Careers at the Vernon

 

With almost 100 years as a local, mutual, Building Society our main ethos remains the same today as it was in 1924 when the Society was formed, which is to look after our members, providing them with a safe place for their savings and helping them to buy a home.

We believe that investing in our people and their future is a key part to our success.  We pride ourselves on delivering a high-level of personal customer service and our colleagues regularly impress our customers by going the ‘extra mile’.

Our culture is reflected in our values and they drive behaviours and standards that all employees demonstrate in both their work and their relationships with our members, customers, mortgage brokers and corporate partners.

Our Values

Personal

We treat each member as an individual. We listen to understand their needs (even if they’re unusual) and find them the best outcome possible.

Authentic

We are down to earth, straightforward, friendly people that keep our promises.

Caring

We care about our Members, colleagues and the communities in which we operate.

Empowering

We put members first and strive to provide solutions, not rejections.

Come and join the team:

If you are looking to start your career or move to a Society that has its customers' and employees’ interests at the heart of what they do, then the Vernon is the place for you.

From apprenticeships, customer service advisers to a range of more specialised roles, we have a variety of opportunities at the Society and offer full training and development to ensure you are supported in the role and during your career with us.

The Stockport Award Winner 2023

Employee benefits

We value all our employees and it is our mission to invest in them to build a stronger Society and to reward them for the work they do by offering an amazing employee benefits package.

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Pay & Reward

  • Competitive salaries, all roles are annually benchmarked across financial sector & local area 

  • Annual bonus scheme

  • Pension – employer contribution 7.5% up to 2 years of service increasing to 10% after two years

  • Death in Service life assurance policy – 4x annual salary

  • Salary exchange for Pension arrangement

  • Car allowance (for certain roles)

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Work/life balance

  • Hybrid working - ability to work from home for some roles, work at any of our 6 branches and support office

  • Flexible working

  • Regular all staff calls with our CEO

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Holidays

  • 25 days holiday plus bank holidays rising to 27 days plus bank holidays after 2 years of service (pro rata for part-time employees)

  • Ability to purchase an additional working week

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Recognition & Reward

  • Standing Ovation colleague award

  • Colleague events

  • Employee Opinion Survey

  • Annual salary review and bonus**

** bonus payments are dependent on individual & Society performance

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Training & Development

  • Training & development support for all employees

  • Career progression opportunities

  • Apprenticeship programmes

  • Sponsorship and support for professional qualifications

  • Professional membership fees paid for by the Society

  • Performance reviews 

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Health & Wellbeing

  • Health Cash-Plan 

  • Private Medical Insurance (for certain roles)

  • Cycle to work scheme

  • Employee retail discount package

  • Employee Assistance Programme

  • Mental Health support first aiders on site

  • 2 paid volunteering days per year

  • First Aid certificate (not compulsory)

  • Corporate wear provided free of charge for branch colleagues

  • Casual dress for Support Office roles

  • Free tea, coffee and juice

How to apply and what happens next

Apply

If you are interested in applying for a vacancy, you will be asked to submit your CV with a covering letter so that we can find out about your previous work experiences.  Upon receipt you can expect to receive an email acknowledgement.

If you have a disability, please tell us if there are any reasonable adjustments we can make to help you in your application.

Review

Your CV and covering letter will be reviewed by the hiring manager who will look at your skills, knowledge and experience and if you meet the specification of the role, we will be in contact to arrange the next stage.  If your skills and experience do not match the needs for the role you can expect to receive an email advising you, we are not going to progress your application further.

Interview

One of the People team will call you to arrange a mutually convenient time to attend either a face-to-face interview or a telephone interview. Before the interview you will be sent the role profile for the job you are applying for and a job application form to be returned to us before the interview.  At the interview we will get to know you and you will learn about the vacancy role for which you have applied. Competency questions are asked at the interview which are based on the role profile and your previous skills and experience. Our more specialised roles may require some additional assessments during the interview.

