How to apply for a job at Battersea

We want to ensure our recruitment process is transparent and clear for all applicants. To support this, the following information takes you through our application and interview process, so you know what to expect. We are happy to work with you to discuss adjustments or support you may need so you can perform at your best.

Our vacancies

All our job vacancies are advertised on our careers page. For each vacancy, you’ll find the job description and recruitment pack attached, alongside information such as the salary and closing date for applications.

We regularly update our careers page with all our latest vacancies so if there’s nothing of interest to you at the moment, please consider ‘creating a job alert’ (details below).

Completing your application form

To apply for one of our vacancies, please make your application through our website.

Our application forms will ask you for your employment history, general educational history, and either responses to short answer questions or a supporting statement of no more than 1,000 words.  You can save your application part-way through and return to it later to finish and submit it within the deadline. Once the deadline for the role has passed you will no longer be able to amend or submit your application.

Once your application is complete, we encourage you to provide your diversity monitoring information. Whilst this is entirely voluntary, completing this information will form part of an anonymised data set to help us understand, measure and take action to ensure our processes are inclusive. Your information will remain confidential, be held in line with GDPR requirements and will not be used to determine whether you are shortlisted for any role(s) you apply for.

We are fortunate that some of our opportunities do receive a high volume of applications, so on some occasions we may close roles earlier than advertised. We therefore encourage early submissions when possible.

Support with your application

If you are unable to apply via the website, please contact Jobs@battersea.org.uk in advance of the closing date, and we’ll support you in making your application.

As a Disability Confident Committed Employer, we welcome applications from disabled candidates, and we are committed to adapting and adjusting our recruitment and selection processes where possible to ensure all candidates can perform at their best. If you require application materials in a different format or would like to discuss adjustments for the application and / or interview process, please contact Jobs@battersea.org.uk or call 020 3887 8341.

Our shortlisting process

We operate an anonymous shortlisting process so all personal information that can identify job applicants is completely anonymised to help mitigate against any potantial bias. We are therefore unable to accept CVs. Our hiring managers review applications based on the knowledge, skills and experience demonstrated in your application, and how well you match the job profile.

Once the panel have completed shortlisting, you will be updated on the outcome of your application. We aim to do this within 2 weeks of the closing date, and we will contact you by email.

Due to the volume of applications we receive for our opportunities, we unfortunately do not offer feedback as standard at the application stage.

Our interview process

If your application is successful to interview/assessment stage, we will provide all the information you need, including:

  • Date
  • Time
  • Format of the interview or assessment
  • Details of any tasks/presentations where applicable
  • Logistics for attending

You will need to confirm your attendance via the link included in the email.

Our interview processes are tailored to best assess candidates for the opportunity. For our animal facing and clinic roles, this will normally involve a practical assessment on site.

Our office-based opportunities will usually consist of two stages of interview, the first via remote video interview and then a follow up in-person interview at the relevant Battersea site. Dates for interviews and assessments are included within the recruitment pack.

Support with the interview process

If you require any adjustments for your interview, please reach out to us directly via jobs@battersea.org.uk or call 020 3887 8341. A member of our recruitment team may contact you directly to clarify adjustments you require or to confirm arrangements for the day in accordance with your request.

Creating a job alert

If you can’t see an opportunity which matches your skills currently available, you can create a job alert via our Careers Home page that notifies you when a suitable job opening becomes available: Current vacancies (battersea.org.uk).

To set up a job alert, select your search criteria, and create a name for the search (for example, “Rehoming and Welfare Opportunities”), and how often you would like to receive email alerts.

Tips for applying

  • Please demonstrate how you meet the criteria listed in the person specification, detailing your experience, skills, achievements and/or abilities that are relevant for the role you’re applying for. Recruiting managers are looking for real examples, so make sure you give lots of evidence in your supporting statement or responses to short answer questions. Where applicable, be mindful of word limits and keep within these.
  • Explain your transferable skills and experience by breaking down what your previous roles have involved and how the skills and experience you gained are relevant for the role. Don’t forget that skills gained volunteering or during a period of time-off, for example, may often be relevant for the role you’re applying for, so be sure to reference these.
  • Once complete, we recommend you re-read your application form before you submit it to ensure that you’ve addressed all the criteria from the recruitment pack and you've included everything relevant to the role.

What happens after interview stage?

If you are offered a role with us and you have verbally accepted the offer, the onboarding process will begin. This includes reference checks, ensuring you have right to work in the UK and the issuing of your formal offer letter which is sent to you via email. Our HR coordinators manage this process and will be in touch via email for any required information. We’ll also talk to you about any adjustments required to enable you to perform at your best.