I’m delighted you’re thinking about joining our team at Beat. We have remarkable people doing crucial work, making a huge difference to people affected by eating disorders. Good luck with your application!
Our cause touches people of every background. LGBTQ+ people. Disabled people. People of every age, ethnicity, gender, and class. We are committed to recruiting, retaining, and promoting a diverse mix of individuals who are representative of the communities we serve.And we’d love to have you be a part of it.
Our work takes compassionate, caring Helpline staff. It takes dedicated, enthusiastic fundraisers. It takes bold, brilliant campaigners. It takes thoughtful, creative marketers. When you join us, however you join us, you’ll bring your passion to a fast-growing team that truly wants to make the world better for the people we support.
We know a good workplace is one that is open and caring, valuing respectful discussion and ensuring everyone is safe to be themselves. Collaboration, accountability and empowerment are written in our values, and we’ve recently worked with inclusivity consultants the Equality Academy to better understand our culture and learn where we can make positive changes.
Full-time employees work 34 hours across four days
Flexible working allows working from home in many roles
Annual leave (in addition to bank holidays) starting at 5.2 weeks, rising to 6 weeks
Christian bank holidays can be swapped for other faith-based celebrations
Pension scheme with 5% matched contribution
Free membership offers money towards healthcare costs, including optician, dental, physiotherapy and counselling
At least 10% of time to be used for learning and development
Additional day per year to take as study or volunteering leave
Latest tech available through Techscheme - save and spread costs
Interest-free season ticket loans help spread annual travel costs
Buy a new bike for work through Cyclescheme
I was so impressed with Beat as an organisation, right from my first interview! There was a relaxed and personal feel to the process that really made me feel like they whoever they appointed would be joining a very warm and welcoming team. I wanted to be that person!
In total, we helped the people who needed us most 96,473 times through our support services
We secured three debates across Holyrood and both Houses in Westminster with a huge level of interest
Beat appeared 5,000 times in the media, increasing awareness of eating disorders and available support
Our campaign about men and eating disorders reached over 3 million people online
We relaunched HelpFinder, our online directory of services to help people most easily find revelant, high-quality support
We championed the voices of people with lived experience, who helped us to design, implement, review and adapt our services
We trained 1,212 carers through our training courses, hosted 1,841 carers at our Frontline conference and had 57,10 joining our e-learning platform for carers
From the minute I arrived at the Recruitment Day, I knew I had to find a way to work for Beat; I was blown away by how kind, compassionate, welcoming and inspiring everyone was! And I’m overjoyed to say that this has remained the case – an incredible bunch of people achieving incredible things. Super proud to be a part of it!
Staff training around topics such as wellbeing, mental health, resilience and handling stress
Most full-time staff work Monday to Thursday, enjoying a three-day weekend
There's considerable flexibility over working hours, as long as necessary diary requirements or required shifts can be met
Suggestions and feedback from all staff are shared and discussed at meetings of the Staff Forum
Opportunities to meet and connect with colleagues across the organisation
Self-organised Affinity Groups, peer connection spaces across directorates for staff identifying as a minority group, e.g. LGBTQ+ staff
Regular supervision, one-to-ones and general catch-ups with line manager
You can take a break when needed. Have a cup of tea. Do some stretches
Regular contact with colleagues for those working from home through Teams. GIFs are encouraged
Staff members are encouraged and given opportunities to share suggestions and input into the way we work and our overall strategy.
There are many different ways to give input. Staff surveys. Our anonymous staff suggestion box. Meetings across teams and departments. Working groups for topics such as equality, diversity and inclusion, or to develop new services, training or campaigns. Away days with strategy sessions. Everyone has a voice and can help us shape a better future together.
I've never worked anywhere where there is so much empathy
We highly value learning and development at Beat. The more we learn, the greater our knowledge and skills become. This positively impacts our work and achievements. It's one of the reasons why we have an excellent track record of internal progression.
It's so important that we ask our staff to dedicate 10% of their working week to their own learning and development.
There are many opportunities for staff training with input from external coaches and learning from different teams.
If you see a current vacancy you'd like to apply for, here's what you need to do:
Once you've sent your application, you should see a reassuring message to show you it's worked. If you don't see this, try submitting again. Or you can email us to check we've got it.
