Job Description
Head of Strategic Partnerships (non-commercial)
Salary: £75,000 - £90,000 depending on experience
Reports to: Director of Research and Partnerships
Department: Research & Innovation
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time 35 hours per week (other flexible-working requests will also be considered if it meets business needs)
Location: Stratford, London with high flexibility (we would expect you to be in the office 1-2 days per week) The role will also require some UK and international travel.
Closing date: Sunday 15th March 2026 at 23.55.
Visa sponsorship: Cancer Research UK can consider visa sponsorship for this vacancy. If this applies to you, please ensure that this is clearly marked on your application.
At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.
To help us with our mission we have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Head of Strategic Partnerships to join us to shape and manage our non-commercial research partnerships. This is a key role, where you'll lead the strategic direction of research partnerships with national and international organisations.
About the team
In Research & Partnerships, we drive maximum patient benefit by delivering world-class discovery, clinical, prevention and early detection research in partnership with the best researchers and organisations worldwide. Our teams lead on the scientific portfolio across research careers, our Research Institutes, Centres, Unit and response mode funding.
What will I be doing?
Lead the strategic direction and delivery of research partnerships with national and international organisations from across the non-commercial and academic research sectors, in line with CRUK's overarching research strategy
Deliver effective partnerships to leverage funding and other support for priority research initiatives, scoping new partnership opportunities, agreeing and delivering targets for these partnerships
Maintain strong relationships with existing partners, identifying opportunities to expand these
Lead the Strategic Partnerships Team (Non-Commercial) to provide relationship management, transactional and project management support to teams across the Research & Innovation Directorate (R&I)
Scope options to increase breadth, depth and impact of R&I non-commercial partnership activities by driving exploratory discussions and relationship building activities with new organisations and territories, including coordinating senior leadership engagement
Build and manage effective, influential relationships with the non-commercial research and funding communities, including academic researchers, medical research charities and government agencies, to identify and develop partnership opportunities
Liaise with other funding agencies and maintain oversight of the external research partnership environment to provide senior leadership with awareness of developments that may impact CRUK, including identifying recommendations for new and extended partnerships
Represent CRUK at national and international meetings as a respected and credible leader in cancer research partnerships
What skills are we looking for?
In depth knowledge of the UK and international medical research funding landscape , ideally including cancer research
Significant experience of identifying and securing high value strategic research partnerships with organisations across multiple sectors, both nationally and internationally
Excellent interpersonal and relationship management skills, with experience of managing relationships with a range of senior internal and external stakeholders in the charitable and academic sector
Proactive, strategic thinker who spots opportunities with a proven ability to translate this into operational plans
Strong and motivating leadership skills, with experience of leading a team
Excellent presentation skills with experience of presenting to national and international audiences
Experience of managing a diverse portfolio of projects involving stakeholders from multiple teams
Strong influencing and networking skills
A strong advocate and implementor of cross-organisational working
Experience of managing finances and resources of a significant budget
Experience of working with legal advisors to put in place contracts and working within accepted legal frameworks
Ability to build trust and work discreetly with confidential and sensitive material
PhD (or equivalent experience) in life sciences / medical research
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.
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 careers web page.
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 quickly, fairly, and objectively.
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