Senior Service Innovation Lead Full Time NEW

Cancer Research UK
Bigger picture thinking. Community values. Trustworthy peers.

Senior Service Innovation Lead -Cancer Patient Information Services

Could be known as Senior Service Transformation Lead, Innovation Lead, Senior Project Innovation Lead.

£58,000 – £64,300 plusbenefits

Reports to: Head of Cancer Patient Information Services

Grade: M2

Directorate: Policy, Information and Communications

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)

We are open to flexible working options. If you would like to discuss this, please get in touch.

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.

Closing date: 31 May 2026, 23:55. Please do not delay applying as we will be shortlisting on application as we are looking to urgently fill this role.

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 fully complete the work history section and the application questions of the online application form for us to be able to assess you quickly, fairly, and objectively.

If you require more time to apply as part of a reasonable adjustment, please contact as soon as possible.

Recruitment process: 2 stage, 1st stage competency questions, 2nd stage presentation and competency questions.

Interview date: We will be shortlisting and interviewing on application.

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

We are professionals with purpose, beating cancer every day. But we need to go much further and much faster. That’s why we’re looking for someone talented, someone who wants to develop their skills, someone like you.

About the Service Development Unit and Cancer Patient Information Services

We’re creating a brand new Service Development Unit to innovate within our Cancer Patient Information Services team, and you’ll be the leader who brings it to life.

This new innovation team will help us rethink the ways we reach and engage people with our information services in the AI era. Working to test and learn through a series of agile sprints, the team will also explore how we personalise and tailor the journeys we take people on across channels. The overall aim of the unit is to reach more people and create experiences that deepen the value and impact we offer.

The wider Cancer Patient Information Services team the Unit sits within includes our sector leading cancer information content delivered through our website About Cancer Cancer Research UK , our nurse led helpline Cancer Research UK and our online peer support community Cancer Chat Cancer Chat Cancer Research UK

About the role

In this role, you’ll lead a team shaping and delivering innovative prototypes and experiments, that transform how people discover and experience our information services. You’ll use design thinking and agile ways of working to deliver creative, user-centred ideas at pace. Working side by side with our Information Services teams and fundraising colleagues, you’ll help us build personalised journeys for our audiences and explore new, AI informed ways of reaching and supporting people.

You’ll lead a small team including service design, content design and a patient information specialist. You will also facilitate how the team works with a collaborative network of colleagues across CRUK – all passionate about making a real, lasting difference.

What you’ll do

Lead innovation and service development

• Build a model that lets us experiment and test our way to genuinely new approaches to reaching and engaging people living with cancer

• Lead a small multidisciplinary team of content, service design and cancer experts.

• Build an agile, sprint based model that champions experimentation and continuous learning.

• Drive idea generation, prototyping and testing using design thinking methods.

• Co-develop a strategic roadmap with our Fundraising Proposition and innovation teams, focusing on personalised, “information seeker to supporter” journeys.

• Work collaboratively with colleagues within Information Services and across CRUK to test and model new omni-channel approaches.

• Ensure our work aligns with CRUK’s wider strategy and impact framework.

• Support strategic planning around a diversified channel approach to delivering our information services.

Collaborate and influence

• Build strong, trusting partnerships across CRUK – from frontline teams to senior leaders.

• Embed agile, matrix working practices with digital, content, innovation and fundraising teams.

• Work closely with our Patient Information and Digital Specialist teams to ensure coherence across our content estate.

• Bring fresh thinking into CRUK by connecting with external partners and the wider innovation community.

• Communicate complex ideas in simple, accessible language and help shape business cases for future investment.

Champion insight driven practice

• Use design thinking to deeply understand user needs and turn them into meaningful solutions.

• Ensure every project is grounded in evidence, powered by data and evaluated through clear KPIs.

• Partner with insight and analytics teams to learn, iterate and identify what to scale – and what to stop.

What you’ll bring

• Experience delivering innovation projects from idea through to launch, ideally in a charity, health or public sector setting.

• Strong service design skills and familiarity with behavioural insights and rapid innovation techniques.

• A solid understanding of agile methodologies, including running sprints and prototyping cycles.

• Up to date knowledge of AI and a keen interest in applying AI tools to content or digital services.

• Confidence using data to guide decisions and measure impact.

• Excellent stakeholder management and the ability to influence across a complex organisation.

• A user first mindset and passion for involving people with lived experience.

• A strong strategic thinker, able to contribute to strategy development and strategic discussions

Desirable: Experience in health or charity services; formal training in design thinking; experience setting up innovation labs.

Join us and help shape the future of how we support people affected by cancer. Together, we’ll go further – faster.

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.

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.

Additional information

For more information about working with us please visit our website or contact us at .

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