Careers at the ICR
We provide exceptional opportunities for the best scientists, clinicians, and professional and administrative staff, and excellent academic and recreational facilities at our two London sites, in Chelsea and Sutton.
As a world-leading research organisation, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, offers a fantastic working environment, great opportunities for career development and the chance to make a real difference for cancer patients. We aim to recruit and develop the best – with positions for outstanding scientists and clinicians, and the most talented professional or administrative staff.
Different types of positions at the ICR
Our aim is to attract the best people in cancer research. We offer an excellent working environment, competitive salaries and good staff benefits. There is a range of career paths at the ICR, in scientific research, research support, and professional and administrative positions.
We offer a variety of professional and administrative roles in areas such as facilities, fundraising, communication, IT, human resources, research services and education and library services.
Our professional services teams are tailored to meet the needs of a research organisation, and many of our employees in these teams have backgrounds in science, or experience of working with scientists and clinicians.
Our specialist finance team is experienced at dealing with research grants, and staff within our Business and Innovation Office have the expertise to negotiate complex collaborative agreements between the ICR and pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
We're recruiting the top figures in cancer research to work in a vibrant and confident culture that consistently produces world-changing research.
To become part of our career faculty, you will be an established senior researcher and have the proven leadership skills and international research credibility to direct major scientific programmes, and build and manage a motivated and high-performing scientific team.
Our culture emphasises the importance of collaborative working to address the big challenges in cancer research, and you will be expected to form part of the wider ICR team. You will also recruit and develop the research leaders of the future.
To join the ICR you’ll be a talented scientist looking for the next step after your initial postdoctoral studies. You’ll be ready to start leading a team independently under the mentorship of a leading senior scientist.
Personal fellowships, funded by a variety of medical research agencies and charities, are the usual route for new leaders to join us in areas in which we are traditionally very strong, such as cancer biology. Success as a fellow will put you on a fast-track route to gaining a long-term career at the ICR.
To join us you will have, or be in the process of gaining, a personal fellowship from one of the major national or international funding bodies, such as the Wellcome Trust, Cancer Research UK, one of the Research Councils, the Royal Society or the National Institute for Health Research.
For PhD graduates looking for a postdoctoral role. We offer a competitive salary, rigorous training, many opportunities for professional development, and an open and inclusive working culture.
We offer clinicians a variety of working opportunities, from working as a postdoctoral researcher in one of our eight scientific divisions, to carrying out independent research as a clinician scientist or clinical research fellow, to heading a specialised research team. We also offer clinicians the opportunity to develop their specialty, through a variety of taught or research-based postgraduate degrees.
Collaboration between scientists and clinicians is essential for the translational nature of the cutting-edge research carried out at the ICR. It gets new treatments to patients more quickly, and allows our researchers to learn from experience in the clinic.
Moving to the UK
We attract staff from all over the world. Find all the information you need to move to the United Kingdom to work with us.
Staff benefits
Find out more about the staff benefits we offer, including a competitive salary package, annual leave entitlements, and sports and social facilities.Some of our current vacancies
Research Group Leader, ICR Clinical Trials and Statistics Unit (ICR-CTSU)
Department/Directorate Information: Division of Clinical Studies - Clinical Trials and Statistics Unit (ICR-CTSU) The ICR-CTSU is a Cancer Research UK-funded, internationally recognised methodologist led clinical trials unit, providing cancer-focused clinical trial research expertise. We lead pioneering, efficient, high-quality, and impactful trials across the phases. Our expertise ranges from experimental medicine early phase studies exploring biological efficacy to trials which may deliver widespread change to routine practice, underpinned by applied methodology to drive forward clinical trial innovation. See our clinical trials Role Summary The Group Leader will lead a component of ICR-CTSU’s portfolio of clinical trials research. The post holder will join an existing faculty and seek to further develop and grow the portfolio in line with ICR-CTSU’s overall strategy; taking responsibility for a number of ongoing trials as well as the development of new trials. There will be the opportunity to develop and grow a team including the potential for a Postdoctoral Training Fellow and/ or a Trial Manager. We seek an experienced statistician / biostatistician with a strong research interest in clinical trials methodology and a passion for direct involvement in the oversight and leadership of academic clinical trials. The successful candidate will work closely with the Director of ICR-CTSU to further enhance the Unit’s internationally recognised strength in clinical trial design, conduct and analysis. The post holder will be expected to make a substantial independent intellectual contribution to clinical trials projects and be proactive in leading