Grant Manager (Research)

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and it’s harming too many lives. At Prostate Cancer UK, one of our top priorities is funding research that leads to real change. It’s vital we do our best to make sure this research makes a meaningful difference to men’s lives, and that’s where you come in.

We’re at an exciting time, with a new strategy coming soon, and so we are looking to grow our Research Funding Team. We’re looking for an enthusiastic and proactive Grant Manager to help us deliver our core funding schemes and embark on new, exciting initiatives to fund ground-breaking research that will revolutionise how prostate cancer is diagnosed and treated.

You’ll take responsibility for a portfolio of around a third of our active research grants, providing support and guidance to the researchers leading them. You’ll be a main point of contact for grant applicants, supporting them through the application process and providing them with guidance about remit and eligibility. Using your understanding of research funding and administration, you’ll work with our Senior Research Officers to make sure our funding schemes run smoothly, to time and support our funding Committees in their review of the applications we receive.

It’s crucial that we not only have fair and robust processes to ensure that we fund the very best research, but that we also closely monitor and support the delivery of the resulting projects, to maximise their impact and accelerate the advancements we see through research. Which is why we’re looking to appoint an experienced Grant Manager to join our Research Directorate.

As part of your responsibilities you’ll manage a portfolio of our active research grants, closely monitoring their progress and finances, and provide valuable support and advice to our grant holders and their teams. You’ll develop a detailed understanding of the science behind these projects and build positive working relationships with the researchers and their institutions. You’ll monitor your portfolio for demonstrable outputs (publications, presentations, intellectual property etc.) and you’ll work closely with colleagues in other teams to help them better understand the research we fund in order to showcase this to our supporters and potential donors.

You’ll support the delivery of our research funding grant schemes, managing at least one of our grant rounds, whilst also supporting our other funding schemes, ensuring that we maintain robust processes and adhere to industry and department standards. You’ll also help direct on our activities to involve people with experience of prostate cancer in research, including their involvement in the assessment of the research proposals we receive, as well as supporting researchers to include patients in the design and delivery of their projects.

This is a really important role to us, as research plays a significant part in our strategy. We’re looking for someone who is passionate about, and experienced in, research funding and grant management. You’ll be motivated to consistently perform to the highest standards, and keen to try new ideas and continually improve the way we manage research grants and engage with the research community.

We’re looking for someone who is enthusiastic about research and able to understand and communicate complex scientific information found in applications, research papers, presentations etc. Being self-assured and clear communicator, you’ll be able to build strong working relationships and provide valuable support to a wide range of stakeholders, including early career and senior researchers. You’ll also be able to handle a wide range of enquiries regarding prostate cancer research, research grant management and policies, and our various funding schemes.

Applicants should possess a meticulous attention to detail and be able to manage your responsibilities independently, prioritising your workload depending on business need. This role will also require you to be proficient in the use of standard IT packages (most notably Microsoft Office applications and tools), ideally with experience of grant management software.

Importantly, you’ll be excited and motivated about achieving major improvements for men with, or at high risk of, prostate cancer.

Every man needs to know about the most common cancer in men – prostate cancer. It’s a real and present danger that takes over 12,000 of our dads, grandads, brothers and friends each year.

Prostate Cancer UK is the largest men’s health charity in the UK. We have a simple ambition – to stop prostate cancer damaging lives. We invest millions in research to revolutionise testing, treatment and care. We’re blazing a trail to a screening programme that could save thousands of lives with regular, accurate tests for all men at risk. And we work tirelessly to spread the word about risk and offer specialist support to people living with the disease.

Work with us and you’ll see your efforts pay off as we give men and their families the power to navigate prostate cancer.

Join our team and be part of an award-winning charity. We’ll support you to develop your skills and expertise.

