Oxfam jobs

• Location: Oxford UK/ (with the ability to work from home under Oxfam GB's hybrid working arrangements)
• Workplace Type: Hybrid
• Hours: 36 hours per week
• Salary: £49,601 (with a discretionary range up to £57,000 depending on experience)
• Job Family: Business Support & Admin
• Division: Operations
• Grade: B
• Job Type: Open ended
• Closing Date: 3 April 2026
• Country: United Kingdom

Oxfam is a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty.

The Role:

As Legal Counsel (Employment) at Oxfam, you will play a pivotal role in supporting teams across Oxfam GB on a wide range of employment-related queries and litigation, both in the UK and globally. You will advise country programmes worldwide alongside UK-based HR colleagues on complex employment law matters, delivering clear, practical guidance that aligns with Oxfam’s values and balances legal, operational, and reputational risks.

A key part of this role will be helping Oxfam understand and apply the law in ways that advance its Equality and Anti-Racist Strategies, including advising on positive action and other lawful measures that promote equity and inclusion across the organisation.

As a member of the OGB Legal Team, you will also contribute beyond employment law, providing commercially astute advice on a broader range of legal issues as needed to support Oxfam’s strategic priorities. This is a collaborative and impactful role, ideal for someone who can combine technical expertise with sound judgement and a commitment to Oxfam’s mission.

What we are looking for:

We’re looking for a candidate who cares about Oxfam's mission to end poverty and is personally aligned to our feminist principles and values of empowerment, accountability and inclusion in all you do.

An ideal candidate for the role will also have:

• 5+ years PQE and legally qualified in the UK
• Experience of advising on complex and varying UK employment law and HR matters, including investigations and whistleblowing.
• Broad commercial experience either in-house or private practice advising a range of stakeholders
• Ability to support on colleagues internationally on employee relations processes, employment disputes and litigation
• Experience of advising on the drafting of HR policies and procedures
• Ability to identify key legal questions within complex queries and manage responses in accordance with legal team workload, level of legal risk identified and organisational priorities
• Experience of producing guidance notes and training
• Ability to work equally in a detail-focused manner as well as big-picture oriented, so as to effectively prioritise workload and projects

We offer:

We offer a competitive salary and a range of additional benefits to staff including flexible working options, generous pension scheme, annual leave, additional leave allowances, company sick pay, life assurance and a range of other benefits. 

From the day you join Oxfam we invite you to stretch and learn in your role. Our wide range of Learning & Development opportunities includes in-house courses, e-learning modules, on-the job learning opportunities, coaching and mentoring, and much more. 

You can read more about all Oxfam has to offer 

Flexfam:

We believe flexible working is key to building the Oxfam of the future, so we’re open to talking through the type of flexible arrangements which might work for you. We think this role would work particularly well working within our Hybrid Working guidelines which includes regular home-based working. The successful candidate would be expected to be based in our Oxford office one day per month.

How to apply:

As part of your online application, please upload your up to date CV and Cover Letter explaining your suitability against the essential criteria in the job profile.  

Our values and commitment to safeguarding

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom Oxfam GB engages. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our  are recruited to work for us.

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam GB also participates in the .  In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organisation and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

About us

Oxfam is a global community who believe poverty isn’t inevitable. It’s an injustice that can be overcome. We are shop volunteers, women’s right activists, marathon runners, aid workers, coffee farmers, street fundraisers, goat herders, policy experts, campaigners, water engineers and more. And we won’t stop until everyone can live life without poverty for good.

 is a member of  of 21 organisations working together with partners and local communities in the areas of humanitarian, development and campaigning, in more than 90 countries. 

A thriving diverse Oxfam:

It’s people power that brings about change. To play our part as a global organisation working to overcome poverty and inequality, we need equality, diversity and inclusion across our community of staff, partners and volunteers. Together, we’re committed to becoming a more diverse workforce, better able to tackle the global challenges that face our world today.

To do that:

• We need to dismantle the unequal power structures that exist everywhere, this including Oxfam and the wider development and charity sectors.
• We need an inclusive Oxfam where everyone can bring who they are to our work and feels celebrated for the differences they bring.
• We want and need everyone, and that means we need you.

Volunteer Centre Hackney is a thriving charity (annual income circa £1.1m, with 29 paid staff) providing volunteering infrastructure to the voluntary sector across the City of London and the London borough of Hackney. We support over 1500 residents a year to realise their skills and passions through volunteering and social action, and to share these for the benefit of others. We also provide volunteering resource, and advice and guidance on best practice in volunteer management, to hundreds of charities and community organisations.

Through our specialist programmes, our impact on the lives of residents is huge. We match volunteers to housebound residents to help them engage with communities and leave their homes; we provide long term personalised support to people with mental health conditions and learning disabilities to help them volunteer and find paid jobs; we support patients to deliver hundreds of their own activities and peer support groups at GP practices across City and Hackney; and in partnership with Public Health, we support over 250 Community Health Champions to share vital health messaging with their own diverse communities.  

This is a hands-on and strategic role for an experienced fundraiser who thrives in a small to medium sized charity environment. You will have autonomy to develop a whole new fundraising strategy, utilising diverse fundraising methods, and building and developing new project ideas and partnerships. You will lead on income generation primarily through sourcing and applying to multiple trusts and foundations, but diversified by building new corporate partnerships, community campaigns and individual giving. You will build authentic relationships with funders and supporters, and together with VCH colleagues, will identify new programme models as ways to generate income. You will contribute to the development and production of compelling stories, evidence and marketing and build and maintain the infrastructure needed to track and achieve progress against annual income targets.

Post holders need to have excellent communication skills, to represent the charity in writing and in person. You must be enthusiastic, self-motivating and confident to work primarily alone, but also able to engage and collaborate with staff from across the organisation to share information and impact evidence to support your role. If you are successful in securing funding there will be the potential to recruit additional support, and for you to become the Head of Fundraising of a small team.