Jobs at Soil Association
At Soil Association, our people are driven by purpose. From food and farming to climate, health and nature, we work together to create positive change - guided by strong values, collaboration and care for one another.
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Soil Association is the UK’s leading membership charity campaigning for healthy, humane and sustainable food, farming and land use. If you are passionate about working to transform the way we eat, farm and care for the natural world, you’ve come to the right place.
About Soil Association
At Soil Association, we help people build natural solutions together. Whether nurturing the land to grow food or nurturing individuals to develop connections in harmony with nature, our philosophy is focused on cultivating healthy connections and advocating a future that respects our environment. Together, we are a force for nature.
The Soil Association Group consists of four organisations, known as entities within the Group. Across the Group, our people are united by a shared purpose and vision and our values.
What's it like to work here?
Soil Association lives by our values of grounded, inclusive and nourishing:
grounded – building trust from our practical, evidence-based approach
inclusive – through exploring differences and welcoming them, we promote justice and respect
nourishing – good things emerge from our approach – people and systems grow
Flexible working
The Soil Association Group supports you working your time flexibly subject to team, business, client, and customer needs. We want you to be able to vary your working pattern to ensure you have a good work-life balance, to promote your wellbeing and support you to manage your caring and other responsibilities and commitments.
We support you working flexibly with core hours and flexibility on start and finish times. We also operate a hybrid working policy that means, except for business reasons requiring office attendance, or for remote or home-based colleagues, you are expected to attend the office 40% of your working week on average over a month.
Wellbeing and benefits
We want our colleagues to be healthy and safe in their work and are proactive about ensuring a safety culture. We support our colleagues’ wellbeing through a range of initiatives and activities under our wellbeing plan and as part of the people strategic plan. This includes:
wellbeing resources and information
access to Mental Health First Aiders
an Employee Assistance Programme that provides counselling and legal support 24/7
At Soil Association, we love bringing people together, and our colleagues play a huge part in making that happen. Whether it’s joining our social committee, dreaming up wellbeing activities, or helping organise festive parties and seasonal celebrations, colleagues get stuck in and shape the fun. From bake‑offs, yoga (in-person and online), run and book clubs and cosy winter get‑togethers, there’s always something happening. It’s a relaxed, community-minded organisation, where everyone’s ideas are welcome, and there are plenty of chances to connect with people across the organisation.
Contractual benefits
27 days holiday each year plus bank and public holidays (pro-rata for part-time hours) increasing with length of service
organisational sick pay
enhanced maternity, adoption and shared parental pay
enhanced paternity pay
compassionate and parental bereavement leave pay
unpaid sabbatical leave one month after 3 years’ service, 3 months after 5 years’ service
contributory salary sacrifice pension scheme where contributions are deducted directly from your salary before tax and national insurance (NI) so you pay less in tax and NI and increase your take home pay
additional employer pension contributions with length of service (after 2 years if you increase to 5%, we will match you. After 5 years if you are contributing 5%, we will increase to 6% and then after 10 years if you are 5% we will increase to 7%)
Non-contractual benefits
2 paid annual volunteer & personal growth days (pro-rata for part-time hours)
free Soil Association membership including a range of organic discounts
employee assistance programme (counselling, legal and financial advice and support)
cycle to work scheme
buying and selling annual leave
financial wellbeing platform including advice, workshops and guidance
flexible and hybrid working options
discounts with shopping, travel and entertainment retailers, restaurants, and cinemas through Mintago (our salary sacrifice platform)
Equality, diversity and inclusion
Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) strategy aims to develop a culture and working environment where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and realise their full potential. The Soil Association Group recognises our responsibility to our colleagues, partner organisations and stakeholders as well as to the wider society, we acknowledge the profound impact of embracing EDI principles in our workplace. By fostering an inclusive culture, we not only enrich the Soil Association community but also attract and retain exceptionally talented colleagues who contribute to our collective success. Our EDI Policy sets out how we should all play our part in delivering this strategy.
Helen Browning, Chief Executive at Soil Association, says:
“Diversity is the secret to success in every area of the Soil Association's work. From diversity flows resilience, a better chance of responding to whatever shocks come our way, be they on the farm, in our forests, through our diets or in our businesses. To achieve that, we need diverse ways of thinking, of life experience; we need people from many different backgrounds around the table. For that to be possible, we must have an inclusive and fair culture, which respects and welcomes a range of perspectives, and which actively seeks out people who may not have had the opportunity or inclination to be part of our mission.”
We hold a monthly Inclusive Action Group for all colleagues to discuss and share experiences on all EDI matters. The Group also advises on policies, strategies and practices. There are a number of support network groups set up with communications channels for sharing experiences and good practices. Training and development in EDI are also provided.
We need diverse ways of thinking, of life experience; we need people from many different backgrounds around the table.
Our commitments
We’re proud to be recognised for how we support our colleagues, act responsibly and champion equality. These accreditations and partnerships reflect our commitment to creating a fair, inclusive and values-led workplace.
We regularly collect feedback from our colleagues to understand more about their learning and development, wellbeing and pressure, manager performance and team cohesion.
Disability Confident employer
We’re a Disability Confident Committed employer, actively supporting accessibility, inclusivity, and equal opportunities for all.
Good Business Charter
We are signed up to the Good Business Charter, committing us to care for our employees, suppliers, clients and the environment, while paying our fair share of tax. In practice, this means we:
commit to ethical sourcing
offer space for open feedback
have programmes of work dedicated to wellbeing, the environment, and diversity and inclusion
Real Living Wage Employer
We’re proud to be a Living Wage Employer, ensuring our colleagues earn a fair wage that reflects the real cost of living.
Bristol Equality Charter
We are signatories of the Bristol Equality Charter, a city-wide project created by over 20 organisations. It reflects the city’s values and The Charter invites everyone to work together for continuous improvement in equality.
Racial action for the climate emergency (RACE) report
We participate in the annual RACE report that collects data to develop actions to address the need for greater diverse representation in charities and funders working on environmental and conservation issues.
Unite union
We are proud to work in partnership with our recognised trade union, Unite.
Applying for a job with us
We want everyone to feel confident in applying for our roles and want you to perform at your best and have a positive experience. If there is something in your life that creates a barrier in applying or attending a job interview, we want to work with you to find a solution.
Examples of adjustments we can provide upon request:
accessible interview room
virtual or in-person interviews
additional information about what to expect from the interview process
interview questions or themes can be provided upon request
bringing notes and taking notes in the interview
Please note that this list is not exhaustive, and if you have any specific adjustments or accessibility requirements, please get in touch with the Recruitment Team.