AI Technical Lead

Overview: Award-winning and bold innovation. Modern Tech-Stack. Impacting the future.

Reports to: Head of Engineering

Grade: P3 (MP)

Directorate: Chief Operating Office

Contract: 2 year fixed-term contract

Hours: Full time 35 hours per week

Location: Stratford, London, high flexibility.

We know great work doesn’t happen in just one place or one way. This role is designed to be highly flexible, with the opportunity to work largely remotely, alongside occasional time in our offices for collaboration when it adds the most value.

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. Note we are shortlisting on an ongoing basis – please do not delay applying for the 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 application questions and 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 us as soon as possible.

Recruitment process: 3 stage interview process consisting of a screening call, role-based competency interview and technical task.

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer. At Cancer Research UK, we are a community of professionals with purpose. Every day, we push boundaries to beat cancer—yet we know we must go.

About The Role: As a Technical Lead, you’ll play a critical role in turning ambitious AI opportunities into high‑quality, scalable technology solutions. You’ll work across the full lifecycle – from early‑stage ideas and proof of concepts through to production‑ready systems that are embedded into the organisation.

You’ll be accountable for technical quality and delivery, working in a highly matrixed environment alongside internal product teams and trusted external partners. Technology‑agnostic and adaptable, you’ll help shape problem statements, align solution designs to our AI vision, and guide teams through complex technical decisions.

This is a hands‑on leadership role that offers variety, influence, and the opportunity to help define how engineering practices evolve in the age of AI – all while supporting a mission that saves lives.

What will I be doing?

• Act as Technical Lead for key AI initiatives at different stages – from emerging ideas and proofs of concept through to solutions ready to scale and operationalise.
• Assess technical complexity, feasibility, and effort, helping teams make informed delivery decisions.
• Identify where foundational changes to platforms or infrastructure are needed to unlock AI capabilities.
• Work with Product Managers and colleagues to assess when and how to partner with external suppliers.
• Collaborate closely with Product and Project Managers, Architects, UX and Service Designers, and Business Analysts to understand user needs and iteratively design effective solutions.
• Provide technical assurance and constructive challenge for external technology partners.
• Validate high‑level designs and support smooth transitions from design into delivery.
• Produce low‑level designs, technical work plans, and documentation in line with delivery standards.
• Proactively surface technical risks, issues, and dependencies to initiative leads.
• Contribute significantly to testing strategies and plans to ensure solutions are robust, secure, and reliable.

What are we looking for? We’re looking for someone who brings both strong technical leadership and a genuine interest in how AI can create real‑world value. You’ll have:

• Experience delivering Commercial Off‑the‑Shelf (COTS) and Software‑as‑a‑Service (SaaS) solutions, from procurement through to live operation.
• Recent, hands‑on experience writing clean, maintainable, and well‑tested code using proven design patterns.
• The curiosity and adaptability to learn new languages, frameworks, and tools.
• Deep technical expertise and the confidence to tackle complex problems independently.
• A strong interest in AI and innovation, with the ability to role‑model how modern engineering practices can evolve to deliver greater impact.
• Experience working across a range of domains, with the ability to context‑switch as priorities change.
• Proven experience running critical services in production and designing scalable, secure, and highly available systems.
• Experience acting as a technical lead: defining solutions from scratch, shaping technical direction, and reviewing the work of other engineers.
• Knowledge of modern software delivery approaches (e.g. Scrum, Kanban), with some understanding of spec‑driven development.
• Excellent communication skills, enabling you to explain complex ideas clearly and influence both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Comfort working in complex environments with multiple priorities, and the resilience to adapt to continual change.
• Highly desirable to have experience implementing bespoke data, machine learning or AI solutions from pilot through to operationalisation.
• Ideally hold a professional certification (e.g. cloud architect) in at least one major cloud data platform (e.g. GCP, Azure, AWS, Snowflake, Databricks) and be an active participant in that cloud’s community.

Internal candidates should ideally have completed their 6‑month ‘getting started’ period before applying for other roles. You should advise your current line manager at the point you apply, 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 (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. 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.

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.