proven ability to manage successful legacy marketing campaigns. They will have significant experience stewarding individuals and legacy supporters and be adept at communicating the impact of donations, as well as having line management experience. The ability to make a strong case for supporting Turn2us’ key areas of work is crucial, as is an aptitude for proactively increasing acquisition and retention rates.
The post holder will also be a self-starter who is comfortable building new strategies from a relatively small pool of supporters and is experienced testing different tactics to establish the best practice for Turn2us.
If, like us, you believe everyone has the right to have enough to live on, and you are ambitious about eradicating financial insecurity, join us and build your career with a charity dedicated to ensuring dignity and equity for all.
We offer flexible working patterns, both in terms of hours and remote working. Please note that all employees are required to work from the office a minimum of 1 day a week.
Some roles may be required to be in the office more often than others and this will be agreed with the hiring manager upon starting at Turn2us.
Please note that all job offers are subject to 2 – 3 satisfactory references and a disclosure satisfactory to Turn2us from the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS).
Closing date: 29th October 2025 at 23:59pm.
Interview date: 11th November 2025
Thank you!
Senior Strategy Manager
£57,000 - £67,000 plus
Reports to: Head of Strategy
Directorate: ?Strategy & Philanthropy?
Contract: ?Permanent?
Hours: ?Full time 35 hours per week? (We will consider requests for flexible working and compressed hours)
Location: ?Stratford, London? ?Office-based with high flexibility (1-2 days per week in the office)?
Closing date: 27 October 2025
This vacancy may close earlier if a high volume of applications is received or once a suitable candidate is found, therefore we strongly recommend that you apply early to avoid disappointment. Please let us know if there is anything about the recruitment process that you would like to discuss, in particular if there are any changes or adjustments that would make it easier for you to apply. Please contact or 020 3469 8400 as soon as possible.
Visa sponsorship: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UK is not able to offer visa sponsorship.
Recruitment process: 2 stage interview process with task included in second stage interview. There will also be screening calls to inform the shortlisting process, these will take place between 6 and 10 November
Interview date: 1st stage 17 and 18 November, 2 stage 25 and 26 November.
Cancer Research UK's mission is to bring about a world where everybody can lead longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer.
We are looking for a Senior Strategy Manager to join our small, high-performing in-house Strategy Team.
The Strategy Team helps leaders at Cancer Research UK to make choices about its future, set its long-term strategy and direction, and coordinate its plans to help beat cancer faster. We work on Board and Council-level priorities that shape the future of the organisation, often involving complex, cross-organisational trade-offs and decisions that materially change how we operate. We act as independent advisors, helping leadership to navigate difficult choices, and ensure the organisation, our operations, and the choices we make are aligned and optimised to deliver our mission as effectively as possible. We bring insight, structure and creativity to challenging strategic questions, and foster a strong culture of learning and development.
Cancer Research UK is the world's largest independent cancer research organisation, with 4000+ staff bringing in £700m+ revenue through a world-class fundraising and philanthropy operation and a network of 500+ shops. Our income enables us to fund scientific research through a network of 4000+ scientists, 90 research institutions and global partnerships. We also use evidence to influence public policy and to provide information to patients. Through our commercial arm - Cancer Research Horizons - we invest and partner to take scientific breakthroughs from the lab to the bedside, translating them into effective treatments and diagnostics for cancer patients.
This is a high-impact, high-visibility role, which requires strategic leadership, intellectual agility, and the ability to simplify complexity and drive clarity in ambiguous environments. As one of three Senior Strategy Managers in the team, you will lead major strategy projects, working directly with Executive Directors and Trustees.
We are seeking candidates with substantial strategy experience either in top-tier management consultancy or in-house strategy teams, who have led complex, cross-organisational projects and worked directly with senior executives and board members. In return you'll have the opportunity to shape decisions that influence how Cancer Research UK invests, grows, and evolves - across areas as diverse as scientific research, fundraising, retail, commercial ventures, and organisational design.
You'll be motivated by our mission and excited to work across the full breadth of what Cancer Research UK does. Experience in fundraising, life sciences, healthcare or not-for-profits is a plus.
This role is not suitable for general project managers or those without direct experience in shaping business strategy at an organisational level.
What will I be doing?
Lead, own, and manage high-impact strategy projects, from initial scoping, defining the approach, through to recommendations and decisions.
Identify and frame key strategic questions, simplify complexity, and break down problems to generate new insights and drive actionable decisions.
Navigate and balance multiple senior stakeholders' perspectives, pushing back when needed, to achieve the best outcomes for CRUK.
Influence - without direct line management - by working in partnership and collaboration with stakeholders across the organisation
Operate at pace in a dynamic environment, managing scope, resources, competing priorities and your own workload, across multiple projects.
Conduct rigorous qualitative and quantitative analysis to explore complex strategic issues and support evidence-based decision-making.
Bring external insight - from market trends, partners, competitors, and people affected by cancer - to inform strategic choices and direction.
Coach and support Strategy Managers and other colleagues across CRUK to build strategic capability, navigate ambiguity, and unblock delivery challenges.
Build strong, collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders to enable effective strategy development and execution.
Synthesise insights into clear, compelling recommendations and produce high-quality papers and presentations for senior audiences, including Executive and Trustee meetings.
What are we looking for?
Proven experience leading and delivering organisational strategy projects at pace - from defining the scope to driving decisions and transitioning to delivery.
Confidence and credibility in engaging with Board-level stakeholders, navigating unfamiliar subject areas, simplifying complexity, and guiding decision-making.
Breadth of cross-organisational experience and project types (e.g. long-term strategy, reviewing a major part of the business, strategic options assessment to drive growth, organisation design).
Ability to draw on deep personal experience to tackle new and complex strategic challenges, think creatively, and proactively define effective approaches to deliver the work.
Strong strategic thinking - able to interpret complex information, see the big picture, and apply financial and business acumen to manage trade-offs and support conclusions.
Excellent communication and presentation skills - able to distil complexity into clear, actionable insight that enables major organisational decisions.
A collaborative team player who can lead, support, and coach others effectively, contribute to building the team and a good place to work.
Comfortable working flexibly in a fast-changing environment.
Numerate and financially literate, with the ability to analyse and model data, and communicate findings in a clear and accessible way.
Our organisation values are designed to guide all that we do.
Bold: Act with ambition, courage and determination
Credible: Act with rigour and professionalism
Human: Act to have a positive impact on people
Together: Act inclusively and collaboratively
We're looking for people who can believe in and embody these organisation values and can use them to drive forward progress against our mission to beat cancer.
If you're interested in applying and excited about working with us but are unsure if you have the right skills and experience we'd still love to hear from you.
What will I gain?
We create a working environment that supports your wellbeing and provide a generous benefits package, a wide range of career and personal development opportunities and high-quality tools. Our policies and processes enable you to improve your work-life balance, take positive steps in your career and achieve your personal wellbeing goals.
You can explore our benefits by visiting our .
How do I apply?
We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. CVs are required for all applications; but we won't be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to complete the work history section of the online application form for us to be able to assess you fairly and objectively.
For more information on this career opportunity please or contact us at .
For more updates on our work and careers, follow us on: , , , and .
