The Royal British Legion

Who we are

Think you know the Royal British Legion? Think again.

You probably know us for our poppies and recognise our name but the day-to-day work we do to support the Armed Forces community might surprise you!

We’re the country’s largest Armed Forces charity. We help serving and ex-serving personnel, and their families, live fulfilling lives through a wide range of support and services. We advocate and campaign to government on behalf of the Armed Forces community, as well as leading the nation in Remembrance to ensure their sacrifices are never forgotten.

We’re here for those who’ve served to defend our nation, its democratic freedoms and our way of life. To put it plainly, we’ve always got their backs, whatever stage of life they’re at.

Our list of achievements is long, in the last 12 months alone:

• We have helped over 30,000 members of the Armed Forces community in the UK, and a further 31 countries, from those on their first day of service to ex-service personnel and their families
• We supported the government review into the impact of the pre-2000 ban on gay and lesbian personnel in the Armed Forces. This review will help shape support for veterans affected by this legislation
• Galanos House, in Warwickshire, where we operate specialist dementia care as well as residential and nursing care, won platinum status in the Gold Standards Framework for end-of-life care
• We took over the delivery of Team UK to the Invictus Games, part of our programme of recovery services, which help serving and ex-serving personnel to overcome physical and mental challenges through sport and the arts
• We helped veterans to secure more than £2m in additional War Pension and Compensation, and more than 2,000 serving and ex-serving personnel and their families to access £10m of debt relief, an increase of 15% on the previous year
• We supported Afghan nationals arriving in the UK who had operated in direct support of the UK Armed Forces

We’re modernising our mission

We’re a forward-thinking organisation with aspirations to make an even bigger impact on the lives of those who have served or are serving in the Armed Forces today. And as their needs, and the needs of their families are changing, we’re changing our way of working too.

We have ambitious plans to deliver more for the communities we support by becoming a more inclusive, flexible, customer-focused, data-driven, and collaborative organisation.

Improving our practices

We are committed to building a truly inclusive organisation of diverse people and perspectives but recognise that we aren’t yet where we’d like to be. We’re actively engaged in a programme of work to develop our practices; to see our commitments to realising our ambition, please visit our website.

In our most recent employee engagement survey, 72% of our workforce said they would recommend working for RBL. We want every single colleague to feel like that and we’re striving to give all our colleagues a first-class working experience with us.

Staff networks for a range of groups including Carer’s, LGBTQIA+, Disability, Women’s, BAME and Veterans are in operation, and we are a Gold Award Accredited member of the Armed Forces Covenant scheme, and a Disability Confident Employer.

Help shape our future

It’s a really exciting time to join us and play a part in changing the lives of the people we support, and our future capacity and capability. Working at RBL means working with colleagues who are young at heart, keen to learn and eager to make change. Our team is massively committed to our mission and proud of what we achieve.

We employ around 1,800 people across the country to campaign on behalf of the Armed Forces Community, deliver support services, lead Remembrance, raise funds to support our work and develop and run the organisation and our network of membership branches.

From our major hub offices, we work collaboratively and have flexible/hybrid working practices in place. And with the latest technology colleagues can connect with one another, our members and beneficiaries, and come together around our common purpose, and values.

Rewarding opportunities

There are significant opportunities to learn and develop your skills in role and plenty of possibilities for career development around the organisation.

We offer competitive pay in our sector (reviewed annually), enhanced benefits to look after you and your family now and in retirement, and openness to part-time and adjusted working patterns.

And, of course, the work we do means we can all take pride in making a real difference to the lives of those who serve or have served our country.

Join us and play your part in our mission.

Our culture and values

To live The Royal British Legion’s shared values (Service; Collaboration; Passion; Excellence; Valuing our people) in the way you work and engage with others - the fundamental beliefs and qualities of who we are and what we do.

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

Here at the Royal British Legion, being diverse and inclusive is what we do: we bring communities together, across different faiths, cultures and diverse backgrounds, to ensure the unique contribution of our Armed Forces family is always remembered, engaging existing and new audiences in Remembrance, and supporting both old and new ways of remembering. We want to support everyone to contribute their best, no matter their background or personal characteristics. We know we get the best out of our people when they all feel included, respected, and treated fairly. Our D&I action plan sets out our commitments to the Royal British Legion being a truly inclusive organisation.

Through the actions we have set out, we are:

• Ensuring our leaders play a visible role in fostering a positive and inclusive culture.
• Providing opportunities for everyone, no matter their role, background, or personal characteristics.
• Supporting our members in building diverse and inclusive communities.
• Enabling everyone to reach their potential and receive the service or recognition they deserve.
• Showcasing diverse role models and celebrating our differences.
• Working with key stakeholders and partners and sharing best practice.

We want everyone involved in our work, or receiving our services, to feel proud to contribute to or be part of a diverse and inclusive organisation. And we want to see the same across our Armed Forces communities by setting an example and learning from others.

We have D&I networks to connect and engage colleagues across our organisation, providing safe spaces for them to come together and a collective voice on issues or concerns. The network committees help contribute to our D&I agenda.

We have seen a decrease in our gender pay gap and are actively working to reduce the gap further. We aim to support all our colleagues to have a work-life balance that suits individual and team circumstances, offering colleagues the opportunity to talk about flexible working and what it means to them. We are also pleased to offer paid Carer’s Leave and paid Time Off for Dependents to deal with planned and unplanned family and caring responsibilities. We also offer paid reservists’ leave.