Oxfam GB is a leading international NGO with a worldwide reputation for excellence in the delivery of aid and development work. Our purpose is to work with others to overcome poverty and suffering. Oxfam GB is a member of Oxfam International. World trade could be a powerful force to reduce poverty and support economic growth, but that potential is being lost.

Millions of the world's poorest people are being left behind and the inequalities between rich and poor are widening.  If Africa, East Asia, South Asia, and Latin America were each to increase their share of world exports by just one per cent, the resulting gains in income could lift 128 million people out of poverty. In Africa alone, this would generate $70 billion - approximately five times what the continent receives in aid.

The problem is not that international trade is inherently opposed to the needs and interests of the poor, but that the rules that govern it are fixed in favour of rich countriesIn their rhetoric, governments of rich countries constantly stress their commitment to poverty reduction. Yet in practice rigged rules and double standards lock poor people out of the benefits of trade, closing the door to an escape route from poverty and condemning them to insecure or unsustainable livelihoods. For poor people to benefit from global trade, the rules need to be reformed so that they guarantee fair access for poor people to national and international markets.

Livelihoods can be described as the way that people make their living, but the term means more than that. It is about reliable and permanent sources of food, income, and employment.The issue of livelihoods isn’t just about trade. It also encompasses such things as where and how people live (nomadic or sedentary, rural or urban, etc), resource management, agriculture, access to and ownership of land, waged labour , and how all these are affected by inequality (especially for women), conflict, climate change, and other natural disasters.  

Over two thirds of the three billion people who live in poverty currently rely on small-scale agriculture for their food and wages. Millions of others depend on wages for their income. To make ends meet, families living in poverty often have to rely on seasonal agricultural labouring, home-based subcontracting, domestic work, or remittances from family members migrating for work. But having a job doesn’t guarantee a way out of poverty. Waged jobs often trap workers in poverty, not only because of poor pay, but also because of the terms of employment - excessive hours, unstable contracts, or no provisions for illness, maternity, or incapacity. Oxfam’s livelihoods programme seeks to help people in poverty have a sustainable livelihood, including making a decent living, living in a safe environment, with adequate housing, clean water, and sufficient food.Oxfam deals with a number of other key issues, including Health, Education, Debt and Aid, Humanitarian: Conflict and natural disasters, Climate Change, HIV & AIDS, the Private Sector, and Gender Equality.

Working in the UK

Benefits:

Annual holiday Equal to 33 days per year. Includes public holidays in the country of work. Part-time, job-share and fixed-term employees receive annual holidays on a pro-rata basis, according to contractual hours.

Pension: Oxfam believes it is important to encourage its employees to save for their retirement.  If you are resident or ordinarily resident in the UK, you will have the opportunity to join the Oxfam GB Nurture Stakeholder Pension Scheme. You and Oxfam GB will both contribute into the scheme. Oxfam will double the employee’s contributions up to a maximum of 10% of gross pensionable pay.

Insurance: Oxfam GB has taken out a range of insurance policies with external companies, which may provide cover for you in some defined areas. Life Assurance (Death in Service Payment) All employees under 65 in Oxfam GB are covered via a Group Insurance policy. The benefit in the event of your death will be calculated as multiple of your most recent gross annual salary.

Travel: you will be covered by a business travel insurance policy while you are travelling on Oxfam GB business.

Sickness leave and Sick Pay: Oxfam GB will pay the difference between the national health scheme payment and your actual salary for certain periods, depending on your length of service. This is conditional upon you complying with the statutory rules, with Oxfam GB's rules requiring notification, and the provision of the correct certificate.

Counselling Provision: within the organisation, employees have been trained to provide counselling in both personal and professional matters.

Nursery: Oxfam GB operates a workplace nursery for staff in Oxford during normal working hours.

Childcare Vouchers: Childcare vouchers are a way of paying for registered childcare. You can exchange £243 a month of your salary into vouchers and save tax and national insurance on it. You can save up to a potential £1,195 per year.  The vouchers are available to all UK employees.

Maternity and Adoption Leave, and Pay: Oxfam GB policies offer more attractive Maternity and Adoption Leave, and Pay than the UK statutory provision.

Global opportunities: There are national roles based in the Oxfam GB country of work (not the UK). They require skills that can usually be recruited from a local labour market and attract a package relevant to the labour market in that country.Where possible Oxfam GB will provide all employees with consistent terms and conditions and benefits. However, these may vary due to local labour law in the country where the role is based.

How does Oxfam recruit staff?

Firstly, find a job that you are interested in applying for.  Make sure you carefully read the job description since we will be assessing all candidates against the skills and experience that are detailed in the job profile.  All job profiles will contain information about the role, the salary, the location and most importantly, the type of skills and experiences that we are looking for. We receive thousands of applications a day for our vacancies so it is important that you match your skills and experiences to those required for the position. Once you have applied for a role then all the candidates will be assessed against the criteria for the role; those candidates that do not meet the criteria required will be rejected.

Once we have selected a small number of the very best candidates then they will be invited to some form of assessment for the post.  This is often a telephone interview in the first instance followed by either a face-to-face or videoconference interview. As part of the assessment process you may also be asked to undertake a number of case study assessments, verbal and numerical reasoning tests, personality questionnaire or group exercise.  These are designed to give the candidates the best opportunity to demonstrate their skills and experiences in relation to the position. Once candidates have been assessed then we will normally inform unsuccessful candidates in approximately 7 – 10 days; successful candidates will normally be contacted directly to discuss the opportunity further and to agree a start date.

  • Oxfam House,
    John Smith Drive,
    Cowley,
    Oxford
    OX4 2JY

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