Work with us
At Combat Stress we provide life-changing treatment to former military serving personnel with complex mental health issues. Click on the links below to hear directly from our clinical staff about working at the charity. You can also watch a veteran and his family explain how life has been transformed after our treatment.
We are the UK’s leading charity for veterans’ mental health. We focus on veterans with complex mental health needs that have arisen because of traumatic experiences while serving in the military. Our focus is long-term recovery and we look for people who are committed to supporting former servicemen and women to tackle the past and help them take on the future.
Our interdisciplinary team includes nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, occupational therapists, peer support and family support workers. Our staff work closely with each other and each veteran to make a treatment plan which fits the veteran’s individual needs. We operate alongside and partner with NHS mental health providers, GPs and other charities.
We employ people across the UK. Staff are based in our treatment centres and in the community. All are trained to understand military life and the mental health difficulties that veterans can face after leaving the military.
Our specialist treatment is evidence-based. Our in-house research department is used to help us continually improve the effectiveness of our services and ensure that veterans receive high-quality treatment. We also operate as a trauma-informed organisation: we use what we know about how traumatic experiences and stress affect veterans, and what helps them to recover, to plan our services, policy and practices.
We currently provide various models of treatment for our veterans being treated for complex mental health issues. One of these involves a three-week inpatient intensive residential treatment in both nurse and non-nursed resident (12 beds) sites.
The executive management team, fundraising, communications and resources teams are based at our Head Office at Tyrwhitt House in Surrey.
We look for team players who are hardworking, with a positive attitude and committed to providing support for veterans from every service and every conflict. If you already have or want to develop the skills to share this way of working, we want you to join us!
Our employee training programme will be designed according to your needs.
Defence Employers Recognition Scheme (ERS)
Gold Standard Award
We are proud to have achieved a Gold Award since 2023.
To qualify for the gold award, holders must meet strict criteria. This includes signing the Armed Forces Covenant; proactively demonstrating an organisation’s forces-friendly credentials as part of its recruitment and selection processes; and providing at least 10 days’ additional leave for training, fully paid, to Reservist employees.
In addition to meeting the above criteria, our advocacy and support of the armed forces community includes hosting the annual Military Mind Symposium; attending numerous health fairs and armed forces community-based events; providing online self-help and organisational resources; and delivering educational work with veteran-centric organisations. We have also introduced guaranteed interviews for veterans and their families providing they meet minimum job requirements.
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Employee benefits
We offer employees a range of benefits including:
- 27 days annual leave, with an increase to 30 days annual leave upon 5 years of continuous service, plus bank holidays and an additional increase to 33 days annual leave upon 10 years continuous service, plus bank holidays for salary bands 1 - 7.
- 30 days annual leave plus bank holidays and an additional increase to 33 days annual leave upon 10 years continuous service, plus bank holidays for salary bands 8a - 8d.
- Stakeholder pension scheme with contributions matched up to 11% of salary
- Cycle to work scheme
- Discounted healthcare cash plan
- Training and development including continuing professional development opportunities
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Flexible working opportunities.
- Death in Service Scheme