We'll email you after the closing date to let you know the outcome. We receive lots of applications so we're unable to give feedback at this stage. But we appreciate and value your effort and time in applying to work with us.
At Beat, we believe in the power of diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity. We're dedicated to recruiting, retaining, and promoting a diverse group of individuals who truly represent the communities we serve. Our hiring managers have training in EDI (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion) and recruitment to make sure of a fair process where everyone has an equal chance, regardless of their background.
We use blind recruitment in our application process. Any identifying information is kept hidden from our hiring managers, reducing any biases that may impact the selection process.
It's why there are two application forms. Part 1 collects identifying information, and details about your protected characteristics; these are used only for data monitoring, to help us see the diversity of our candidates and areas of underrepresentation. The hiring managers won't see that form. You'll only be assessed on your suitability for the role based on what you write in your Part 2 form.
We're committed to continuously improving equality and fairness in our recruitment processes and across all areas of what we do. By doing so, we aim to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and has equal opportunities to succeed.
We ask for your referee details in the Part 1 application form. In most cases, referees are only contacted after a conditional job offer has been accepted. If there's a need to reach out to a referee sooner, we'll discuss it with you first.
If you need any reasonable adjustments during the application stage, please let us know. We're here to talk and to accommodate your needs. Your request will be forwarded to the hiring manager, who'll arrange the most suitable and fair adjustment.
Stand out
When it comes to showcasing why you'd be an exceptional candidate, take the time to think carefully and choose the best examples that highlight your skills and strengths. This is your chance to shine!
Give enough detail
The hiring manager will be looking closely at the contents of your application to determine who moves forward in the selection process. Give specific information about your experiences, achievements, and how they relate to the role you're applying for. Strike a sensible balance - while a ten-word application wouldn't do justice to your potential, a ten-page application would be a bit much! Find that sweet spot where you give enough to impress while keeping it concise and focused.
Check before submitting
Before hitting that submit button, take a moment to go through both forms with a keen eye. Double-check everything has been completed accurately and to your satisfaction. This is your chance to make sure your application truly reflects your best self. And don't forget to tick and date any declarations so we're able to accept your application.
Don't leave it until the last minute
Your application matters and every detail counts so take plenty of time to give it your best effort. This way, you'll be able to do justice to your unique qualities and experiences.
We're rooting for you and can't wait to see what you bring to the table! Good luck!
The Information for Candidates document for each role includes the date and location for interviews, so you can check this when you apply. For some roles the interviews will be held online.
All roles have both a competency-based interview and a resilience and wellbeing interview.
For some roles, there will also be a reverse interview, where you'll be expected to ask questions to a panel, who are members of Beat's staff or volunteer teams. Information about the panel would be given in advance.
When invited to interview, we'll make sure you know the details.
So, what's a resilience and wellbeing interview?
Good question! Thanks for asking.
As our work involves supporting vulnerable people who may be in distress, all staff are likely to sometimes come across some potentially upsetting content. This can be difficult for staff at times and for some it can potentially have a negative impact on their health and wellbeing.
To best protect our team, and to make sure all staff are able to thrive at Beat, we conduct a resilience and wellbeing interview as part of the recruitment process. This helps to make sure that applicants understand the pressures of the role and are able to meet them, and that we're aware of the support they may need from Beat to do so.
These interviews are very conversational, guided by some simple questions, and they offer a safe space for candidates to share about their experiences and approach to their own wellbeing.
It's separate from the formal interview with the hiring manager and is conducted by two interviewers who are trained to facilitate an environment where candidates can be at ease, supported and understood. This is an outworking of our commitment to caring for our employees and their wellbeing.
If you need any reasonable adjustments during the interview stage, please let us know. We're here to talk and to accommodate your needs. Your request will be forwarded to the hiring manager, who'll arrange the most suitable and fair adjustment.
If you're interviewed for a role, the hiring managers will contact you after interview to let you know the outcome.
This would usually be a phone call, but please let the hiring manager know in your interview if you'd prefer to be contacted a different way.
If you're successful, we'll send you your conditional offer letter after you've verbally accepted the role, when we'll also get in touch with your referees and do a right to work check (and, if required for the role, a DBS check).
If you're interviewed but sadly unsuccessful, you can ask for feedback.
Remember, we also have other opportunities for you to consider. Whether it’s volunteering or fundraising, there are always ways to get involved!