Head of Clinical Operations

Head of Clinical Operations

Salary: Grade M3 - competitive salary

Reports to: Director of the Centre for Drug Development

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) This position requires some UK and European travel to clinical sites and relevant conferences.

Closing date: Sunday 3rd May 2026 at 23.59.

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 support our mission, we are seeking an experienced and driven Head of Clinical Operations to join our Centre for Drug Development (CDD) leadership team. This is a pivotal role responsible for leading our Clinical Operations function, including Clinical Study Managers, Clinical Study Coordinators, Clinical Research Associates, and Site Start Up Specialists, ensuring the successful delivery of CDD clinical trials to the highest regulatory and quality standards across the UK and EU.

About the team

The Cancer Research UK Centre for Drug Development (CDD) is the world's only charity-funded drug development organisation. 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 clinical trials in oncology agents. 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.

What will I be doing?

• Lead and manage the Clinical Operations function, including Clinical Study Managers, Clinical Research Associates, Site Start Up Specialists and Clinical Study Coordinators, to deliver CDD objectives.
• Partner with functional leaders to ensure clinical trials are delivered on time, within budget, and with appropriate resourcing and efficient processes.
• Hold accountability for clinical project delivery to agreed timelines, including patient recruitment targets.
• Build, develop and motivate a high performing Clinical Operations team, strengthening performance management and capability.
• Ensure full compliance of all clinical activities with ICH GCP, UK and EU clinical trial regulations, and relevant EMA guidelines.
• Maintain sponsor oversight for international CDD trials, including European site management and monitoring conducted by service providers.
• Enable teams to operate effectively both within functional structures and as part of cross functional matrix project teams.
• Drive continuous improvement of Clinical Operations processes and procedures to optimise development speed, quality and regulatory compliance.
• Act as a key CDD contact for CRUK Technology and serve as system owner for validated clinical systems (e.g. Veeva eTMF, Stitch Trialmap, Adobe Sign), ensuring ongoing validated state.
• Build close working relationships with investigators and site staff across the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC)network, and act as a point of escalation with sites as required.
• Contribute as a member of the CDD leadership team, supporting strategic planning, budget management, external representation and deputising for the Director of Drug Development as required.

What skills are we looking for?

Essential:

• Extensive experience of working in a drug development, clinical trial environment preferably in the pharmaceutical industry.
• Science graduate, PHD / MD or substantial relevant experience gained in a drug development capacity.
• Extensive experience of drug development within the Pharma/Biotech/CRO industry.
• Extensive clinical operations management experience, involving the design and delivery of complex processes to GCP standards.
• Extensive team management experience (including working within matrix team systems).
• Working knowledge of current legal and regulatory requirements for early clinical trials in the UK and EU, as well as regulations and guidelines for computerised systems.
• Working knowledge of UK and EU GDPR and data privacy legislation

Desirable:

• Oncology experience.
• Experience of early phase trials.
• Experience of financial management.

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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