Strategic Workforce Planning & Performance Lead

Salary: £65,000 - £69,000 plus benefits

Reports to: Head of Organisational Effectiveness

Directorate: COO

Contract: 6 Month Fixed Term Contract (with possibility of extension)

Hours: 35 hours per week

Location: Stratford, London. Office-based with high flexibility (1-2 days per week in the office) or home based

Closing date: 2 November 2026

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: 1-2 stage interview process

Interview Dates: Week commencing 16 November 2026

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

We're looking for an experienced Strategic Workforce Planning & Performance Lead to help translate our people strategy into measurable outcomes and sustainable organisational capability. This role sits at the heart of Organisational Effectiveness, combining strategic workforce planning, people planning, performance management and governance.

What will I be doing?

• Lead Strategic Workforce Planning across Cancer Research UK, supporting HR teams to run consistent planning cycles and identify future workforce and capability requirements.

• Translate workforce scenarios into clear risks, opportunities, trade-offs and recommendations that support long-term strategic decisions.

• Define and monitor critical roles, capabilities and skills requirements, informing build-buy-move workforce strategies and People Plan priorities.

• Own and drive delivery of the People Plan roadmap, managing priorities, governance, dependencies, risks and progress reporting across multiple workstreams.

• Partner with People Analytics, HR Business Partners, Finance and Organisational Effectiveness colleagues to ensure workforce insights support business decision-making.

• Build planning and performance management capability across HR teams by embedding practical tools, routines and governance that improve delivery and accountability.

 
What are we looking for?

• A credible senior People Strategy, Planning & Performance professional with substantial Strategic Workforce Planning expertise gained within a broader organisational, people or transformation environment.

• Proven experience leading or shaping People Plans, HR strategy delivery, organisational performance reviews, governance forums, portfolio prioritisation and executive reporting.

• Demonstrable experience translating business strategy into workforce and capability plans, including demand and supply modelling, skills planning, workforce scenarios and build-buy-borrow approaches that have informed real business decisions.

• Strong understanding of how Strategic Workforce Planning connects with HR Business Partnering, People Analytics, Finance, Organisational Design and transformation activity.

• Experience influencing and challenging senior leaders, presenting decision-ready options and trade-offs, and driving adoption of new planning and performance approaches.

• A pragmatic, delivery-focused approach with the ability to work at pace, implement sustainable solutions, coach colleagues and successfully hand over improvements within a fixed-term assignment.

 
Our organisation values are designed to guide all that we do.

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.

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: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

There’s a place for everyone at Cancer Research UK. Our vision is to create a charity where everyone feels like they belong, benefits from and participates in, the work we do. We're committed to creating an inclusive culture where everyone can be themselves and reach their full potential. 

We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, in particular those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are currently under-represented, and believe that a diverse workforce will help us to beat cancer sooner. 

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. We don’t expect everyone to meet all of the criteria listed.

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 by emailing us at recruitment@cancer.org.uk. 

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.