Diverse disciplines. Varied challenges. One unique opportunity.  

CHANGE CAPABILITY LEAD

Salary: £58,000 - £62,000 per annum plus benefits

Reports to: Head of Organisational Effectiveness          

Directorate: Chief Operating Office, HR

Working hours: 35 hours per week

Location: Stratford, London w/ high-flex (1 – 2 days per week in the office)

Closing date:  18 January 2026  23:55
Recruitment Process: 1st round: Competency and technical based interview. 2nd round: Presentation and soft skills-based interview

Interviews: Week commencing 26 January 2026

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.

Please let us know if there are any changes or adjustments that would make it easier for you to apply. Please contact [email protected]

Please note: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UK is not able to offer visa sponsorship.

Cancer Research UK are looking for an experienced, people-centric Change Capability Lead to join our new Organisational Effectiveness(OE) Team. As an organisation, we continuously adapt and diversify our approach across all areas, united by the shared goal of beating cancer. We operate with a growth mindset, embracing change to ensure we meet the evolving needs of our mission. To support this our OE team’s goal is to drive sharper strategic alignment, deliver faster, smarter change, increase flexibility, making evidence-based decisions, and maximising resources for stronger results.

In this role you’ll raise CRUK’s people-side-of-change maturity, meeting the organisation and teams where they are and building the skills, routines and support that make adoption the default mindset. You’ll steward our chosen standard (PROSCI-ADKAR), tailoring it to context, and set a clear roadmap so leaders, managers and practitioners can plan, sponsor and sustain change.

This is an enabling role. It will suit someone who has embedded change capability and improved organisational change maturity through influence, able to convene and coach a distributed community, simplify methods, and keep everyone focused on what helps people understand, engage with and sustain change.  You’ll be surrounded by people as dedicated to beating cancer as you are.

What will I be doing?

• Embed CRUK’s chosen change framework (PROSCI-ADKAR) by creating clear guidance, tools and examples that help teams apply it consistently. 

• Set practical standards for change including how to assess impact, map stakeholders, plan communications and support adoption. 

• Build and support a change community by running clinics, peer reviews and sharing good practice across the organisation. 

• Advise programme and project teams to make sure people-side activities are built into plans and delivery milestones. 

• In collaboration with Leadership & Talent team, design role-based learning pathways, toolkits and resources for leaders, managers and practitioners that help them lead change and support their teams effectively. 

• Ensure change is inclusive and fair by working with Employee Experience & Inclusion to monitor impact and improve access to opportunities. 

• Define and track adoption measures with Data & Insight, using feedback to improve tools, standards and learning offers. 

What are we looking for?

Proven enterprise expertise in a people-side-of-change standard (e.g. PROSCI-ADKAR), with sound judgement on tailoring and light method governance in complex organisations. 

• Fluency in capability-maturity and role-based skill frameworks for change (sponsor, manager, practitioner, champion), evidenced by uplift in practice across diverse functions. 

• Depth in sponsorship and manager enablement for change, with a record of turning expectations into simple leader routines that sustain adoption. 

• Advanced readiness, impact and sequencing analysis, including stakeholder mapping and collision/saturation assessment, with proportionate adoption indicators. 

• Community-of-practice leadership and coaching experience, using clinics, peer review and light accreditation to build consistency without bureaucracy.  

• Stakeholder influence & communication, including executive credibility with concise, option-based recommendations that secure decisions. 

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.

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

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