Policy Development Summer Internship London 2024

We are now recruiting for our Summer 2024 Internship programme!

We are now accepting applications for our July internship intake. We’re really excited to be recruiting interns and we have some great internships available across the charity.  We will also be recruiting for our Autumn internships later this year. To be notified once these applications are live, please visit our website to sign up.

Are you looking for an exciting internship 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 now have an opportunity for you to join us as a Policy Development Intern.

What will I be doing?

In this role you will by contributing to Cancer Research UK (CRUK)’s work towards creating the first ever smokefree generation and a smokefree UK for all (a target of less than 5% of the population smoking by 2030). This internship would provide a chance to contribute to CRUK’s strategy to ensure that ‘everyone shares in progress equally, regardless of who they are’.

Role and purpose

This internship is an ideal opportunity for people at the beginning of their career as a policy professional and will provide opportunities to develop skills in policy development and public affairs.

Key responsibilities

Prevention (80%)

You will get the opportunity to lead a focused project for CRUK’s Prevention Policy Team on how a ‘Smokefree UK for all’ could be achieved. The output of this project will be drafting an internal policy scoping document which explores CRUK’s future role in tobacco-related inequalities and makes recommendations for future policy development and evidence gaps in this area.

Using desk research, stakeholder interviews, and collaboration with CRUK’s evidence teams, the policy statement could highlight:

• Which groups/ communities within the UK population are at risk of not becoming smokefree, and what the current smoking rates are within these groups.
• A summary of the work that has been done by the public health community to reduce smoking rates in these populations.
• Internal recommendations on what the future focus of Cancer Research UK should be on tobacco-related health inequalities.

Public Affairs (20%)

Alongside this, you would have the chance to support preparation for the 2024 General Election. You will also have the opportunity to support the Public Affairs team, including by monitoring:

• Prime Minister’s Questions
• Westminster Weekly Business
• Health and Social Care Committee
• Administrative support on later stages of the upcoming Tobacco and Vapes Bill
• Support where appropriate on launching the ‘pledges’ of CRUK’s ‘plan for longer better lives’ for the General Election 2024 campaign

As a team we also work reactively based on political announcements and the external context. You may also provide support:

• Analysing new reports and writing summaries for internal audiences and senior members of staff.
• Working reactively to analyse government announcements and providing support with Cancer Research UK press comments.
• Monitoring and tweeting from the CRUK_Policy X account.

What skills are you looking for?

You’ll be able to bring to the role:

• Analytical skills, including the ability to understand complex problems and develop creative solutions
• Research skills, including the ability to organise research findings and identify well-evidenced trends and findings
• Written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to write engaging and compelling communications for a range of audiences
• Computer skills, including word processing, email and video calls
• Demonstrable interest is some or all of the following: policy, healthcare, science and innovation, cancer or medicine
• Awareness of UK politics and the NHS, with demonstrable political interest and a commitment to neutrality
• Interest in the role technology and innovations in improving the delivery of healthcare
• Strong organisational skills and experience managing competing priorities and a complex workload
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Attention to detail and ability to deliver high quality work
• Curious and interested in learning new things

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 an intern 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 Internship role.

One of our values at CRUK is Being Human. We want to hear about why you’re interested in CRUK and what is motivating you to apply. So, we discourage the use of AI when completing your application form and throughout the process.

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.

In our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, we operate an anonymised shortlisting process. Please therefore ensure that you have completed the work history section of the application form in full and that you have answered all application questions, as this is the information we will be using to shortlist. CVs are required to be uploaded for all applications, as they will be collected for use later in the process.  If you experience any problems submitting an application, please email earlycareers@cancer.org.uk

Stage 2: Assessment

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 intern might be met with in their day to day role and asks how you would tackle that scenario. This is un-timed and multiple choice. Please let us know if you think you might require adjustments for this assessment.

Stage 3: Audio Submission

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: Interviews

If you are successful in the previous stage, you will then be invited to a face-to-face interview at our head office with representatives from the team you are applying to.

The Internship will start on Monday 1st July 2024.