Organisational Design Lead

• locations
• Stratford (2 Redman Place)

• time type
• Full time

• posted on
• Posted Today

• time left to apply
• End Date: January 19, 2026 (12 days left to apply)

• job requisition id
• R032385

Diverse disciplines. Varied challenges. One unique opportunity.  

ORGANISATIONAL DESIGN 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 23:55Recruitment Process: 1st round: Competency and technical based interview. 2nd round: Presentation and soft skills-based interview

Interviews: Week commencing 26th 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 recruitment@cancer.org.uk

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 Organisational Design 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 it 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 will lead organisational design, so operating models are coherent and aligned. Advise on structures, roles and decision rights; tests options and their impact on ways of working; and spot early design issues. We are looking for some who can shape future-ready job design—including where GenAI reshapes tasks and skills—and guide practical changes that lift effectiveness and increase flexibility and adaptability.

This role would suit someone who enjoys shaping and embedding new practices. You’ll also be surrounded by people who are as dedicated to beating cancer as you are.

What will I be doing?

• Monitor organisational health by running light-touch reviews and flagging early structural issues for deeper assessment.

• Evaluate operating model options to show how changes affect structure, roles, decision-making, governance and ways of working.

• Maintain and share practical design tools to support HRBPs in running local design cycles and ensure consistent quality.

• Use workforce planning insights to guide design decisions and work with Data & Insight colleagues in People Ops to evidence potential impacts.

• Test flexible design approaches such as agile teams, modular roles and new decision-making patterns.

• Assess the impact of GenAI on jobs, using a clear framework to guide automation, redesign and reskilling strategies.

• Align with Leadership & Talent to connect role design with capability development and career pathways.

• Work with Talent Mobility to ensure critical roles and succession plans are reflected in organisational design.

• Support consistent design standards across the organisation by advising on structure and role clarity.

• Promote inclusive design practices that consider accessibility, fairness and future adaptability.

What are you looking for?

• Experience in understanding how to design effective operating models, including structures, roles, decision-making, governance and ways of working, and can explain the pros and cons of different options.

• Experience of assessing the impact of GenAI and automation on jobs, breaking down tasks, identifying risks and recommending fair and practical job redesigns.

• Ability to builds clear transition plans, showing how changes will affect cost, capacity and experience, and mapping steps from current to future state.

• Ability to use workforce planning insights to guide design decisions, linking structure and job choices to future skills and talent needs.

• Accustomed in spotting early signs of structural issues, using simple diagnostics to trigger timely reviews and improvements.
• Able to Interpret data confidently, using simple models and tools to visualise design options and support evidence-based decisions.

• Stakeholder influence & communication skills: credibility with senior leaders; clear framing of options/trade-offs; succinct, decision-oriented papers.

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 recruitment@cancer.org.uk.  

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 recruitment@cancer.org.uk 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.

About Us

We’re the world’s leading cancer charity, dedicated to saving and improving lives with our research.

We work to reduce the impact of cancer on people’s day-to-day lives through our research, influence and information.

We are beating cancer – step by step, day by day. Our work means that people with cancer live better lives through earlier diagnosis and kinder, more effective treatments. Find a purposeful career that will empower you to grow and collaborate with like-minded experts.