We offer a

• Generous leave entitlements that increase with service
• One ‘development day’ a month to use for training or personal development
• Enhanced contributory pension scheme
• Life insurance and group income protection
• Health Cash Plan
• Life and wellbeing advice and support via our Employee Assistance Programme
• Discounted gym membership and high street shopping discounts
• Loans for season tickets or cycles

This role is in salary Band 4, with a starting salary of £40,500 to £44,100 per year. We aim to pay the median salary for the charity sector. Following 12 months of successful service, colleagues will move to the midpoint of the pay band. The midpoint salary for this role is £47,700.

Our salaries reflect that the London office is our contractual place of work. We also pay a working-from-home allowance at the HMRC tax-free rate of £312 per year.

We are committed to paying at least the London Living Wage for all roles and apply the updated rate each April.

At Prostate Cancer UK we’re committed to righting health inequalities across the UK, starting with those faced by Black men. This includes ground-breaking research into Black men's risk and working with communities directly to overcome barriers to the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. To make this happen, we're dedicated to being an inclusive, proactive organisation, as we strive to be Allies to Black communities. We’ll achieve this by advocating and working alongside those communities to promote change. We're also working to be Allies to each other, not only protected groups. In 2024, we launched our New Allyship Training Programme. All colleagues at Prostate Cancer UK will be trained to act and identify as an Ally.

We've also signed Business in the Community’s Race at Work Charter, as a dedication to our Black health equity work and wider EDI priorities. As a signatory, we're responsible and accountable for driving positive change.

We’re continuously learning more about the needs of our colleagues, and have three amazing People Networks, sponsored by our Leadership team:

• Pride – A safe space where LGBTQ+ colleagues – and our allies – can share their diverse lived experiences, celebrate LGBTQ+ culture and history, and create new ideas about how our organisation can be more inclusive and representative of LGBTQ+ people
• Mind and Body – Here to increase awareness, promote wellbeing and support colleagues affected by neurodiversity, mental health problems, disability and long-term illness
• Culture Club – Here to increase awareness and celebrate the different cultures and beliefs that we have in the organisation, so that we all have our cultures felt and feel welcomed

Colleagues attend the office

Additional in-person attendance will be required during your first few months for induction and training, to support you to learn the role and get to know colleagues.

We trust colleagues to work flexibly while balancing personal commitments with the needs of the charity, and we are committed to making reasonable adjustments for colleagues with a disability, neurodiversity, or a long-term physical or mental health condition.

For more information about the role, please download the job description and read the ‘How to apply’ section below. This includes the key points to address in your application. To apply click the ‘apply now’ button at the top or bottom of the page which will take you through to our application portal.

To complete your application, you’ll be asked to upload your CV and complete the supporting information section through our application portal. For your supporting statement, please complete parts one and two of the application form; each section has an 8,000-character limit (approximately 1,000 words).

You may find it helpful to use a method such as the ‘

This section is your opportunity to demonstrate how your knowledge, skills, and experience match the role. The information you provide will be used to assess and shortlist applications and you’ll be scored against how you respond to these points.

• Educated to degree level in a bio-medical (or similar relevant subject), and/or with experience of working in research funding /administration.

• Understand the fundamentals of grant funding and research administration, with demonstrable experience of managing grant rounds from start to completion.
• Experience of supporting research funding committees including sourcing suitable reviewers and committee members and their associated governance, including the preparation and delivery of meetings, writing of minutes and providing written feedback for applicants
• Understand the challenges researchers may face and the support they might need when applying for funding or when managing an active research grant.
• Awareness of the wider research funding landscape and associated polices with experience of different funding approaches and eagerness to drive improvements and efficiencies.

This provides you with an opportunity to further support your application, showcase your understanding of the role and show how you feel you’ll be able to contribute to the success of Prostate Cancer UK.

Apply via the apply now link at the top and bottom of this page where you’ll be taken through to our career portal.

We look forward to receiving your application!

Prostate Cancer UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1005541) and in Scotland (SC039332). Registered company number 02653887.