Senior Legal Counsel roles
Reports to: Legal Lead
Directorate: Finance, Governance & Assurance
Grade: P3
Location: Office-based with high flexibility (2 days per week in the office)
Salary: £75,000 - £88,000 per annum
Hours: Full-time (35 hours per week)
Application method: Please complete the anonymous application form, making sure all of your experience is included.
Application Deadline: 9th August 2026: 23:59 hours
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.
We’re Transforming Legal at Cancer Research UK
Join us to get hands-on and take ownership of building a modern, strategic, and technology-enabled team that partners closely with the organisation, using data, AI, and innovative ways of working to deliver user-centric legal services that maximise our impact in beating cancer for everyone. We’re looking for builders, pathfinders, and changemakers who:
Can act as a strategic partner, embedding legal into strategy and decision-making across the charity
Thrive in complexity and challenge the status quo, whilst delivering pragmatic timely legal strategies and solutions to enable our work
Are bold in their approach to legal service delivery and design and curious about how to best deploy legal tech and gen AI and AI capabilities for legal work
Care deeply about purpose and impact. You’ll be joining a legal team with dedicated legal operations capabilities leading the organisation with our bold use of gen AI and AI for legal processes and legal work and enabling legal work via data-driven service insights.
You will be doing more than just legal delivery, you will empower teams across the organisation, gaining broad exposure to the internal operations of the UK’s leading cancer charity, deliver real impact, and get involved in shaping the future of Legal at CRUK.
What will be some of the main responsibilities?
Provide high-quality, pragmatic and commercially focused legal advice on complex and strategically important matters, acting as a trusted adviser and strategic business partner who enables and empowers stakeholders to achieve their objectives while effectively managing risk.
Play an active role in shaping the future of Legal at CRUK, contributing ideas, energy and hands-on support to strategic initiatives, service redesign, operational improvements and the development of a modern, user-centric Legal function.
Champion innovation and smarter ways of working, embracing legal technology, data, process improvement and generative AI to enhance legal service delivery, improve client experience and maximise team effectiveness.
Act as a builder, problem-solver and changemaker, bringing a dynamic and adaptable mindset to help develop a legal service that is innovative, efficient, technology-enabled and aligned with CRUK's mission and ambitions.
Bring deep expertise in relevant legal specialisms, acting as a recognised subject matter expert whilst helping to build capability, confidence and legal understanding across the organisation and the Legal team.
Develop innovative, practical and risk-based solutions to complex challenges, combining excellent legal judgement with commercial awareness, curiosity and a focus on achieving positive outcomes for clients.
Manage a diverse and complex portfolio of legal matters independently, maintaining high standards of legal excellence while operating with agility, pace and a strong client-service mindset.
Act as a collaborative team player within the function, sharing expertise, coaching colleagues, providing technical guidance and contributing to a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
Work closely with the Legal Lead to support the effective delivery of legal services, helping to identify risks, resourcing pressures, opportunities for improvement and new approaches that strengthen how Legal supports the organisation.
What skills are we looking for?
Significant experience operating as a Senior Legal Counsel or equivalent within a fast-paced or complex legal services environment which could include private practice, commercial or charity experience
A dynamic and agile approach, with the confidence to navigate complexity, manage competing priorities and enable decision-making.
Strong legal negotiation and advisory experience across a broad range of complex matters including a good understanding of commercial contracting.
The ability to act as a trusted business partner, building strong stakeholder relationships and providing pragmatic, solutions-focused advice.
Experience driving improvements in legal service delivery, processes, ways of working or legal operations.
A genuine interest in innovation, legal technology and new approaches that enhance client experience and team effectiveness.
A commitment to delivering an empowered, user-centric legal service that balances legal risk with organisational objectives.
What will I gain?
Each and every one of our employees contributes to our progress and is supporting our work to beat cancer. We think that’s impressive.
In return, we make sure you are supported by a generous benefits package, a wide range of career and personal development opportunities and high-quality tools, policies and processes to enable you to do your job well.
Our benefits package includes a substantial retirement plan, a generous and flexible leave allowance, discounts on anything from travel to technology, gym membership, and much more.
We don’t forget people have lives outside of work too and so we actively encourage a flexible working culture.
Our work – from funding cutting-edge research to developing public policy – will change the world. It’s exciting to be part of our team.
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 quickly, fairly and objectively.
For more information on this career opportunity please visit our website or contact us at [email protected].
For more updates on our work and careers, follow us on: Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.
There’s a place for everyone at Cancer Research UK. Our vision is to create a charity where everyone feels like they belong, benefits from and participates in, the work we do. We're committed to creating an inclusive culture where everyone can be themselves and reach their full potential.
We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, in particular those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are currently under-represented, and believe that a diverse workforce will help us to beat cancer sooner.
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. We don’t expect everyone to meet all of the criteria listed.
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 by emailing us at [email protected].
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.
Skills Required
- Significant experience operating as a Senior Legal Counsel or equivalent in private practice, commercial or charity environments.
- Strong legal negotiation and advisory experience across a broad range of complex matters, including commercial contracting.
- Experience driving improvements in legal service delivery, processes, ways of working or legal operations.
- Ability to act as a trusted business partner, building stakeholder relationships and providing pragmatic, solutions-focused advice.
- Dynamic and agile approach with ability to navigate complexity and manage competing priorities.
- Genuine interest in innovation, legal technology, generative AI and data-driven approaches to legal work.
- Commitment to delivering an empowered, user-centric legal service that balances legal risk with organisational objectives.
- Eligibility to work in the UK (Cancer Research UK cannot offer visa sponsorship).
What We Do
Cancer Research UK is the world's leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research, influence and information. Nearly one in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime, but we’re finding new ways to outsmart it, so that more people can live longer, better lives free from the fear of cancer. We carry out scientific research to help prevent, diagnose and treat cancer and our groundbreaking work, funded almost entirely by the general public, will ensure that millions more people survive. Together we are beating cancer. Registered charity No. 1089464
