Principal Statistical Programmer
£58,000 - £66,000 plus benefits
Reports to: Lead Statistician
Directorate: Research & Innovation
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time 35 hours per week
Location: Stratford, London Office-based with high flexibility (1-2 days per month in the office)
Closing date: 16 November 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. Please let us know if there is anything about the recruitment process that you would like to discuss, in particular if there are any changes or adjustments that would make it easier for you to apply. Please contact recruitment@cancer.org.uk or 020 3469 8400 as soon as possible.
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: Screening call followed by competency based interview.
At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.
We have a new, exciting opportunity for a Principal Statistical Programmer to join our Centre for Drug Development (CDD).
The Cancer Research UK CDD is the world's only charity-funded drug development facility. Our pioneering research is driven purely by the goal to see scientific breakthroughs bring benefits to patients sooner. CDD is the sponsor of early phase and precision medicine clinical trials in oncology agents. Our broad portfolio rivals that of a medium-sized pharmaceutical company, spanning antibodies, cell therapies, vaccines, drug conjugates and small molecules, making this an interesting and dynamic area to work in. We have recently embarked on an exciting period of growth and strategic evolution that will underpin our ambition to become the ‘go-to’ European centre for drug development in the non-commercial sector. We have recently put in place collaborative agreements with likeminded funders of cancer research, the Dutch Cancer Society (KWF) and the Norwegian Cancer Society (NCS) to support joint efforts in translating research into real patient benefit.
Lead the statistical programming related strategy across Cancer Research UK's Centre for Drug Development (CDD) sponsored early phase oncology clinical trials. This role will require both hands-on programming expertise and oversight to vendors for all statistical programming related activities across the portfolio.
This role offers a unique opportunity to drive patient benefit through CRUK’s distinctive position in the research community, particularly in early-phase trials. As the main point of contact for a statistical programmer, the role focuses on initiating and improving processes across CDD’s portfolio, enhancing reporting capabilities, streamlining activities, and increasing scalability and consistency. These improvements unlock greater possibilities for CRUK, enabling teams to focus on what matters most bringing more products to trial and allowing more patients to participate.
Lead the Statistical Programming strategy, providing technical leadership and oversight across the CDD portfolio.
Develop SOPs, guidance documents, standards, and processes related to Statistical Programming, ensuring alignment with Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC) standards and regulatory expectation.
In collaboration with the Lead Statistician and key stakeholders, determine an optimised and innovative reporting process for CDD trials and manage related budgets.
Liaise and work with other CDD Managers to maintain oversight of project status, risks and quality against project goals and key metrics. Escalate issues where appropriate.
Oversee vendor partnerships and ensure consistent quality and compliance of outsourced statistical programming activities.
Where appropriate, fulfil the role of a statistical programmer for CDD-sponsored clinical studies, providing hands-on statistical programming support.
Provide oversight, review and QC statistical deliverables from vendors (e.g. Dataset specifications, Statistical Analysis Plans, Tables, Listings, Figures, etc.)
Ensure adherence to global regulatory requirements, internal SOPs, and industry best practices.
Degree or equivalent experience in mathematics, statistics, computer science, life sciences or related field (preferable PHD or Masters)
Extensive experience working as a statistical programmer on oncology clinical trials.
Extensive Expertise in SAS programming.
Significant understanding of drug development, including complex endpoints
Early phase development experience would be beneficial
Proactive and self-motivated to drive change and improvements.
Collaborative and influential with good relationship building skills
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.
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.
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 recruitment@cancer.org.uk.
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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 recruitment@cancer.org.uk 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.