Feedback

If you have not been successful in getting the role you will receive an email to advise you of this and if you wish to receive feedback a telephone call can be arranged with the hiring manager.

Hired

You will be contacted by the hiring manager informing you that your application has been successful. We will then send your Offer of Employment and Contract and your career with the Vernon will begin.

We welcome all new employees with a full induction session, along with a personalised training and development plan to ensure you feel supported throughout your journey and to enhance your skills and knowledge. All roles have a 26-week probationary period, during which you will learn all aspects of the role following a training & development plan with full support from a training mentor. As well as extensive on the job training our employees have access to a development programme to enhance their skills and knowledge by taking qualifications which the Society is fully supportive of.

Meet The People Team

Jayne Nield

HR & People Adviser
  • About Jayne:

    Jayne joined the Society in 1998 as a customer service adviser & has gone on to hold a variety of roles. In 2007 Jayne moved into HR and deals with our recruitment, inductions, employee benefits, pay and reward, all supporting our "employer of choice" vision. Jayne is also on hand to support & advise colleagues on all aspects of HR policy & procedures.

"I am in my 25th year of service working for the Society and I have loved every minute. I thoroughly enjoy making a significant impact to people’s working life.  Employee benefits are a big part of my role, and I am passionate about ensuring that our employees have the right benefits and that their health and well-being are always fully supported."

Andrea Cain

People Development Leader
  • About Andrea:

    Andrea joined the Society in 2017 as our People Development Leader with 27 years experience of working in a variety of roles within the financial services industry. Andrea is responsible for the ongoing training and development of her colleagues. Andrea also works with the local community to identify ways that the Society can support them.

"I am passionate about People and I have been integral to introducing, and supporting, a number of initiatives across the Society since my arrival, including Leadership programmes, Mental Health First Aid training and Employee Feedback mechanisms. I consider it key to my role that our colleagues enjoy the time they spend in the workplace and that they feel supported and empowered to take steps to further their development and, ultimately, their career."

Meet the Team

Even if we say so ourselves, we've got a great team! Our leadership team keep the society running smoothly.

Read More

We're award winning

We won The Stockport Award at the 2023 Stockport Business Awards!

READ MORE

Apprenticeships

We recognise the skills of youth and are committed to enriching local talent to flourish at The Vernon.

Read More

Inclusion & Diversity

We are committed to promoting equal opportunities in employment. Our colleagues and all job applicants will be treated equally regardless of their: age, disability, gender reassignment, marital/partner status, pregnancy, race, nationality, ethnicity, religious beliefs or sexual orientation. At the Vernon, this applies to all aspects of employment with us, including our recruitment, pay, benefits, training, promotion and all internal processes.

The Vernon strives for a culture that encourages and enables our colleagues' diverse range of skills, experiences, backgrounds and opinions to flourish


Privacy

** Our full Recruitment Privacy Policy can be found at the bottom of this page.

General Information

Working in a regulated financial services organisation means it is important that we complete a series of checks on any new employee. When you join the Society, we will need to obtain a copy of the following:

  • 6-year full employment/educational history
  • 3 references
  • Legal right to work
  • 2-year full residential address history
  • Credit check
  • Disclosure & Barring Search (DBS)
  • Proof of qualifications (certificates)
  • 3 forms of identification to include primary identity, government document & financial history. 

Read our Recruitment Privacy Policy

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General Data Protection Regulations require us to tell you how we collect, store and process personal data, when registering your interest with us.

When you register your interest on our Careers Page, VBS will hold your personal data for a period of 12 months. Should a job vacancy arise within the time period, that may suit your request, then we will contact you. After a 12 month period expires, your data will be erased. 

For details on how we process your personal information for recruitment purposes and also your rights under the General Data Protection Regulations, please view our Recruitment Privacy Notice. You can also view our general Privacy Notice here.

Equal opportunities: We are committed to equal opportunities and consider applicants on their merits and capabilities regardless of their sex, race, marital status, disability, age, hours of work or other discriminatory factors.