Senior Prospect Research Executive

Senior Prospect Research Executive

• locations
• Stratford (2 Redman Place)

• time type
• Full time

• posted on
• Posted Today

• time left to apply
• End Date: April 4, 2026 (14 days left to apply)

• job requisition id
• R033108

Senior Prospect Research Executive 

£30,000 - £36,000 plus benefits 

Reports to: Senior Prospect Development ManagerDirectorate:  Philanthropy​ Contract: ​Permanent​ 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: Friday 3rd April 2026Recruitment process: 2 stage interview process - initial interview via MS Teams followed by 2nd stage on-site with task. Interview date:  W/C 13th April 2026

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.

Our sector leading Philanthropy team have an exciting opportunity to join as a Senior Prospect Development Executive. We are seeking a diligent and detail‑oriented professional with excellent communication skills, who is confident managing multiple priorities and working proactively across teams.

You will be joining an established and highly collaborative Prospect Development team, currently made up of one Senior Prospect Development Manager (leading the team), three Prospect Development Managers, and one Senior Prospect Development Executive. This role represents an important sixth addition to the team, reflecting continued investment in—and recognition of—the pivotal contribution Prospect Development makes to achieving Philanthropy’s ambitions.

As a Senior Prospect Development Executive you will deliver high‑quality due diligence and prospect management, producing clear and insightful profiles, reports and briefing notes, and supporting the effective monitoring and development of the Philanthropy prospect pipeline, in order to drive income for the Philanthropy directorate. 

As a part of the wider CRUK fundraising efforts, the Philanthropy Directorate is one of the largest and most successful high value fundraising teams in the UK. An ambitious and innovative team of 60 talented philanthropy professionals, our focus is the £400m ‘More Research, Less Cancer’ (MRLC) campaign which has four key priorities: the Francis Crick Institute, Cancer Grand Challenges, Translation & Innovation, and our Future Leaders’ programme. We’ve recently reached the milestone of over £200m.   

This is a great opportunity for someone from a prospect research background, whether this is through major gift fundraising, sales, business development or academia. You’ll be curious, diligent and analytical in your approach. In return you’ll join an award-winning team with lots of development opportunities and the chance to feel the impact of your work in our mission to beat cancer.

What will I be doing? 

• Use a variety of resources and CRUK’s database to identify and research prospects, donors and volunteers to support the work of CRUK, in accordance with the Data Protection Act.

• Responsible for undertaking and delivering bespoke pieces of research independently and along with other team members.

• Responsible for managing processes supporting the smooth running of the team and improving them, where necessary.

• Support with the delivery of pipeline management.

• Maintain high level understanding of the database, supporting accurate data input and output.

• Work with the Research Managers to contribute to the research strategy and operating plan.

• Work collaboratively with colleagues to deliver high quality operations support towards shared strategic goals and income targets.

What are we looking for? 

• Experience of working in a prospect research role, with significant experience in research and analytical skills. Proven ability to identify and solve a range of problems in a straightforward manner with minimal guidance.

• Experience of major gift fundraising and the role that prospect research should play within it, would be beneficial.

• Experience using relational databases with the ability to accurately input, output and interpret information.

• Ability to follow established processes, identify efficiencies.

• Experience using MS Office and emerging technologies, including AI tools, to improve accuracy and productivity.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with excellent attention to detail.

• A positive attitude and willingness to operate as part of a team, and collaborate with wider key stakeholders.

• Good stakeholder management, with the ability to build strong working relationships.

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 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.