Solicitor

Cancer Research UK; Stratford-upon-Avon; Hybrid; GBP 79,000 - 84,000; Full time

Job summary

Cancer Research UK is seeking a Solicitor to provide effective legal support across IP, commercial and data protection for Cancer Research Horizons. The role focuses on collaboration agreements, spin-out transactions, and practical legal advice to enable scientific discovery.

The successful candidate will combine strong technical expertise with commercial acumen, delivering pragmatic solutions in a dynamic, mission-driven environment with high flexibility in work arrangements.

Qualifications

• Qualified lawyer with post-qualification experience gained in-house and/or in private practice.
• Strong knowledge of commercial law with IP, commercial/company law, and data protection.
• Ability and willingness to rapidly acquire expertise in new legal areas and adapt to evolving business needs.
• Commercially minded, pragmatic and solution-focused, applying sound legal judgement.

Responsibilities

• Provide timely, proactive, pragmatic and commercially-focused legal advice across IP, commercial, corporate and data protection law.
• Draft, review and negotiate a wide range of agreements relating to collaborations, IP protection, and commercial activities.
• Advise on spin-out transactions and associated legal agreements.
• Manage disputes and oversee external legal advisers as needed.
• Promote robust contract management and compliance practices.
• Support policies relating to translational research and intellectual assets.
• Contribute to cross-functional projects and deal teams, reporting legal risks.
• Develop legal resources, templates and guidance, monitoring developments.
• Deliver training and support to business managers to foster a learning culture.

Skills

Commercial law

Intellectual property

Data protection

Drafting & negotiating

Stakeholder management

Legal advisory

Job description

Solicitor (Cancer Research Horizons) Reports to: Senior Solicitor Directorate: Research & Innovation Contract: Permanent Hours: Full time 35 hours per week (other flexible-working requests will also be considered if it meets business needs) Salary: £79,000 - £84,000 pa plus benefits Location Stratford, London Office-based with high flexibility (1-2 days per week in the office) Closing date: Sunday 20th September 2026 at 23.59 If there are any changes or adjustments that would make it easier for you to apply, please contact [e-mail] or 020 3469 8400 as soon as possible.

Recruitment process: Initial virtual interview, followed by onsite F2F interview for successful candidates. Please note: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UK cannot offer visa sponsorship.

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer. To support our mission, we are looking for a dedicated, committed and engaged Solicitor to provide effective legal support to Cancer Research Horizons (CRH). As the world’s biggest medical research charity, we’ve helped bring fourteen new cancer drugs to market. However, there is still an urgent need to bring more effective treatments to patients faster. Cancer Research Horizons (CRH) is CRUK’s internal translation engine. CRUK’s established drug discovery teams operate under one organisation and leadership team. Our unique combination of cancer biology expertise and access to CRUK’s world‑class academic network, coupled with cutting edge technology platforms and clinical expertise enables us to 1) bring new treatments to patients faster and 2) tackle the biggest challenges in discovering cancer drugs by seeking out more radical ideas and embracing risk in our bid to achieve success.

What will I be doing?

• Provide timely, proactive, pragmatic and commercially-focused legal advice and solutions across a broad range of business activities, involving IP, commercial, corporate and data protection law and from time to time extending into other areas of legal practice such as software, pharmaceutical regulatory, insolvency and litigation.
• Develop a strong understanding of CRH and CRUK's operations, building effective relationships with internal stakeholders, external clients and partners.
• Draft, review and negotiate a wide range of agreements relating to collaborative research, intellectual property protection, commercialisation and spin‑out activities.
• Advise on and support spin‑out transactions, including the negotiation and execution of associated legal agreements.
• Manage actual and potential disputes, including instructing and overseeing external legal advisers.
• Promote robust contract management and compliance practices, ensuring adherence to contractual, corporate and legislative requirements.
• Support the development of policies relating to translational research, intellectual assets and other strategic legal matters.
• Contribute to cross-functional projects and deal teams, identifying, managing and reporting significant legal and business risks.
• Develop legal know‑how resources, template agreements and guidance materials, while monitoring and sharing relevant legal and regulatory developments.
• Deliver training, coaching and support to business managers and colleagues, helping to foster a culture of learning and continuous development.

What are we looking for?

This is an excellent opportunity for a confident and solution-focused lawyer who combines strong technical expertise with commercial acumen, clear communication skills, exceptional stakeholder management skills and a dedication to supporting scientific discovery as it advances oncology diagnostics and therapeutics.

• Qualified lawyer with strong legal training and relevant post-qualification experience gained in-house and/or in private practice.
• Strong knowledge of commercial law and best practice, with working knowledge of intellectual property (particularly patents), commercial/company law, and data protection law.
• Ability and willingness to rapidly acquire expertise in new legal areas and adapt to emerging business and legal issues.
• Commercially minded, pragmatic and solution-focused, applying sound legal judgement to deliver practical business outcomes.
• Skilled in drafting, reviewing and negotiating legal agreements and providing clear, actionable legal advice.
• Able to identify, assess and manage legal and business risks, resolving routine issues independently and escalating complex matters appropriately.
• Proven ability to work independently, manage a varied workload, prioritise effectively and deliver high-quality work under pressure and to tight deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal, communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to develop effective internal and external networks and collaborate across teams.
• Client-focused, with a strong understanding of commercial objectives and a commitment to delivering responsive, clear, pragmatic and business-oriented support.
• Positive team player who develops strong and supportive professional relationships with other team members and contributes to the success of the wider Legal Team.

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

What will I gain?

This is a collegiate, supportive and collaborative team, highly-regarded by its business partners and very proud winner of The Lawyer’s In‑house Legal Team of the Year 2025. We provide a wide range of career and personal development opportunities, highly interesting and mission-driven work projects and a generous benefits package. Our policies and processes support your career development, work‑life balance and personal wellbeing. You can explore our benefits by visiting our careers web page.

We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, in particular those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are currently under‑represented.

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.

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.