Portfolio Performance Lead Job in UK 2026 Cancer Research UK

An exciting leadership opportunity is now available in London for experienced performance and strategy professionals seeking to make a global impact. Cancer-focused innovation meets data-driven decision-making in this Portfolio Performance Lead role, based in Stratford, England, offering a salary of £65,000-£70,000 plus benefits and Skilled Worker visa sponsorship for eligible international candidates.

This permanent, full-time position (35 hours per week) follows a highly flexible hybrid model, with just 1-2 days per week in the office, making it an attractive option for overseas professionals relocating to the UK.

As Portfolio Performance Lead, you will sit at the heart of organisational strategy, shaping how fundraising, marketing, and engagement performance is measured, understood, and optimised. You will build a unified, trusted view of portfolio-wide performance, translating complex data into clear insights that guide senior leadership decisions.

This is a high-impact leadership role combining people management, performance frameworks, and strategic storytelling. You will lead Senior Performance Managers, collaborate closely with finance, data, insight, and marketing teams. You will also help embed a culture of audience-led, outcome-focused decision-making across the organisation.

Cancer Research UK is one of the world's leading cancer charities, funding pioneering research and driving transformational change in how people engage with lifesaving causes. With a bold mission to help everyone live longer, better lives free from cancer, the organisation invests heavily in insight, digital innovation, and supporter experience.

Joining Cancer Research UK means becoming part of a collaborative, purpose-driven environment where your work directly supports groundbreaking research and global health outcomes.

• Develop and communicate a unified portfolio performance narrative across fundraising and engagement activities
• Lead portfolio-level performance frameworks, reviews, and senior leadership discussions to identify risks and opportunities
• Manage and coach a team of Senior Performance Managers, ensuring strong delivery and ownership across proposition areas
• Provide senior stakeholders with a centralised, consistent, and independent view of performance
• Lead priority and target-setting processes in partnership with finance, data, and strategy teams
• Drive innovation by reducing manual reporting and strengthening insight-led performance storytelling
• Establish best practices for performance standards, tools, and ways of working across the organisation
• Champion data literacy and continuous improvement to strengthen organisational performance culture

• Proven experience building and owning performance frameworks with finance, data, insight, and strategy teams
• Strong understanding of performance measurement across marketing, audience engagement, and organisational effectiveness
• Demonstrated ability to synthesise complex data into clear strategic recommendations
• Experience leading and developing senior managers in high-performing teams
• Confidence influencing stakeholders at all levels, including senior leadership
• Track record contributing to organisational change and audience-led approaches
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to present insights to non-technical audiences

This Portfolio Performance Lead role offers international professionals a rare opportunity to combine strategic leadership with meaningful social impact in the UK. This is an ideal next step for experienced performance leaders ready to shape large-scale engagement strategies while contributing to a world-changing mission.

Apply now to begin your UK leadership journey and help accelerate progress toward beating cancer.