Senior Project Lead, Clinical Paediatric and Rare Oncology

Job Title: Senior Project Lead, Clinical Paediatric and Rare Oncology
Location: London or Edinburgh
Job Type: Permanent with hybrid working (3 days in the office required)

Closing date: 16 September 2026

Agencies: We will only work with recruitment partners on our preferred supplier list and will not engage with speculative CVs submitted.

Are you passionate about making life science life changing and delivering impact for patients? We want to hear from you.

About the role:

The Senior Project Lead is responsible for the management and oversight of complex clinical projects, driving delivery through effective collaboration within a matrixed internal environment and with external partners. The role enables the progression of assets through clinical development in line with LifeArc’s clinical strategy.

The post-holder is accountable for the delivery of projects to agreed timelines, budget and quality standards, providing clear and accurate reporting to senior stakeholders, and supporting the continuous improvement of clinical processes and systems.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead and manage clinical projects and programmes, ensuring delivery to agreed timelines, budgets, quality standards, and objectives

• Collaborate with external researchers and partners to support the design, setup, and execution of clinical studies

• Develop and maintain project plans, identifying, managing, and mitigating risks to ensure successful project outcomes

• Coordinate cross-functional teams and act as a key point of contact for external collaborations and partnerships

• Contribute to the development of clinical strategies, business cases, governance frameworks, SOPs, and ways of working

• Monitor project progress, milestones, budgets, and KPIs, providing regular updates and ensuring accurate project tracking and reporting

• Support clinical due diligence activities and evaluate opportunities for new clinical collaborations and programmes

• Ensure clinical projects are conducted in compliance with relevant regulatory, ethical, and organisational requirements

Essential experience required:

• Experience of managing clinical studies (in therapeutics, diagnostics, devices or other medical technologies) in either an industry or charity setting

• Therapeutic area experience in paediatric and rare oncology

• Working knowledge of different clinical trials and phases

• Strong understanding of clinical research regulations

• Experience leading cross-functional teams to deliver clinical projects

Desirable:

• Global experience

• IND/CTA experience

• Experience with Regulatory Authority interactions

• Professional qualifications in clinical research, [clinical] project management

Education:

• BSc (or equivalent) in life sciences

Skills & abilities:

• Able to thrive and deliver in a fast-paced and delivery-orientated environment

• Ability to influence others at an organisational and partnership level

• Ability to build, lead, motivate and connect cross-functional matrix teams and projects, identifying synergies and driving operational efficiencies through strategic collaboration

• Strong project management skills ensuring delivery of clinical initiatives

• Critical, analytical thinker and an experienced problem solver

• Able to assimilate complex information and communicate clearly, both verbal and written

• Good interpersonal and relationship building skills, effectively collaborating with a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders

• An organised, analytical thinker, with attention to detail and commitment to quality

• Intellectual curiosity to keep up to date with regulatory, scientific and practical innovations, that support faster and/or more efficient clinical trials

About us:

LifeArc is a not-for-profit life science organisation, leading the way for change in rare diseases in the UK and supporting promising initiatives in global health. We seek out research in areas of unmet need that has great potential, providing support to help it become breakthroughs that change lives.

What we can offer you:

Focused on finding life changing solutions for underserved patients, our people thrive in an inclusive, and supportive environment that prioritises their health and wellbeing. Our multidisciplinary approach guarantees our people growth opportunities, while our culture of innovation and collaboration drives the impact we make delivering on our purpose of ‘putting patients at the centre of everything we do’.

LifeArc is committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible and developing a culture that values differences. As a Disability Confident Employer, we guarantee an interview to candidates with a disability or long-term health condition who meet the essential criteria for the role.

Please note that in certain situations, such as high volumes of applications, it may not be practical to interview all eligible candidates. In these cases, we may need to select those who best meet the essential criteria. (At LifeArc, the Disability Confident Scheme’s ‘minimum criteria’ is referred to as ‘essential criteria’).

Salary will be determined by qualifications and experience along with other exceptional benefits. Because we understand everyone has different requirements, our flexible benefits allow you to choose those which are important to you. Our pension scheme offers employer contributions of up to 12%, private health insurance, and annual leave of 31 days PLUS bank holidays.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people from minority ethnic backgrounds, for example, are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At LifeArc we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so whatever your background or lived experience, if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. Our top priority is finding the best candidate, and you may be just right for this or other roles.

We all have potential. At LifeArc, you’ll discover what you can really do with it.