Vice President, Bioscience

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Vice President, Bioscience (under the leadership of Rachel Grimley) Reports to: SVP Drug Discovery Directorate: Research & Innovation Contract: Permanent Hours: Full time 35 hours per week (other flexible-working requests will also be considered if it meets business needs) Location: Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge OR CRUK Scotland Institute, Glasgow . Lab-based with flexibility (3 days minimum per week onsite at the laboratory site). There will be regular travel to the second site every 4-6 weeks. Closing date: Sunday 12th July 2026 23:55 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. Visa sponsorship: Cancer Research UK can consider visa sponsorship for this vacancy. If this applies to you, please ensure that this is clearly marked on your application. Recruitment process: Initial telephone screening interview, followed by onsite F2F assessment for successful candidates. At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer. To support our mission, we are looking for a passionate and dedicated scientific professional with extensive experience in pre-clinical drug discovery in an industrial setting to join us as Vice President, Bioscience. As the world's biggest medical research charity, we've helped bring fourteen new cancer drugs to market . However, there is still an urgent need to bring more effective treatments to patients faster. Cancer Research Horizons (CRH) is CRUK's internal translation engine. CRUK's established drug discovery teams operate under one organisation and leadership team. Our unique combination of cancer biology expertise and access to CRUK's world-class academic network, coupled with cutting edge technology platforms and clinical expertise enables us to 1) bring new treatments to patients faster and 2) tackle the biggest challenges in discovering cancer drugs by seeking out more radical ideas and embracing risk in our bid to achieve success. Based at sites in Cambridge, the CRUK Scotland Institute in Glasgow, and Newcastle University, Cancer Research Horizons employs ~180 staff from both industrial and academic backgrounds What will I be doing? Reporting to the SVP, Drug Discovery, you'll set the vision and lead a ~45-strong Bioscience team, accelerating breakthrough therapies into clinical development. As a key Leadership Team member, you'll also shape the wider strategic direction of CRH Therapeutic Innovation. You'll inspire a high-performing oncology biology function, driving projects from early target validation through to pre-clinical candidates with clear clinical positioning. A recognised leader, you'll champion innovation (including novel modalities), build impactful internal science, and leverage external partnerships to advance the portfolio. Key accountabilities include: Defining the strategy for, and implementation of, underlying biology to support and drive drug discovery from target validation through to delivery of pre-clinical candidates with defined clinical positioning. Be a recognised and passionate scientific leader in the Oncology space, able to represent the department across a broad range of therapeutic projects and cross-site initiatives, and also externally. Exploit a strong personal network to impact on innovation and future directions. Accountable for managing performance, and leading and developing an inclusive and high functioning bioscience department (~45 colleagues). Communicate effectively, to influence multiple stakeholders and collaborate across projects and sites. Promote scientific excellence, through external publication, presentations, and membership of conference committees and Scientific Advisory Boards. Ensure equality and diversity is celebrated and considered as part of all decisions taken. What are we looking for? We are looking for an outstanding people leader with proven expertise in delivering novel oncology therapies to the clinic. An ability to think "outside of the box" coupled with strategic thinking and a laser-focus on the key challenges to be addressed. You will also bring: PhD in Biology, Pharmacology, Biochemistry (or equivalent) with extensive industry experience in pre-clinical oncology drug discovery Proven track record of delivering innovative pre-clinical candidates across diverse and challenging target classes Experience (or strong awareness) of cutting-edge AI technologies in drug discovery Recognised leader in oncology, with a strong professional network, publications, and external visibility Demonstrated success building, leading, and developing high-performing, diverse teams in matrix environments Extensive experience driving external academic/industry collaborations and technology innovation Strong track record of delivering across complex portfolios, balancing scientific, strategic, financial, and people priorities Strategic, forward-thinking leader with sound judgement, integr

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