JOB DESCRIPTION

Credible legal advice. Bold innovation. Solving complex challenges.

Senior Legal Counsel (Technology)

£72,000 – £77,000 (+ Benefits)

Grade: P3

Reports to: Head of Legal

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)​

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.

Closing date: 02 December 2025 23:55

This vacancy may close earlier if a high volume of applications is received or once a suitable candidate is found, therefore we strongly recommend that you apply early to avoid disappointment. If you require more time to apply as part of a reasonable adjustment, please contact [email protected] as soon as possible.

Recruitment process: Two competency-based interviews

Interview date: From the week commencing 08 December 2025

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 fully complete the work history section of the online application form for us to be able to assess you quickly, fairly, and objectively.

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

​​We are professionals with purpose, beating cancer every day. But we need to go much further and much faster. That’s why we’re looking for someone talented, someone who wants to develop their skills, someone like you. ​

This is an opportunity to join Cancer Research UK’s Legal Service team, who are essential to our Strategy. The Legal Service provide credible legal advice across our workforce of hundreds of shops and 2,500+ office staff that enables us to be an inclusive, sustainable, and agile organisation. This involves legally safeguarding the charity whilst maximising efficiency and effectiveness.

As Senior Legal Counsel (Technology), you will lead on complex, high-impact projects, delivering both strategic and operational contracting legal advice to our Technology team. You’ll build trusted relationships, influence decision-making, and partner closely with Technology leadership to enable the successful delivery of Cancer Research UK’s digital transformation and innovation agenda. In addition, you’ll collaborate with the Head of Legal to advance our Legal Services Strategy, improve processes, and strengthen compliance across the charity.

If you’re a qualified lawyer with expertise in technology law and you want to apply your skills to drive innovation and ensure the ethical application of technology towards a purpose-driven mission, we would love for you to join our mission.

What will I be doing?

• Leading on legal matters relating to cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), generative AI (GenAI), and day-to-day technology delivery.

• Leading and negotiating a range of technology contracts (e.g. SaaS, cloud services, software licensing, data sharing, etc.) to support Technology operations and strategic initiatives.

• Providing both strategic and operational legal support and expert advice to Cancer Research UK’s Technology team, enabling the successful delivery of the organisation’s digital transformation, innovation, and regulatory compliance.

• Leading on legal risk assessments for new technology initiatives, ensuring alignment with legislation, ethical standards, and Cancer Research UK’s values.

• Mentoring and fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation.

• Contributing to the development of internal legal capabilities and external legal partnerships.

• Represent Cancer Research UK’s Legal team in cross-functional working groups focused on digital transformation, responsible technology, and innovation governance.

• Monitoring and interpreting legal developments in emerging technologies, contributing to Cancer Research UK’s stance on the responsible use of AI and digital ethics.

• Acting as a member of the Legal Senior Leadership Team (SLT), supporting the wider team by modelling leadership behaviours, championing Cancer Research UK’s values, and driving strategic change within the team.

• Promoting Cancer Research UK’s values (Bold, Human, Together, Credible) through collaborative, transparent, and forward-thinking legal support.

What skills will I need?

• Qualified lawyer with post-qualification experience in technology law and expertise in cybersecurity, AI/GenAI regulation, data protection, and digital contracting.

• Strong interpersonal, communication, influencing, and negotiating skills.

• Strong prioritisation and organisation skills with the ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, manage clients’ expectations, and meet deadlines while maintaining strong attention to detail and accuracy.

• A proactive problem-solver with a continuous improvement mindset, capable of identifying and solving complex problems, championing innovation and promoting best practice.

• Demonstrated commitment to, and interest in, driving innovation and ensuring the ethical application of technology to advance Cancer Research UK’s mission and values.

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.

Additional Information

Owing to the nature of this position, any offer of employment for this role will be subject to a satisfactory basic DBS check.

For more information about working with us please visit our website or contact us at [email protected].

For more updates on our work and careers, follow us on: LinkedIn, 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 [email protected] 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.