and contributing to broad initiatives that enhance the overall effectiveness of ICR-CTSU. The appointee will contribute to the overall scientific life of the ICR including the newly established ICR/Royal Marsden Hospital’s Centre for Trials and Population Data Science, by providing mentorship to more junior colleagues and acting as an academic leader. We seek an individual who will work closely and collaboratively with other faculty/Group Leaders at the ICR and with international/national key opinion leaders to extend the breadth and depth of ICR-CTSU’s biologically rich clinical trials portfolio. In partnership with clinical opinion leaders, this individual will generate research funds to conduct and deliver clinical trials research at the international forefront. Presentation at national and international conferences, production of top-quality research outputs and substantial professional contribution to wider clinical trial network bodies are expected. Enthusiasm for team-based science in a collaborative interdisciplinary environment is essential. The appointment will be based on track record and the ability and willingness to engage in team science. The successful appointee will have access to ICR’s successful PhD training programme and core facilities. Key Requirements Higher degree (MSc or PhD) in medical statistics/biostatistics or an allied field (e.g. public health, epidemiology, data science) with relevant work experience Significant experience as a clinical trials, medical statistician or bio-statistician within the academic or commercial sector; a blend of both would be highly desirable A desire to apply existing and novel statistical methods to the requirements of a diverse range of statistical problems A broad understanding of cancer research Ability to lead a Clinical Trials Unit based research group As part of your online application, you will be required to upload your full CV which will pre-populate your application form, you will also be asked to attach the following documents and failure to do so will mean your application cannot be considered on this occasion: Lists of major publications, achievements, research grants and distinctions. A PDF of a maximum of five key publications, or other research outputs (e.g. patents) that best demonstrate previous productivity or a single document giving hyperlinks to these outputs. You must also complete the personal statement section of the application form in the format of a cover letter including the names and contact details of three academic referees Joining as a Group Leader, you will be given outstanding support to help you to continue to develop in your career. Along with a start-up package of funding, you will also have access to resources to establish your group, including support for recruiting key group members, such as PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. We encourage all applicants to access the job pack attached for more detailed information regarding this role. For an informal discussion regarding the role, please contact Professor Emma Hall ([email protected])
Digital Manager – Website Lead
About the Role We’re looking for a talented Digital Manager to take ownership of the ICR’s main website and lead its evolution. You will manage, optimise and grow our website following its major redevelopment on the latest version of the Sitefinity CMS. This is a pivotal, highly collaborative role at the heart of a busy directorate that tells the ICR’s story and leads our fundraising. Key Responsibilities As our Website Lead, you will: Oversee daily management, development and optimisation of the ICR’s main website — including content, SEO/AEO and technical improvements Work closely with internal partners to develop new pages, sections and features Lead a programme of ongoing content review and user training across the organisation Produce regular website analytics reports and deliver insight-driven recommendations Ensure consistent branding, accessibility and outstanding user experience Manage a Digital Communications Officer (job share, 1.2 FTE) and help recruit and line-manage a new Website Developer Plan and prioritise technical projects with our Digital Services (IT) team About You This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who combines technical understanding with creativity, editorial judgement and a passion for delivering exceptional digital experiences. You’ll bring: Strong experience managing and publishing content within a CMS (Sitefinity experience is a bonus) A solid understanding of HTML and confidence working with developers and IT colleagues Experience overseeing the day-to-day running of a large website Skills in analysing website performance using tools like GA4, Google Tag Manager or Matomo Excellent organisational ability and the skills to manage multiple concurrent projects Strong written and verbal communication skills Experience managing or mentoring others (highly desirable) A proactive, collaborative approach to working across teams Optional but advantageous: experience with Adobe Creative Cloud tools, editorial content review, and training non-technical users What We Offer A supportive and collaborative working environment. Opportunities for professional development and career progression. Competitive salary and pension About the Development and Communications directorate The Development and Communications directorate tells the ICR’s story and focuses on income generation. The ICR is world-renowned for its outstanding cancer research – and it deserves communication to match. We believe that communicating effectively about the ICR's work can help us build on our successes – attracting donors and supporters, the best staff and students, commercial partners and collaborators. We encourage all applicants to access the job pack attached for more detailed information regarding this role. For an informal discussion regarding the role, please contact Eleanor Howard, Head of Strategic Marketing via email on [email protected].
