Drug Development Project Leader

Drug Development Project Leader

£65,000 - £72,000 plus benefits

Reports to: Senior Research Manager

Directorate: Research & Innovation

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time 35 hours per week

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

Closing date: 17 October :55 please note the role will stay open internally until the 19tOctober in line with organisational policy

This vacancy may close earlier if a high volume of applications is received or once a suitable candidate is found, therefore we strongly recommend that you apply early to avoid disappointment. Please let us know if there is anything about the recruitment process that you would like to discuss, in particular if there are any changes or adjustments that would make it easier for you to apply. Please contact or as soon as possible.

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: Telephone Screen and then face to face interview at our head office in Stratford

Interview date: 5 or 6 of November 2025

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

We are looking for an experienced and credible scientific expert with clinical and project management experience to join our Centre for Drug Development (CDD)

CDD is the world's only charity-funded 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.

In this role you will use your scientific expertise and project management experience to lead multidisciplinary drug development project teams, driving the delivery of science-based decision-making through exploratory, preclinical and clinical phases of development. You will be accountable for all aspects of the drug development programme including drug manufacture and formulation, preclinical toxicology and efficacy, biomarker development, clinical study design and clinical trial management.

We are looking for candidates with experience within a drug development setting ideally within industry. In return you will get to use your skills to maximise patient benefit, whilst leading projects across a diverse and modality-agnostic portfolio - from small molecules to antibodies and cell therapies. Furthermore, we actively encourage our colleagues to celebrate our science, by attending conferences, presenting posters, giving talks at events and publishing papers. We will also support you with your professional development through training courses and certifications (such as Prince2)

What will I be doing?

• Lead the multidisciplinary project teams to plan and deliver drug development projects
• To be fully accountable for the delivery of projects under your control, ensuring that projects are developed to; a defined scope, within budget and an approved timeframe commensurate with any potential onward development of the agent.
• To build a collaborative and productive relationship with external stakeholder partners and ensure broad alignment of project strategy and onward development plans.
• To be responsible for referring the project to the Portfolio Review Team (PRT) when changes in timeline, cost or project strategy exceed preset limits.
• To build and implement a realistic, team-endorsed project plan and to ensure that all changes are communicated to the project team and, where appropriate, to the portfolio team.
• To ensure that all necessary legal agreements are in place and that terms of these agreements are known and understood by the project team. When required to lead their negotiation consultation internal teams
• Responsible for co-ordinating all presentations/abstracts and publications, and progressing (including by delegation) through appropriate CRUK channels
• To ensure the project team is appropriately resourced in cooperation with resource providers
• To manage the performance of the Project Team and its members to achieve team and personal objectives for the project.

What are you looking for?

• An experienced project leader with a proven ability to successfully deliver projects in a fast-paced environment.
• PhD qualification or equivalent work experience in a relevant discipline
• Relevant multidisciplinary project management experience (matrix management) gained in a drug development/drug discovery capacity
• Proficiency in project management tools such as MS Project
• Proven ability to work with stakeholders at all levels and in particular to forge effective project teams
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to challenge diplomatically and appropriately

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.

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.

For more information on this career opportunity please visit our website or contact us.

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