Working here

Find out what it's like to work here at the Francis Crick Institute.
People at the Crick sharing skills and knowledge.

Pay and benefits

Our people are at the heart of what we do. Your talent, commitment and hard work will be well rewarded when you join us.

We have developed our own pay and grading structure, benchmarking the institute against the university, charity and pharmaceutical sectors. We aim for salaries to be fair and competitive, and appropriate for a world-class, publicly funded research institute.

The starting salaries of some groups, such as postdocs and early career group leaders, are set, and a pay progression applies automatically at a set rate each year.

For other roles, we review aspects such as pay ranges and salary scales each year and make a percentage increase in salaries based on the available budget. We also have a performance-based programme where outstanding performers can be nominated to receive an additional increase.

Our benefits include:

  • 28 days of holiday each year, plus three additional days (usually taken over Christmas) and bank holidays
  • Defined contribution pension scheme, with the Crick contributing between 3 and 16% of salary
  • Life assurance
  • Season ticket/car parking loan
  • Annual leave purchase
  • Childcare support allowance
  • Back-up dependent care
  • Discounted annual gym membership
  • Bike to Work scheme
  • Payroll giving
  • Shopping discounts

Wellbeing

There are pressures associated with working in a high-performing research environment, and people often need support to respond to these pressures. At the Crick we aim to work together to ensure the safety, health and wellbeing of everyone, including mental wellbeing.

Achieving this involves creating a great working culture, including respectful working relationships between all our staff. To support this we provide high-quality training in respectful communication and management, and have channels for staff to seek support and raise concerns.

We proactively support colleagues across the Crick with our comprehensive and award-winning wellbeing programme. It places particular emphasis on mental, financial and physical health.

The programme has been recognised by the Mayor of London’s ‘Good Work Standard’, and the ‘Excellence’ level in the London Healthy Workplace Awards.

Wellbeing arrangements

  • A 24-7 telephone assistance programme
  • A 24-7 GP consultation service, by phone and online
  • An occupational health service
  • Mental health first aiders
  • Access to TogetherAll, an online platform supporting mental health
  • Eye care vouchers
  • Financial education

Voluntary benefits

  • Healthcare plans
  • Dental cash plans
  • In-chair massage

Social opportunities

We encourage colleagues to get together socially, and because our building is designed with collaboration in mind, it’s easy to make social interactions a part of the day to day.

We have collaboration areas for informal conversations, and a subsidised onsite restaurant and café. A few nights a week, the café becomes a bar for a few hours.

Staff groups

Staff groups

We also have a variety of established staff-run groups and networks with new ones starting up regularly. Some of these are purely sporting or social, others combine social activities with discussions around a particular area of science, and some are dedicated to representing the interests of particular groups of people.

These groups sit alongside the research interest groups which every researcher is encouraged to join to keep track of developments in their field.

 

Cricksters

Cricksters

The Crick’s sport and social club is called Cricksters. It organises a range of free events for staff members to get to know each other outside of work and is open to everyone who works at the Crick.

Cricksters organises a wide selection of regular events for Crick staff, from sports such as tennis, squash, yoga and Pilates to clubs focused on crafting, board games, films and more. It puts on regular quiz nights and ceilidhs, as well as working with other staff groups to organise weekend trips. The network supports Crick staff who have ideas for new events, clubs or sports teams and helps them to get their ideas off the ground.

There is an opportunity to join various committees and networks that encompass the Crick family. The chance to join the many social groups or events such as Cricksters means there’s ample opportunity to strike the perfect work-social life balance.