Senior Strategy Manager

We are seeking candidates with substantial strategy experience either in top-tier management consultancy or in-house strategy teams, who have led complex, cross-organisational projects and worked directly with senior executives and board members.

Proven experience leading and delivering organisational strategy projects at pace - from defining the scope to driving decisions and transitioning to delivery.

Confidence and credibility in engaging with Board-level stakeholders, navigating unfamiliar subject areas, simplifying complexity, and guiding decision-making.

Breadth of cross-organisational experience and project types (e.g. long-term strategy, reviewing a major part of the business, strategic options assessment to drive growth, organisation design).

Ability to draw on deep personal experience to tackle new and complex strategic challenges, think creatively, and proactively define effective approaches to deliver the work.

Strong strategic thinking - able to interpret complex information, see the big picture, and apply financial and business acumen to manage trade-offs and support conclusions.

Excellent communication and presentation skills - able to distil complexity into clear, actionable insight that enables major organisational decisions.

A collaborative team player who can lead, support, and coach others effectively, contribute to building the team and a good place to work.

Comfortable working flexibly in a fast-changing environment.

Numerate and financially literate, with the ability to analyse and model data, and communicate findings in a clear and accessible way.

This role is not suitable for general project managers or those without direct experience in shaping business strategy at an organisational level.

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 the job involves:

• Reports to: Head of Strategy
• Directorate: Strategy & Philanthropy
• Contract: Permanent
• Hours: Full time 35 hours per week (We will consider requests for flexible working and compressed hours)

We are looking for a Senior Strategy Manager to join our small, high-performing in-house Strategy Team. The Strategy Team helps leaders at Cancer Research UK to make choices about its future, set its long-term strategy and direction, and coordinate its plans to help beat cancer faster.

We work on Board and Council-level priorities that shape the future of the organisation, often involving complex, cross-organisational trade-offs and decisions that materially change how we operate. We act as independent advisors, helping leadership to navigate difficult choices, and ensure the organisation, our operations, and the choices we make are aligned and optimised to deliver our mission as effectively as possible.

We bring insight, structure and creativity to challenging strategic questions, and foster a strong culture of learning and development.

Cancer Research UK is the world’s largest independent cancer research organisation, with 4000+ staff bringing in £700m+ revenue through a world-class fundraising and philanthropy operation and a network of 500+ shops. Our income enables us to fund scientific research through a network of 4000+ scientists, 90 research institutions and global partnerships. We also use evidence to influence public policy and to provide information to patients.

Through our commercial arm - Cancer Research Horizons - we invest and partner to take scientific breakthroughs from the lab to the bedside, translating them into effective treatments and diagnostics for cancer patients.

This is a high-impact, high-visibility role, which requires strategic leadership, intellectual agility, and the ability to simplify complexity and drive clarity in ambiguous environments.

As one of three Senior Strategy Managers in the team, you will lead major strategy projects, working directly with Executive Directors and Trustees. In return you’ll have the opportunity to shape decisions that influence how Cancer Research UK invests, grows, and evolves - across areas as diverse as scientific research, fundraising, retail, commercial ventures, and organisational design. You’ll be motivated by our mission and excited to work across the full breadth of what Cancer Research UK does.

Experience in fundraising, life sciences, healthcare or not-for-profit is a plus.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead, own, and manage high-impact strategy projects, from initial scoping, defining the approach, through to recommendations and decisions.
• Identify and frame key strategic questions, simplify complexity, and break down problems to generate new insights and drive actionable decisions.
• Navigate and balance multiple senior stakeholders’ perspectives, pushing back when needed, to achieve the best outcomes for CRUK.
• Influence - without direct line management - by working in partnership and collaboration with stakeholders across the organisation.
• Operate at pace in a dynamic environment, managing scope, resources, competing priorities and your own workload, across multiple projects.
• Conduct rigorous qualitative and quantitative analysis to explore complex strategic issues and support evidence-based decision-making.
• Bring external insight - from market trends, partners, competitors, and people affected by cancer - to inform strategic choices and direction.
• Coach and support Strategy Managers and other colleagues across CRUK to build strategic capability, navigate ambiguity, and unblock delivery challenges.
• Build strong, collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders to enable effective strategy development and execution.
• Synthesise insights into clear, compelling recommendations and produce high-quality papers and presentations for senior audiences, including Executive and Trustee meetings.