Senior Governance & Finance Manager

Cancer Research UK; Stratford-upon-Avon; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job description

Senior Governance & Research Finance Manager

£50,000 - £55,000 plus benefits

Reports to: Governance and Research Finance Lead

Directorate: Research & Innovation

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: 27 April 2025 23:55

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.

Recruitment process: Competency based interview via Microsoft Teams

Interview date: 8 May 2025

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

Cancer Research UK are looking for a Senior Governance & Research Finance Manager to join the Grants Management team.

About the team

This is one of three Senior Governance and Finance roles that have recently been created in the Research Operations team. The Research Operations team at Cancer Research UK (CRUK) sits within the Research & Innovation directorate and plays a vital role in supporting the organisation's mission to beat cancer by ensuring the smooth administration of research funding. Research Operations are responsible for managing the full lifecycle of research grants, from application through to award and reconciliation, whilst also ensuring CRUK has assurance that all organisations we fund are compliant with policies, regulations and governance standards. Overall, the team works closely with researchers, research offices, finance teams, and internal stakeholders to ensure that CRUK's funding supports high-quality cancer research in an efficient and effective manner.

In this role you will be responsible for the management of all CRUK's post-award processes, supporting the development, implementation and monitoring of research funding policies and associated governance structures related to funding activities. You will work with the Research Governance & Finance Lead to coordinate activities, forming strong working relationships with teams across R&I to support the effective and proper delivery of funding processes. This role could suit someone currently in a Funding and Assurance Manager role, or a Grants Policy and Finance Manager role. As long as you can demonstrate solid knowledge of the end to end research grant funding process as well as an understanding of the UK research environment then we would love to hear from you.

What will I be doing?

1. Manage all post award grant processes, carrying out grant reconciliations, audit and other assurance processes
2. Working closely with the finance team to ensure our post award processes run efficiently and in accordance with CRUK policies and procedures
3. Drive the development of new or amended research funding policies
4. Work across R&I to implement and monitor CRUK's funding policies and governance structures; ensuring proper conduct of funding activity
5. Deliver projects in collaboration with teams across R&I, providing grants management and research governance expertise
6. Provide expert advice in relation to research policy, grant conditions and any special conditions, developing and maintaining strong relationships across R&I such as with R&I Legal and the Research Funding teams;
7. Support the delivery of new funding schemes and strategic initiatives, supporting the operational development of new research partnerships and funding structures
8. Provide relevant insights to the Senior Research Grants Managers (Pre-Award) to inform operational processes; acting as subject matter experts in funding process and ensuring consistent approaches across the portfolio.
9. Work with Host Institutions to ensure CRUK grants are managed efficiently and effectively and funding policies are adhered to
10. Any other duties commensurate with the role as required by the Research Governance & Finance Lead.

What are you looking for?

1. Excellent planning and organisational skills, ability to prioritise and manage multiple tasks, showing adaptability to meet challenging targets and deadlines.
2. Knowledge of the end to end research grant funding process
3. Understanding of the UK research environment, through experience of working for a funding body and/or recognised research environment;
4. Accuracy and excellent attention to detail, with demonstrable analytical and problem-solving skills
5. Ability to interpret and explain complex information, including financial information, in a clear and concise manner
6. Strong interpersonal and communication skills to be able to develop and maintain excellent working relationships with key internal and external personnel

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 [e-mail].

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.