Purposeful vision. Ambitious strategies. Personalised experiences for all. 

Director of Audience Strategy & Innovation

£120,000 - £140,000 plus benefits

Reports to: Executive Director of Marketing, Fundraising and Engagement

Directorate: Marketing, Fundraising & Engagement (MFE)

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time 35 hours

Location: Stratford, London Office-based with high flexibility (1-2 days per week in the office)

Full job description: https://cancerresearchuk.ee.app.crnet.org/Candidate+Pack+-+Director+of+Audience%2C+Strategy+%26+Innovation.pdf

Closing date: 19th November 2024 23:55

Recruitment process: Upload CV and respond to screening question. The selection will consist of an initial screening call and a 2 stage interview process.

Interview date: 1st round – 2nd December, 2nd round - 19th December

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

CRUK has a bold long-term strategy and transformational 3-year plan which will see the charity improve its impact, engagement and income. A key pillar of this plan is the Engage Transformation Programme which will allow us to understand our supporters’, volunteers’ and information seekers’ needs and motivations and allow us to personalise their experience, through the use of enhanced data and digital capability, and so becoming truly an audience- centred organisation. Our vision is to inspire millions to play the biggest role they can in beating cancer thereby increasing CRUK’s impact and value created.

We now have an exciting new opportunity to lead our Audience, Strategy, and Innovation teams and through this strategy and drive large scale change and innovation across the directorate through the identification, testing, and further implementation of innovative initiatives to significantly contribute towards an ambitious growth target. The successful candidate will possess substantial experience in establishing ambitious but realistic strategies to support the journey of an organisation to become truly audience-centric, along with the leadership and people skills necessary to guide and inspire a talented team through significant multi-year transformation.

What will I be doing?

• Serve as the primary architect of the Marketing, Fundraising, and Engagement’s audience-centric strategy, driving its development and ensuring its alignment with long-term organisational goals and sustainable growth.

• Establish and guide the innovation function and framework across the Marketing, Fundraising, and Engagement Directorate, prioritising and nurturing innovative ideas that align with strategic objectives and handing off execution to relevant teams.

• Collaborate with the Director of Data, Insight, and Performance to integrate data insights into strategic planning, using these insights to inform high-level decision-making and optimize audience journeys.

• Lead the transformation initiatives necessary to embed audience-centric practices across Marketing, Fundraising, and events, fostering cross-functional collaboration and ensuring strategic alignment throughout the organisation.

• Assess and prioritise significant opportunities for growth across based on a clear understanding of current supporter experience, CRUK’s offer and consumer, market and technical change.

• Guide the Audience, Strategy, and Innovation teams through a significant cultural and capability shift towards a genuinely audience-centric approach. Ensure the teams are confident and capable in their audience-led strategies, and continuously drive innovation and adaptability.

What are you looking for?

• Proven expertise in developing and executing comprehensive, sudience led strategies, specifically tailored to drive contribution growth and enhance lifetime customer value

• Demonstrated ability to establish and lead innovation frameworks, fostering a culture of creativity and strategic thinking.

• In-depth knowledge of the consumer, marketing and technical landscape, with a strong capability to scan, analyse, and interpret external developments and audience trends

• Strong understanding of the supporter/customer experience with the ability to design, optimize, and leverage initiatives to enhance engagement and value.

• Expertise in leading and embedding successful transformation initiatives within a large, complex organisation

• Extensive experience in overseeing complex planning cycles in a large organisation

• Demonstrated ability to provide strong organisational leadership, articulate a clear vision aligned with the organisation’s mission, and inspire teams to achieve excellence.

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.

For more information on this career opportunity please visit our website or contact us at [email protected].  

For more updates on our work and careers, follow us on: Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

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 [email protected] 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.