Clinical Data Manager
We are seeking an enthusiastic and dedicated Clinical Data Manager to join the Prostate Cancer Targeted Therapy Group. This team conducts industry-sponsored early-phase clinical trials of novel anticancer therapies. As part of a world-class clinical trials unit, based within the Royal Marsden Hospital, we are committed to advancing cancer treatment through the development of innovative therapeutics that aim to improve patient care. About you The successful candidate must have a higher education qualification or degree in Biological Sciences (or equivalent), be highly organised and able to plan work around a busy clinical unit. They should have excellent communication and interpersonal skills in order to interact effectively with internal multidisciplinary teams and external stakeholders and collaborators. Department/Directorate Information The Prostate Cancer Targeted Therapy Group (PCTTG) is one of the most recognized groups and a world leader in running prostate cancer clinical trials. It specialises in developing new therapies to improve treatment for advanced prostate cancer patients; with a specific interest in biomarker-driven clinical trials. Since its opening in 2004, the PCTTG, led by Professor Johann de Bono, has driven innovative design and conduct of biomarker-led, hypothesis-testing clinical trials supported by highly informative laboratory studies, and has had a huge scientific and clinical impact. The team, alongside its partners and collaborators, has made critical contributions to elucidating the biology and clinical understanding of prostate cancer, and to transforming translational research and outcomes for this commonest of male malignancies. It has facilitated the development of many novel anti-cancer drugs which are now approved treatments for men with advanced prostate cancer, including abiraterone, enzalutamide, cabazitaxel, and olaparib. The PCTTG led and conducted clinical trials that demonstrated the efficacy and safety of abiraterone, resulting in the drug's regulatory approval around the world. Abiraterone has been administered to more than 400,000 men worldwide, with evidence indicating that it can improve life expectancy by at least a year while significantly improving quality of life. In addition, the PCTTG played a role in the successful development of enzalutamide and cabazitaxel, resulting in the drugs’ registration, which now form standard-of-care therapies for lethal prostate cancer. Finally, the PCTTG’s work on olaparib in DNA repair-defective prostate cancers, utilizing a novel investigator-initiated adaptive trial design, provided impetus for later-phase trials that have led to the recent approval of olaparib for use in DNA repair-defective lethal prostate cancer. What we offer A dynamic and supportive research environment Access to state-of-the-art facilities and professional development opportunities Collaboration with leading researchers in the field Competitive salary and pension Appointment will be on a fixed term contract for one year in the first instance, with a salary range of £31,445 - £33,100 per annum inclusive based on skills and previous experience. This post also benefits from generous annual leave entitlement and a defined benefit pension scheme. We encourage all applicants to access the job pack attached for more detailed information regarding this role. For an informal discussion regarding the role, please contact Emily Cross ([email protected]).
Senior Digital Marketing Manager
We are looking for an experienced and strategic Senior Digital Marketing Manager to lead, as maternity cover, digital marketing activity across the directorate and help drive fundraising growth, brand awareness and supporter engagement. You will shape and deliver our digital marketing strategy, using insight, creativity and analytical rigour to ensure our website, donation platform, email marketing and digital campaigns support the ICR’s fundraising and brand objectives effectively. This is a key leadership role that manages two Digital Marketing Officers and oversees relationships with our external media agency. You will combine deep digital marketing expertise with excellent project management and a passion for impactful storytelling. Key Responsibilities Lead and deliver an annual programme of digital marketing and online supporter engagement to grow income and brand awareness. Act as the digital marketing expert for all fundraising teams, analysing data and proactively sharing insight. Manage paid media campaigns, email programmes, stewardship journeys and digital content planning. Agree and achieve KPIs for audience engagement, online giving and lead generation. Shape supporter journeys to maximise engagement, recruitment and fundraising participation. Manage the relationship with our digital media agency, from planning to evaluation. Optimise the ‘Support Us’ section of the website, leading SEO and AEO activity. Oversee and optimise our donation platform (goDonate), including testing and analytics. Manage a digital marketing budget of more than £300K. Provide digital marketing expertise across the ICR, including email and content support. Ensure strong brand consistency across all digital marketing and fundraising touchpoints. About You You will bring: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with experience using SEO, Google Ads, Google Analytics and evaluation tools. Expertise across the full digital marketing mix. Excellent leadership skills, including line management. Ability to build strong relationships internally and externally. Understanding of digital tech including HTML basics, tracking pixels and marketing tags. Excellent written communication and strong design sense. Highly organised, with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously. Genuine enthusiasm for the ICR’s mission. Proven track record managing digital campaigns from conception to delivery. Experience managing agencies. Experience using data and insight to optimise campaigns and maximise income. Experience in content generation, website management, paid media and social platforms. Experience with online giving platforms. What We Offer A supportive and collaborative working environment. Opportunities for professional development and career progression. Competitive salary and pension About the Development and Communications directorate The Development and Communications directorate tells the ICR’s story and focuses on income generation. The ICR is world-renowned for its outstanding cancer research – and it deserves communication to match. We believe that communicating effectively about the ICR's work can help us build on our successes – attracting donors and supporters, the best staff and students, commercial partners and collaborators. We encourage all applicants to access the job pack attached for more detailed information regarding this role. For an informal discussion regarding the role, please contact Talent Team on [email protected]
