Why work for Refuge?
Five reasons, in no particular order:
- From independent advocates to counsellors to fundraising professionals, you’ll work with some of the highest quality specialists in their field
- Our shared values are: a feminist force for good, never shy away, build it together, show we care, learn every day
- United by a common purpose, we are at the forefront of the national response to violence against women and girls
- We are fully committed to providing a diverse and inclusive work environment (see details below)
- We provide a great package of employee benefits, including access to a wide range of personal and professional development opportunities (see details below)
Current Vacancies at Refuge
Vacancies are added regularly to our website, so if you do not see the job, you are looking for this time, do keep looking. We advertise our roles on our social media accounts, LinkedIn and Charity jobs.
How we commit to a diverse and inclusive work environment
- Our vision is to have a workforce that is reflective of the communities we serve; therefore, we actively encourage and welcome applications from candidates of diverse cultures, perspectives and lived experiences.
- We are committed to challenging the inequalities of society and will continue to learn and grow as a charity to ensure that we provide an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.
- We understand that people have personal lives, and these can sometimes impact on their time and availability. We will be as flexible as we possibly can be in terms of supporting staff to balance their work and their personal lives. If you need flexibility within your working hours, working pattern or location then do let us know and if the role and team can support that request, we will do what we can to support you.
- We are proud to have been awarded Disability Confident – Employer. Refuge is aware that individuals with disabilities, or long-term health conditions or are D/deaf or neurodivergent are underrepresented in the sector. Refuge is committed to doing what we can to support our employees.
- We are committed to paying a competitive salary for the sector because we want to help break the poverty cycle and reduce social economic barriers to those working within the sector. This is reflected in our commitment to the Show the Salary pledge and #Nongraduateswelcome and being an Accredited Living Wage employer.
- We understand that individuals who are Black, Asian and ethnically diverse are often underrepresented within the sector therefore we have signed up to the VAWG Anti-Racism charter, we have an EDI Steering Group and equality, diversity and inclusion training.
- Furthermore, we have seven Employee Network Groups providing a safe space for staff to share their lived experiences and to challenge us as a charity to do better.
- We have created a Respect Charter to complement our values to support our EEDI journey in creating an inclusive and respectful environment both within Refuge and beyond. You can view our Respect Charter here.
These groups are:
- Mental Health and Wellbeing
- LGBTQI+ Shine
- Anti-Racism and Equality
- Allies
- Families
- Women’s
- Disability and Neurodiversity Matters
Employee Benefits
Refuge offers a variety of exciting opportunities to learn, develop and grow in your career. We recognise the value everyone brings to the charity to achieve our aims and we are dedicated to developing and rewarding our staff.
We offer all our employees a competitive benefits package including:
- Competitive salary.
- Clinical supervision for all staff.
- Confidential support and advice service via an employee assistance scheme available 24 hours a day which provides support on a range of work and personal issues.
- Enhanced sick pay leave which increases with length of service.
- Excellent sector leading maternity, adoption, parental and paternity pay and leave.
- Generous life cover scheme valued at four times individuals’ salary and covers death in service (subject to insurers approval).
- Eye care scheme.
- Cycle to Work Scheme.
- Access to Perkbox providing discounts to employees on a wide range of activities and online purchases.
- Access to Equality Network Groups
- Flexibility – we are committed to supporting flexible working. If you would like to discuss flexible working options, including the possibility of a job share, there will be space to do so during the interview process.
- Interest free loans to purchase season tickets for travel to work and/or to pay deposits to secure rented accommodation.
Living Wage Employer
Refuge is an accredited Living Wage Employer! This means that every member of staff working here will earn a real Living Wage.
The real Living Wage is higher than the government’s minimum, or National Living Wage, and is an independently calculated hourly rate of pay that is based on the actual cost of living. It is calculated each year and is announced by the Living Wage Foundation as part of Living Wage Week. It is currently £10.90 in the UK, with a higher rate of £11.95 for London, reflecting the higher costs of living in the capital.
Over 11,000 organisations, including us voluntarily choose to pay the real Living Wage because we believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay. You can find other organisations who pay the Living Wage on their website.
Training and Learning
We are committed to supporting a culture that enables all staff to achieve their full potential by providing a range of professional and personal development opportunities including access to a wide range of e-learning resources. In addition, all our Refuge Workers are offered the opportunity to undertake a certificated Level 3 Award in ‘Supporting Survivors of Domestic Violence’ which is externally validated by Skills for Justice.
