Talent & Careers Lead; share

Talent & Careers Lead – Job share

£58,000 – £60,000 pro rata plus benefits.

Reports to:

Head of Talent & Leadership. Grade: P3. Directorate:
Chief Operating Office.

Contract:

Permanent.

Hours:

2-3 days per week (14‑21 hours) job share.

Location:

Stratford, London – office based with high flexibility (1‑2 days a week in the office pro‑rated for job share). 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: 11 January 2026, 23:55.

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 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 interviews – 1st stage competency interview and 2nd stage presentation task. Interview date:
From the week commencing 19th January 2026.

As Talent and Careers Lead
, you’ll shape how we identify, develop, and retain incredible talent across the organisation. This is a part‑time, job‑share role (2‑3 days a week), giving you the flexibility to balance your work and life while making a meaningful difference. You’ll work alongside a shared post holder with extensive experience in succession planning and talent identification and management, so it would be highly beneficial if you bring expertise in career development and internal mobility frameworks and practices to complement this partnership.

From designing career pathways to enabling movement and growth, you’ll create opportunities that help our people thrive – and ensure we have the skills and leadership we need for the future. If you’re passionate about unlocking potential and driving positive change, this is your chance to make a difference that matters.

• Design and maintain career pathways and practical toolkits to help colleagues understand how they can grow and develop within CRUK.
• Equip managers with guides and tools for effective career conversations, supporting decisions about growth, broadening experience, or progression.
• Operate a practical internal mobility framework that enables movement across the organisation and removes barriers.
• Partner with Leadership Development to design programmes that prepare people for the next leadership level.
• Collaborate with Talent Acquisition and HRBPs to support build‑buy‑move decisions and smooth transitions.
• Track and report on talent pipeline health and career experience, using data to identify trends and opportunities.
• Lead the succession planning cycle for key roles and populations, tracking coverage and readiness, and highlighting gaps or risks.
• Manage high‑potential development processes with clear criteria, progress tracking, and equitable access to opportunities.
• Run inclusive talent identification and assessment processes, turning insights into actionable development plans.
• Maintain a register of talent risks (e.g., single points of dependency) and work with stakeholders to mitigate them.
• Embed diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and confidentiality by default in all frameworks and decisions.

• Strong expertise in career development and architecture, including creating clear guidance for managers and employees and partnering on leadership programmes.
• Proven experience designing internal mobility frameworks (e.g., secondments, acting‑up, lateral moves) that remove barriers and improve candidate experience.
• Skilled in talent assessment and reviews, ensuring fair and inclusive processes and translating insights into actionable development plans.
• Solid background in succession planning and pipeline management for critical roles, including risk assessment and alignment to workforce priorities.
• Ability to monitor and support high‑potential development, applying clear criteria and ensuring equitable access to opportunities.
• Confident in…