Technology Accelerate Scheme 2023

We are now recruiting for our 2023 Accelerate Programme!

We are offering a unique opportunity to join our emerging talent scheme, Accelerate. With Cancer Research UK currently ranked sixth on TARGETjobs top 300 graduate employers, you will be joining one of the best schemes of its kind in the UK.

The two-year rotational programme is made up of a variety of short placements within your chosen business area which will provide you with invaluable cross-organisational insight and the opportunity to develop your skills within a supportive environment.

Are you looking for an exciting development opportunity at one of the UK’s largest health charities?

Why we need you

Cancer Research UK is the world’s largest charity dedicated to beating all types of cancer. We have an opportunity for you to join us on our Accelerate Scheme – Technology to work in teams across our Tech department.

This is a 2-year programme for high potential individuals who want to develop a career in the charity sector within the Technology area. This scheme is replacing the CRUK Graduate scheme.

What will I be doing?

Tech’s ambition is to drive change across the organisation and deliver better outcomes, more quickly, and with more fulfilled colleagues and with deeply engaged stakeholders and partners.

During the 2-year rotational scheme will give you exposure to the key areas of Technology. You will be a part of one or several Product Portfolio teams. These are stable, multi-disciplinary product-centric teams responsible for the end-to-end delivery of work. Within these teams are a number of roles that work in collaboration to help shape and deliver a variety of products, projects and initiatives.

You will experience four different 6 month-long placements in these roles, taking you through one of the following two rotations, depending on your skills and aspirations:

• Design Stream: Business Analysis, Product Management, Service Design and User Experience (UX)
• Engineering Stream: QA Engineering, Front-End Engineering, Back-End Engineering and Data Engineering

This is an exciting time to join as Technology and Data play a key role in helping organisation to deliver it’s vision to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.

What skills are you looking for?

• Candidates who are highly motivated and enthusiastic about CRUK and Technology
• Organisation & project management skills, able to prioritise workload and complete tasks in a timely manner
• Good communication and influencing skills
• Emotional Intelligence
• Adaptability
• Some existing software engineering skills if you are considering the Engineering rotation

Please note – you do not need to have started or completed a Degree to be eligible for this programme.

To read about the programme in more detail please see a link to the Information Pack here

If you require an accessible candidate pack, please let us know.

We’re always looking for people from a wide range of backgrounds, who can bring different perspectives, so you don’t need to have a Degree qualification or any previous charity experience to apply. Cancer is something that impacts everyone and we want our workforce to reflect the diversity of the audience we work with.

What will I gain?

This role will add real value to Cancer Research UK so we want to ensure you’re getting a lot out of it too. As a Trainee you’ll go through a structured development programme with skills training in project management, CV writing and interview skills and you’ll have a buddy to help you settle in. You’ll be eligible for many of our benefits, including paid holiday, and you’ll gain key experience to help you launch your career.

How do I apply?

Please apply online by uploading your details and answering an application question. Please complete an application form for only one of the schemes.

Application process

Stage 1: Online application

Complete an online application form – you’ll be asked to answer a motivational competency question and upload your CV.

Please note, our application process is now anonymised. So please ensure you fill out all of the required fields as well as uploading a CV, as they will be collected for use later in the process.

If you experience any problems submitting an application, please email placements@cancer.org.uk

Stage 2: Online Assessment – Shortly after submitting your application

If your initial application is successful you will then be invited to complete our new situational judgment test. The test poses real life scenarios that a CRUK Trainee might be met with in their day to day role and asks how you would tackle that scenario. This is multiple choice.

Please let us know if you require any adjustments at this stage and how we can best support you.

Stage 3: Audio Submission – Approximately mid Feb onwards

If you are successful in the previous stage, you will be asked to complete an audio submission, answering competency-based questions. The questions will be emailed to you and you will have a few days to submit a response via an audio recording (no video required).

Stage 4: Assessment Centre - 4th April

If you are successful in the previous stage, you will then be invited to our Assessment Centre where you’ll complete a final interview with representatives from the department you are applying to.

Placement Offers – April 2023

Scheme begins in September 2023

There’s a place for everyone at Cancer Research UK. Our vision is to create a charity where everyone feels like they belong, benefits from and participates in, the work we do. We're committed to creating an inclusive culture where everyone can be themselves and reach their full potential.

We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, in particular those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are currently under-represented, and believe that a diverse workforce will help us to beat cancer sooner.

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 don’t expect everyone to meet all of the criteria listed.

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 by emailing us at recruitment@cancer.org.uk.

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.