Senior Principal Scientist (Project Enablement)

Cancer Research UK; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent UK charity organization is seeking a Senior Principal Scientist to lead the Project Enablement team in Cambridge. This role involves defining strategies for drug discovery and transforming early-stage targets into viable projects. Candidates should have a PhD in a relevant field and extensive industry experience in drug discovery. The position combines scientific leadership with team development and offers a supportive environment with a generous benefits package.

Benefits

Generous benefits package

Career and personal development opportunities

Supportive work environment

Qualifications

• Extensive pre-clinical drug discovery experience in industry.
• Demonstrated project leadership in matrixed environments.
• Experience in establishing and leading external collaborations.

Responsibilities

• Define the vision and strategy for project enablement.
• Lead and develop a matrixed team for decision-making.
• Transform early-stage target prosecution through expertise in screening.

Skills

Pharmacology

Biochemistry

Chemistry

Target feasibility assessment

Project management

Team leadership

Education

PhD in Pharmacology, Biochemistry, Chemistry or equivalent

Tools

High Throughput Screening (HTS)

Design of Experiments (DoE)

Computational modeling

Job description

.Senior Principal Scientist (Project Enablement) under the leadership of **Location:** Cambridge, Babraham Research Campus (minimum 3 days on site)We are looking for a passionate and dedicated scientific professional with extensive experience in We have recently developed a new approach to driving therapeutic innovation through the creation of Cancer Research Horizons (CRH). We have brought together Cancer Research UK’s established drug discovery teams under one organisation and leadership team, combining our unique pipeline of cancer biology expertise and access to CRUK’s world-class academic network, cutting edge technology platforms and clinical expertise 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. In this role, you will define the vision and strategy for CRH early project enablement, establishing robust processes to select and advance promising targets into the drug discovery portfolio. You will lead and develop a matrixed team, guiding them to deliver clear go/nogo decisions through deep expertise in target feasibility and druggability.This role uniquely combines cutting-edge screening expertise with deep mechanistic insight to transform early-stage target prosecution. By leveraging a range of hit identification methods (e.g. HTS, DEL, AS-MS) and rigorous mechanistic understanding, it ensures only the most viable targets progress into drug discovery, this role, the successful candidate will play a pivotal role in training and developing colleagues, including through practical contributions from the bench. You will therefore bring a genuine enthusiasm for working in the lab and guiding those around you. A PhD in Pharmacology, Biochemistry, Chemistry or equivalent experience, with extensive pre-clinical drug discovery experience in industry. Deep intellectual and practical knowledge of methods to assess target feasibility and druggability (eg computational modelling, protein characterisation, assay development, affinity-based methods such as DEL, ASMS). Demonstrated scientific and project leadership in highly matrixed environments, with extensive experience inspiring, developing, and guiding a diverse world‑class team through effective matrix management. Significant experience of establishing and leading external academic and industrial collaborations, and technology change projects, to advance organisational capabilityIf you’reexperience we’d still love to hear from you. interested in applying and excited about working with us but are unsure if you have the right skills and 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 .