Strategic Workforce Planning & Performance Lead
Company: Cancer Research UK (CRUK)
Salary: £58,000 - £60,000 per annum
Reports to: Head of Organisational Effectiveness
Directorate: Chief Operating Office
Working hours: 35 hours per week
Location: Stratford, London – high‑ (1–2 days per week in the office)
Closing date: 23:59 7th December
Eligibility: You must be eligible to work in the UK. Cancer Research UK does not offer visa sponsorship.
Summary of Role’s Main Purpose
Lead Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP) and own planning & performance for the People Plan. Enable consistent SWP cycles with HRBPs, turn scenarios into prioritised actions and trade‑offs, and maintain a clear, timely view of progress, risks and impact. Embed simple routines and measures across HR so delivery stays on track and decisions happen at the right time.
Key Responsibilities
* Lead SWP to guide HR teams in running consistent planning cycles and identifying future workforce needs.
* Translate workforce scenarios into clear risks, gaps and options to support long‑term decision‑making and prioritisation.
* Define and monitor critical roles and skills to inform build‑buy‑move strategies and shape People Plan actions.
* Own the People Plan roadmap to track progress, manage dependencies and provide clear recommendations to senior stakeholders.
* Embed planning and performance routines across HR to ensure consistent ways of working and build capability in teams.
* Prepare governance updates to present People Plan progress, support decision‑making and ensure actions are followed through.
* Work with Data & Insight colleagues to shape the questions, indicators and narrative that drive meaningful analysis and reporting.
* Work with the HR People Analytics Manager to manage dashboard development priorities to ensure reporting tools meet planning needs without duplicating effort.
* Support HR leaders and workstream owners to interpret insights and take action that improves delivery and impact.
* Use resources effectively, including time, data and external support, to maximise value and ensure alignment with CRUK’s goals.
* Safeguard fairness, accessibility and confidentiality throughout assessments, decisions and opportunities.
* Commit to Cancer Research UK’s vision to bring forward the day all cancers are cured.
* Undertake other tasks as necessary to contribute to the team objectives and those of Cancer Research UK.
Minimum Criteria (Key Technical Skills, Knowledge, Experience and Behaviours)
* Proven Strategic Workforce Planning expertise, modelling demand/supply and scenarios with clear assumptions and ranges and applying disciplined methods that HRBPs can use consistently.
* Skills-based planning literacy (role‑skill mapping, proficiency definitions, criticality signals) to identify gaps and shape practical build‑buy‑move options.
* Ability to interpret workforce trends confidently, blending internal patterns (attrition, movement, productivity) with external labour‑market signals to inform long‑term choices.
Strong portfolio skills – track progress, dependencies, risks and benefits, surfacing decision points at the right time.
* Convert insight into decision‑ready storytelling, defining a small set of meaningful indicators and producing concise options and trade‑offs for senior audiences.
Additional Criteria
* Partner effectively with data teams, shaping questions, measures and definitions, and reading dashboards/forecasts without duplicating analytical build.
* Lift planning & performance capability across HR by creating simple tools and running short clinics that make routines stick and improve delivery.
* Demonstrated ability to establish new planning/performance ways of working and show uptake and outcomes.
* Credibility with senior leaders; skillful framing of trade‑offs; succinct, decision‑oriented papers.
* Inclusive practice & accessibility: design planning approaches that are fair, accessible and mindful of equity impacts on different groups.
Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, particularly those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are currently under‑represented. We want every candidate to perform at their best throughout the application and interview process and while at work. Please inform us of any concerns or adjustments you might need to enable this to happen by contacting recruitment@cancer.org.uk or calling 020 3469 8400.
We do not recruit individuals below 18 years of age to protect young people from health & safety and safeguarding risks.
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