Organisational Development Senior Specialist

Diverse disciplines. Varied challenges. One unique opportunity.

Organisational Development Senior Specialist

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

Reports to: Head of Organisational Effectiveness

Directorate: Chief Operating Office, HR

Working hours: Permanent, 35 hours per week

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

Closing date: 1 February 2026, 23:55

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

Interviews: From 10th February 2026

Please let us know if there is anything about the recruitment process that you would like to discuss, in particular if there are any reasonable adjustments that would make it easier for you to apply. Please contact .

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.

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.

This role is all about making a real difference to how we work together at Cancer Research UK. You'll turn big priorities from our People Plan and Directorates into practical changes that help teams thrive and perform at their best. From diagnosing challenges and shaping options to co-designing and delivering interventions, you'll make sure improvements stick and have measurable impact. You'll lead on the most complex, high-risk projects and play a key role in coaching and supporting colleagues to build Organisational Capability across the organisation.

What will I be doing?

• Partner with HRBPs and Centres of Expertise to scope work clearly agreeing outcomes, timelines, and success measures so everyone is aligned.
• Lead complex OD projects from start to finish-defining the problem, exploring options, and agreeing what success looks like with senior stakeholders.
• Ensure quality delivery by setting clear standards, reviewing work, and turning lessons learned into tools others can reuse.
• Coach and guide colleagues and partners during delivery-helping them strengthen their design, facilitation, and evaluation skills.
• Diagnose organisational challenges using structured methods like interviews, workshops, and data analysis to uncover root causes across leadership, team dynamics, culture, and ways of working.
• Develop and present clear options and recommendations to stakeholders, outlining trade-offs and expected benefits to support informed decisions.
• Co-design scalable OD interventions that are inclusive, practical, and focused on areas like leadership, team effectiveness, and change enablement.
• Deliver and facilitate complex OD interventions as part of a flexible consulting pool-adapting in real time while staying focused on agreed outcomes.
• Support adoption and embedding of new practices by creating practical tools and guidance with Organisational Effectiveness and Leadership & Talent teams.
• Evaluate impact using defined measures and feedback loops-turning insights into actionable next steps and sharing learnings widely.
• Manage a balanced portfolio of work, planning logistics, travel, and resources to ensure safe, inclusive, and effective delivery.
• Build trusted relationships across CRUK to understand organisational context and influence change through credible, evidence-based advice.

What are we looking for?

• Advanced OD consulting expertise in complex settings, with a track record of turning ambiguous problems into clear options and value cases that senior leaders support.
• Team-effectiveness and facilitation mastery-reading dynamics, designing high-stakes sessions, and sustaining behaviour shifts across CRUK contexts.
• Culture and behaviour-change craft-translating desired leadership behaviours into simple, repeatable routines that stick.
• Systems and workflow thinking-simplifying processes, anticipating digital implications, and setting acceptance criteria for feasible, adoptable changes.
• Evaluation literacy-using mixed methods to set baselines, define indicators, and link actions to outcomes; confident impact storytelling for senior audiences.
• Scale and quality assurance capability-converting effective approaches into reusable playbooks and coaching others to consistent standards.
• Change adoption and enablement experience-proven ability to establish new ways of working and demonstrate uptake and outcomes.
• Stakeholder influence and communication skills-credibility with senior leaders and concise, decision-oriented storytelling.
• Inclusive practice and accessibility-consistent application of equity and ethical principles in design, facilitation, and data handling.
• Confidence working in a matrix environment-scoping and delivering through others, managing pace and quality without direct authority.

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.

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