Administrative Assistant (Cancer Research Horizons)

£25,000 - £28,000 plus benefits

Reports to: Personal Assistant (CRH)

Directorate: Research & Innovation

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time 35 hours per week

Location: Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge (This role is offered with low flexibility, we would expect you to be in the office a minimum of 2 days a week)

Closing date: Friday 17th July 2026 23:55pm

This vacancy may close earlier if a high volume of applications is received or once a suitable candidate is found, therefore we strongly recommend that you apply early to avoid disappointment.

Please let us know if there is anything about the recruitment process that you would like to discuss, in particular if there are any changes or adjustments that would make it easier for you to apply. Please contact recruitment@cancer.org.uk or 020 3469 8400 as soon as possible.

Interview process: Competency based interview via MS Teams

Interview dates: w/c 20th July

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.

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

We’re looking for an experienced, organised and proactive individual to join Cancer Research Horizons as an Administrative Assistant. You will provide administrative support to the Therapeutic Innovation team across our sites, working alongside the wider team to provide an efficient, comprehensive and proactive support function.

About the team: We are a small team of five who provide support for our three sites across the UK. The Administrative Assistant position is based at our Babraham laboratory which is our largest site at around seventy-five staff members. We have a strong sense of teamwork and collaboration, and our team thrives on mutual respect and open communication.

We are looking for candidates who thrive in a fast-paced environment and are comfortable using the Microsoft suite, especially Outlook and Teams. You don’t need to have a scientific background: to be successful in this role, you will need to enjoy organising, multitasking and working independently as well as collaboratively with the rest of the admin team.

What will you be doing?

• Provide administrative support and act as first point of contact to staff across all sites including, but not limited to; registering staff for conferences, courses, and training, purchasing scientific articles and textbooks, travel, card payments, and responding to general queries via the internal helpdesk system
• Provide support to senior management including distributing communications and collating presentations
• Managing office and kitchen supply stock including unpacking and distributing those deliveries including post received
• Inbox management for core Administrative email accounts
• Assist with event management for TI events
• Responsible for managing own company credit card and weekly receipt reconciliation
• Knowledgeable and well versed in TI policy to assist and enforce with staff
• Support and provide cover for team members as needed
• Ad hoc duties as required

What are we looking for?

• Excellent organisation and attention to detail
• Strong time-management skills and an ability to organise and coordinate multiple concurrent projects
• Strong problem solving and critical thinking ability
• Proficient with Microsoft Outlook, Teams, Sharepoint applications
• Communicates professionally and effectively with colleagues
• Ability to work as part of a diverse team and also independently

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.

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

Owing to the nature of this position, any offer of employment for this role will be subject to a satisfactory basic DBS check.

For more information on this career opportunity please visit our website or contact us at recruitment@cancer.org.uk.

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.