Higher Scientific Officer
Under the guidance of Alexis De Haven Brandon, we are seeking to recruit a Higher Scientific Officer. We seek an experienced and dedicated in vivo scientist. The central aim of this position is to undertake in vivo technical work, playing a key role in supporting a variety of in vivo experiments and laboratory approaches. You will be a highly skilled in vivo scientist with sound knowledge and experience in in vivo approaches in a research setting. You will possess a Home Office Personal Licence. Your responsibilities will include planning and performing animal procedures, maintaining detailed records, and performing some routine laboratory tasks. This position offers an excellent opportunity for a highly skilled in vivo scientist with a passion for in vivo science, and animal welfare. There will occasionally be the need for out of hours work to ensure Home Office compliance, and the needs of the projects are met. The successful candidate will be a motivated individual with a strong background in in vivo techniques. We highly value diversity and encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. About you The successful candidate must have: Personal Home Office Licence PIL A,B,C BSc in life sciences or equivalent Proven experience in a technical in vivo research setting - to include techniques such as dosing, surgical and sampling Ability to plan and execute complex in vivo studies, to the highest ethical standards Ability to work independently and collaboratively Department/Directorate Information The In Vivo Pharmacology team (IVP) provides in vivo support for all projects within the Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery (CCDD). The team carries out critical proof-of principle intervention studies and provides the essential pharmacological assays required to guide target validation in addition to the optimisation and selection of new drug candidates. Importantly, these experiments include the demonstration of drug effects in vivo, biomarker discovery and therapy studies, all of which underpin the drug discovery programs across the portfolio. The IVP works across a wide range of tumour models, including human tumour xenografts models (both cell line- and patient-derived xenografts), genetically engineered mouse models, organoid-based models and preclinical metastatic models. The team has specialised skills to develop and implement novel models, and supporting the design and implementation of studies, whilst complying with increasingly complex Home Office regulations. What we offer A dynamic and supportive research environment Access to state-of-the-art facilities and professional development opportunities Collaboration with leading researchers in the field Competitive salary and pension We encourage all applicants to access the job pack attached for more detailed information regarding this role. For an informal discussion regarding the role, please contact Alexis De Haven Brandon: [email protected].
Data Curator/Engineer
Job Details Are you an experienced data scientist looking for a new challenge? Are you motivated by the opportunity to contribute to high-quality trials of cancer treatments? Would you like to work in a supportive, academic environment? The Institute of Cancer Research Clinical Trials and Statistics Unit (ICR-CTSU) and Paediatric Cancer Centre, based in Sutton, would like to appoint a joint data scientist to provide support to data management activities across its portfolio of national and international phase II/ III multicentre cancer trials and biological rich clinical studies. Key Requirements Together with a life science/health/IT degree or equivalent, you have significant previous data management experience within a clinical trials unit, CRO or pharmaceutical company. You will have a thorough working knowledge of clinical and biological data management and electronic data capture systems. You have knowledge of SQL and NoSQL (graph-based) databases/structures and are comfortable handling different types of omics data. You have the excellent communication skills necessary to liaise with multi-disciplinary team members across multiple studies and would be happy to work individually as well as part of a wider team. You are innovative and able to understand interactions between multimodal data types, implement quality data management systems and procedures, and identify systems improvements. Experiences in UNIX/LINUX operating system and basic knowledge of end-to-end data operating systems/platforms (e.g., PALANTIR Foundry, cBioportal, GDC Data Portal) are desired. Experiences in Python programming language are required and experiences in R programming language are desired. Department/Directorate Information ICR-CTSU manages an exciting portfolio of national and international cancer clinical trials across all phases. You will contribute to you will contribute to the curation, engineering and management of multimodal data from clinical trials. You will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team on supporting the development, organisation and oversight of data structures within the ICR-CTSU, in collaboration with external organisations and the ICR Paediatric Cancer Centre. When applying please provide a supporting statement as to why you are applying for this position and detail your relevant experience. Together with your CV, please include details of your current salary and the names and addresses of two referees.
