Projects Leaders Team Lead - Drug Development

£75,000 - £81,000 per annum plus benefits

Reports to: Head of Study, Project and Portfolio Management

Directorate: ​Research & Innovation​

Contract: ​Permanent​

Hours: ​Full time 35 hours per week​ 

Location: ​Location​ ​Office-based with high flexibility (1-2 days per week in the office)​

Closing date: 2 November 2026 23:55 

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. Final-stage candidates will be invited to attend a face-to-face interview, which will include a presentation.  

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

Cancer Research UK’s Centre for Drug Development (CDD) is seeking an experienced and strategic Project Leaders Team Lead to oversee the successful delivery of a diverse portfolio of oncology drug development projects. 

CDD is the world's only not for profit drug development facility. Our pioneering research is driven purely by the goal to see scientific breakthroughs bring benefits to patients sooner. CDD is the sponsor of early phase and precision medicine oncology Phase I clinical trials. Our broad portfolio rivals that of a medium-sized pharmaceutical company, spanning antibodies, cell therapies, vaccines, drug conjugates and small molecules, making this an interesting and dynamic area to work in. It is an exciting time for CDD as we’re expanding our teams to move forward with an ambitious new strategy to maximise the impact of our research to benefit patients.

This role combines portfolio and project leadership with people management, ensuring projects are delivered to scope, budget and timelines while maintaining the highest scientific, regulatory and operational standards.

As a key member of the Study, Project and Portfolio Management leadership team, you will lead and develop a high-performing team of Project Leaders, drive continuous improvement across project management practices, and contribute to the evaluation and progression of new therapeutic assets from academia, biotech and pharmaceutical partners. You will play an influential role in shaping portfolio strategy, fostering external collaborations, and helping accelerate the development of innovative cancer treatments that have the potential to benefit patients worldwide. 
 

Key Accountabilities & Responsibilities 

• Lead and oversee the successful delivery of the Centre for Drug Development (CDD) project portfolio, ensuring projects are delivered to agreed scope, timelines, budget, quality standards, and regulatory requirements.

• Provide strategic leadership and direction to a team of Project Leaders, creating a high-performing environment through effective coaching, mentoring, performance management, and professional development.

• Drive portfolio planning and resource allocation, ensuring projects are appropriately prioritised, staffed, and managed to support organisational objectives and maximise delivery effectiveness.

• Partner with internal and external stakeholders, including scientific, operational, academic, biotechnology and pharmaceutical collaborators, to build strong relationships and ensure projects achieve their strategic and operational goals.

• Lead and contribute to strategic initiatives that enhance project delivery capabilities, operational effectiveness, systems, processes, and ways of working across the Centre for Drug Development.

• Play an active role within the Study, Project and Portfolio Management leadership team, helping shape portfolio strategy, champion best practice, and foster a collaborative, high-performance culture.

• Contribute to the evaluation and selection of new drug development opportunities by assessing scientific merit, strategic fit, resource requirements, and delivery feasibility.

• Oversee project financial management, including budget planning, forecasting, monitoring and reporting, ensuring appropriate governance and effective use of resources.

• Act as a senior escalation point for complex project, operational and resource challenges, providing expert guidance and facilitating effective decision-making across the portfolio.

• Build and maintain an up-to-date understanding of emerging trends, therapeutic developments, drug development strategies, and collaboration models to support innovation and continuous improvement.

• Lead workforce planning and recruitment activities for the Project Leadership function, ensuring the team has the capability and capacity required to deliver current and future portfolio demands.

• Act as deputy to the Head of Study, Project and Portfolio Management as required, representing the function internally and externally and supporting wider organisational leadership priorities. 
  

What We're Looking For

• Significant experience leading complex drug discovery and development programmes and portfolios within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, CRO, not for profit, or academic research sectors.

• Proven people leadership experience, with a track record of developing, motivating and managing high-performing teams. Significant line management experience is essential, including leading and developing teams of up to seven direct reports, alongside effectively operating within a matrix environment to influence and deliver results across multidisciplinary stakeholders.

• Strong knowledge of drug discovery and/or clinical development, project governance, GCP, and the UK clinical research environment.

• Excellent strategic planning, financial management, stakeholder engagement and resource management skills.

• The ability to influence and build credibility with senior stakeholders across multiple disciplines and organisations.

• A degree, PhD, or equivalent experience in a relevant scientific, clinical or drug discovery/development discipline.

• Exceptional communication, decision-making and problem-solving capabilities, with the ability to navigate complexity and ambiguity effectively.

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 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 fairly and objectively. 

Please note that applications can’t be edited once submitted.

Owing to the nature of this position, any offer of employment for this role will be subject to a satisfactory basic DBS check. 

For more information on this career opportunity please visit our website or contact us at recruitment@cancer.org.uk.   

For more updates on our work and careers, follow us on: Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube. 

Our vision is to create a charity where everyone feels like they belong, benefits from and participates in, the work we do. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, in particular those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are currently under-represented.

We want to see every candidate performing at their best throughout the job application process, interview process and whilst at work. We therefore ask you to inform us of any concerns you have or any adjustments you might need to enable this to happen. Please contact recruitment@cancer.org.uk or 020 3469 8400 as soon as possible. 

Unfortunately, we are unable to recruit anyone below the age of 18, so that we can protect young people from health & safety and safeguarding risks.