Procurement Associate
(Internally known as Commercial Operations Associate)
£38,000 - £43,000 plus benefits
Reports to: Commercial Operations Manager
Directorate: Research & Innovation
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time 35 hours per week
Location: Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge (High Flex 1-2 days per week on-site)
Closing date: Tuesday 7th July 23:55pm
Recruitment process: Screening call followed by competency-based interview on-site.
Interview date: Screening calls will take place from the week commencing the 13th July, with on-site interviews the following week (Either the 21st / 23rd July)
Please note: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UK is not able to offer visa sponsorship.
At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.
We have an exciting opportunity for a commercially minded individual to join our Operations team in Cambridge. In this role, you will provide essential support to the Therapeutic Innovation (TI) Operations team, playing a key part in managing contract documentation, coordinating approvals, maintaining compliance, and supporting the administration of supplier agreements.
Working closely with scientific and operational colleagues across the organisation, you will support purchasing, procurement, and contracting activities, including purchase order management, pricing updates, and reporting. You will act as a first point of contact for routine supplier queries and commercial processes, helping to ensure issues are resolved efficiently and professionally.
You will also be responsible for maintaining accurate and up-to-date contract and supplier records, including approvals, renewals, and due diligence information. By collaborating with internal stakeholders, you will help ensure that commercial processes run smoothly, consistently, and in line with organisational requirements.
This is a high-flex role with the successful applicant expected to be on site 1-2 days per week. Travel to other sites will be required on an ad hoc basis.
What will you be doing?
- Support the coordination of purchasing and contract processes for TI. (Therapeutic Innovation).
- Work with internal teams (Commercial Partnerships, Legal, Procurement, Finance, Technology) to ensure smooth supplier interactions.
- Provide administrative and operational support for procurement and contracting activities.
- Assist with pricing updates, raising and receipting purchase orders, and commercial reporting.
- Maintain accurate contract and supplier records, including approvals, renewals, and obligations tracking.
- Support due diligence checks and maintain supplier information in compliance with policies.
- Contribute to process improvements by suggesting ways to streamline workflows.
- Act as a first point of contact for routine supplier queries and escalate complex issues as needed.
- Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
- Monitor CRH TI Commercial Helpdesk tickets and review, triage and resolve where possible those relating to logistics, escalating to other Operations Team members as required.
- Support and provide cover for team members as needed.
- Ad hoc duties as required.
What are we looking for?
- Experience in contract management, ideally in the Life Sciences sector.
- Understanding of commercial terms, procurement processes, and risk management would be highly advantageous.
- Experience working with procurement and contract management software.
- Strong organisational skills with attention to detail and ability to manage multiple tasks.
- Good communication skills and confidence in working with diverse stakeholders.
- Proactive, solution-oriented mindset and willingness to learn.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
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 and take positive steps in your career.
You can explore our benefits by visiting our careers web page .
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 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 .
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 0 20 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.