Scientific Officer - in vivo Biology
About the role Under the guidance of Alexis De Haven Brandon, We seek a dedicated early career in vivo scientist. The central aim of this position is to assist in the undertaking of in vivo technical work, playing a key role in supporting a variety of in vivo experiments and laboratory approaches. You will be an in vivo scientist with a basic knowledge and experience of in vivo techniques. Your responsibilities will include monitoring animal welfare, carrying out animal procedures, maintaining detailed records. This position offers an excellent opportunity for an early career in vivo scientist with a passion for in vivo science, and animal welfare. We offer full training to gain a home office PIL, for more technical procedures to the right candidate. There will occasionally be the need for out of hours work to ensure Home office compliance, and the needs of the projects are met. The successful candidate will be a motivated individual with a strong background in animal welfare and husbandry in a research setting. We highly value diversity and encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. About you The successful candidate must have: Broad-based knowledge of animal welfare within a research setting At least a year in an in vivo research setting with rodents. Proven experience in husbandry, welfare monitoring and animal handling. Ability to work both independently and as part of a team. BSc in life sciences/or related degree High degree of integrity and understanding of the need for confidentiality surrounding drug discovery programmes. Willingness to occasionally work out of hours. About our team Under UK law, animals can only be used for research if there is no appropriate alternative. All our research proposals are thoroughly assessed before approval to ensure that there is no alternative to the use of animals, and that the studies will provide valuable information that will ultimately help cancer patients. The ICR is strongly committed to the highest standards of animal welfare in all research studies, and has led the development of best practice in this area. We also support the principles of the 3Rs – replacement, refinement and reduction of use of animals for research – and are working to develop alternative experimental techniques. The In Vivo Pharmacology team provides in vivo support for all projects within the Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery. The team carries out critical proof-of-principle intervention studies and provides the essential pharmacological assays required to guide target validation in addition to the optimisation and selection of new drug candidates. Importantly, these experiments include the demonstration of drug effects in vivo, biomarker discovery and therapy studies all of which underpin the drug discovery programs across the portfolio. The team works across a wide range of tumour models, including human tumour xenografts models (both cell line- and patient-derived xenografts), genetically engineered mouse models and organoid based models. The team is also highly experienced in preclinical metastatic models. The team has specialised skills to develop and implement novel models, and supporting the design and implementation of studies, all whilst complying with increasingly complex Home Office regulations. Department/Directorate Information About our organisation We are one of the world’s most influential cancer research institutes with an outstanding record of achievement dating back more than 100 years. We are world leaders in identifying cancer genes, discovering cancer drugs and developing precision radiotherapy. Together with our hospital partner The Royal Marsden, we are rated in the top four centres for cancer research and treatment worldwide. As well as being a world-class institute, we are a college of the University of London. We are consistently in the top performing universities in the league table of university research quality complied from Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014 &2021). We have charitable status and rely on support from partner organisations, charities, donors and the general public. We have more than 1000 staff and postgraduate students across three sites – in Chelsea and Sutton. What we offer A dynamic and supportive research environment Access to state-of-the-art facilities and professional development opportunities Collaboration with leading researchers in the field Competitive salary and pension We encourage all applicants to access the job pack attached for more detailed information regarding this role. For an informal discussion regarding the role, please contact [email protected]
Data Manager
The ICR's Clinical Trials and Statistics Unit (ICR-CTSU) is looking for a clinical data manager to join its team at ICR’s Sutton site in Surrey. ICR-CTSU runs a diverse portfolio of national and international phase III multicentre randomised controlled trials, and phase II trials of targeted treatments with a focus on breast, urological and head and neck cancer treatments. This post offers an excellent opportunity for an enthusiastic and well-motivated graduate to work in a dynamic and supportive academic environment at one of the leading cancer clinical trials units. The successful applicant will work with Trial Managers, Statisticians and Administrators and duties will include: • Liaising with hospitals to collect patient data according to protocol • Overseeing biological sample collection at sites • Reviewing and cleaning data submitted by sites • Assisting with site monitoring visits Key Requirements Applicants should hold a first degree (or equivalent qualification), have excellent organisational and communication skills, be computer literate and interested in cancer research. Attention to detail is essential. We encourage all applicants to access the job pack attached for more detailed information regarding this role. Further detail This is an office-based role. Requests for hybrid working (splitting time between our Sutton site and home) may be considered following successful completion of key training and only if the role allows. Flexible working options may be considered. Upon closure of the vacancy applicants will be sent an email with details for completion of an online Data Manager Aptitude Assessment. This online quiz will consist of a set of multiple choice questions to test some of the skills which are expected of candidates for the Data Manager role. The test will not take any longer than 30 minutes to complete. Informal enquiries may be made by emailing [email protected]