Senior Project Manager (Technology)

 Senior Project Manager (Technology)  

£54,000-£64,000 plus benefits 

Grade: P3 

Reports to: PM capability Lead 

Directorate: COO/Technology 

Contract: Fixed Term Contract – 18 months FTC with possibility to be permanent. 

Hours: Full -Time 35 hours per week 

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

Internal and External Closing date:  16 August 2026 23:55 
Recruitment Process: screening call and 2 stage competency-based interviews.  

Summary of the Role’s Main Purpose:  
 

We are seeking a Senior Project Manager with experience leading complex, data-driven technology and business change initiatives ideally within research, scientific, or data-intensive environments. 

Working as part of a strategic programme led by our Research Data Strategy team, you will lead the technology workstream and be responsible for the successful delivery of solutions that advance the organisation's research data ambitions. This role will collaborate closely with programme leaders, technology teams, research communities, and external partners to deliver impactful, user-centred capabilities that improve the discoverability, accessibility, and value of research data. 
 

Key Accountabilities 

• Lead the delivery and coordination of projects across the Research and Innovation Technology portfolio. 

• Establish clear project structure and governance, including purpose, scope, expected value, success measures, decision-making frameworks and risk management approaches. 

• Work with Research Teams, Product Managers, Platform Managers,  Technology teams, as well as external partners and suppliers. 

• Support teams in navigating and complying with relevant governance processes, including governance, safety reviews, technical design authority approvals, change governance and budget approvals. 

• Produce and embed effective reporting and communication methods to track progress, outcomes, risks and decisions. 

• Support the development of recommendations, investment cases and business cases where required. 

• Identify and manage dependencies, risks and opportunities across multiple pilots and workstreams. 

• Manage the transition and handover of Project to Product, Platform or operational teams as appropriate. 
   

Key Technical Skills, Knowledge, Experience and Behaviours 

• Significant project management experience leading technology, digital, data projects with internal as well as external partners and suppliers. 

• Experience working in environments involving emerging technologies, innovation programmes or experimentation initiatives. 

• Experience working with agile delivery approaches and cross-functional teams. 

• Demonstrable experience of planning, structuring and delivering work in ambiguous or evolving environments, bringing clarity and momentum where objectives, requirements or outcomes are still emerging. 

• Strong understanding of project governance, risk management, business case development and investment decision-making. 

• Proven ability to manage budgets, forecasting and resource planning. 

• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships across research, technology and business teams. 

• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences. 

• Confident facilitator, able to bring together diverse stakeholders to drive clarity, alignment and decision-making. 

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to balance competing priorities and make pragmatic decisions. 

• Curious and proactive, able to identify risks, gaps and opportunities before they become issues. 

• Action-oriented, adaptable and comfortable operating in evolving or ambiguous environments. 
   

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. 
 

Internal eligibility criteria  
 

Internal candidates should ideally have completed their 6-month ‘getting started’ period before applying for other roles. You should also advise your current line manager at the point you make an internal application, or at the latest, at the point of being invited for an interview.  

All internal candidates applying for a secondment, must have:  

• Completed their getting started period  

• Discussed their intention to apply and gained approval to apply with their line manager   

• Been in their substantive (home) role for at least 6 months (this is only applicable if you have previously been on secondment)  

If you do not confirm that you meet these requirements, we will not be able to progress your application.  

For information about internal learning and development at Cancer Research UK please visit Fuse.  

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. 

Additional Information 

For more information about working with us 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. 

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.