Teams at Cancer Research UK

At Cancer Research UK, we’re a collective force, tackling cancer on all fronts to save and improve lives. We fund pioneering research, we provide reliable and accessible information, we influence policy and we encourage positive behaviour change. Each of our specialist teams and departments make up our directorates and play a vital role in supporting our vision.  

Chief Operating Office

The Chief Operating Office directorate brings together four exceptional departments under one function – HR, Finance, General Counsel and Technology. The Chief Operating Office collaborates across Cancer Research UK to ensure we maximise the value of all our resources. 

The directorate leads on engaging and inspiring our people, by delivering operational transformation and an employee experience that enables us to be an inclusive and agile organisation. It aims to become the hub for operational management ensuring we govern, prioritise and are effective and efficient in all we do to help people live longer, better lives free from the fear of cancer.

Marketing, Fundraising and Engagement 

The Marketing, Fundraising and Engagement directorate inspires millions to join us in our mission to beat cancer. It exists to help Cancer Research UK become the number one brand in the charity sector and the number one charity for supporter experience.  

At Cancer Research UK, we fund around 50% of all publicly funded cancer research here in the UK. We cannot achieve our aims without support from the UK public. The people in our Marketing, Fundraising and Engagement teams are essential to engaging with the UK public in deep and meaningful ways, ultimately growing our fundraising. 

Philanthropy

The Philanthropy directorate is one of the largest and most successful philanthropic fundraising teams in the UK. An ambitious and innovative team of talented philanthropy professionals across Cancer Research UK’s fundraising and operations functions that is currently building momentum in the advanced planning stages of a £250m campaign, which will prioritise fundraising for the Francis Crick Institute, Cancer Grand Challenges, and our Future Leaders’ programme. The people in the philanthropy team help the charity to engage with the biggest philanthropists and partners from across the world to build transformative new approaches to cancer research. 

Policy, Information and Communications

The Policy, Information and Communications directorate works to identify and reduce the barriers that are stopping new innovations in cancer prevention, diagnosis and care from being made available and used. 

The Policy, Information and Communications teams use their influence and expertise and work with people affected by cancer to make sure that UK cancer care and innovation ecosystem is amongst the best in the world, and that the benefits of research are shared by everyone, no matter who they are or where they live. The people in this team provide high-quality cancer information to millions of people in a number of ways, including our cancer information nurses.  

Research and Innovation 

The Research and Innovation directorate ensures our scientists and clinicians are free to develop ground-breaking ideas, are equipped to undertake the research they want to do and have every support possible in realising the patient and population benefit their research could have. Our Research and Innovation directorate aim to be the world’s leading cancer research and innovation organisation.

This directorate brings the right people together from across the world and create the capacity and capability to do extraordinary things so we can bring about a world where everybody lives longer, better lives free from the fear of cancer.

Retail

Retail is crucial to Cancer Research UK. Our superstores, eCommerce operation and around 550 shops across the UK are a major source of our fundraising. Our shops are also the places where the world gets to meet our people, understand our brand, and see some of the work our supporters are making possible. 

People working in the Cancer Research UK retail directorate choose a retail career with a purpose. It’s a lively, vibrant environment with varied and interesting work. And it’s a job people are proud of because they know that everything they’re doing is not only changing their life but helping change other people’s lives too. 

Strategy

The Strategy team leads on the charity’s corporate strategy. Many organisations share our mission of beating cancer, and we already work with more than 120 partners and philanthropists in the UK and around the world. However, there is scope for much broader and deeper collaboration.  

The people in the strategy team are working more closely with partners, including philanthropists, governments, businesses and other not-for-profit organisations, meaning we can pool resources, skills and knowledge, and make every pound we spend go further.