Personal Assistant (12 Month FTC)

• locations
• Stratford (2 Redman Place)

• time type
• Full time

• posted on
• Posted Today

• time left to apply
• End Date: January 12, 2026 (5 days left to apply)

• job requisition id
• R032645

True collaboration. Room for vision. Inspiring teams 

Personal Assistant – 12 Month FTC 

£34,000 - £40,000 plus benefits

Reports to: Programme Director – AI Implementation 

Directorate: Chief Operating Office  

Contract: Fixed Term Contract for 12 months 

Hours: Full time 35 hours per week 

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

Closing date:  

11th January 23:59 (Externally) 

18th January 23:59 (Internally) 

Please let us know if there is anything about the recruitment process that you would like to discuss, in particular 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: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UK is not able to offer visa sponsorship. 

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer. 

We’re looking for an experienced and highly organised Personal Assistant to join us within the Chief Operating Office directorate. In this pivotal and varied role, you will support two Directors: the Programme Director – AI Implementation and the Engage Transformation Programme Director

To thrive in this role, you will have solid experience supporting two or more Directors and be comfortable working in changing environments. You’ll also be pro-active with the ability to manage multiple tasks at once, and you’ll be happy working with different personalities and at varying paces.

What will I be doing? 

• Proactively managing complex schedules and diaries, updating and communicating changes effectively, being reactive to change whilst maintaining a positive attitude

• Managing the Directors’ inboxes as agreed and using own initiative to action emails as appropriate, and implementing and maintaining a flagging system to help Directors prioritise and alleviate workloads

• Collating related paperwork for meetings, including briefing notes, following up on action points, agendas and minutes

• Producing clear and concise schedules for meetings, travel, conferences and external engagements as required

• Responsible for logistical tasks relating to Directors including raising purchase orders, arranging payment of invoices, general administrative work including room bookings, arranging catering for meetings, managing expenses, updating organograms and distribution lists

• Ensuring appropriate approvals are obtained for purchase orders, expenses and contracts

• Proactively supporting recruitment processes, including scheduling of interviews, and induction processes for new starters including general set up and arranging IT equipment

• Providing support for ad-hoc tasks as and when required

• Working as part of a close PA and administrative team, ensuring everyone is kept up to date on activity across the directorate, supporting and covering for other PAs as required

What are we looking for? 

• Experience of providing high level support to two or more Directors

• Experience in diary management, travel management document preparation (PowerPoint presentations, meeting agendas, correspondence) and minute taking

• Confident with Microsoft Package (OneNote, Excel, Teams, CoPilot)

• Good communication skills and ability to communicate effectively at all levels – relationship builder

• Proactive and self-motivated

• Excellent planning and organisational ability for yourself and others

• Excellent prioritisation and time management skills with a flexible approach to taking on ad hoc projects/work

• Ability to maintain confidentiality and use discretion and diplomacy

• Identify and understand the needs of others and manage expectations

• Develop strong relationships with all internal teams within each Directors’ departments

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 

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recruitment@cancer.org.uk

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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.