Area Funeral Arranger

Southern Co-Op; Plymouth; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

20% colleague discount in retail

Health and dental cash plans

24/7 virtual GP and fitness discounts

Employee Assistance Programme

Life insurance and pension

Financial wellbeing tools

Cycle-to-work and EV schemes

Training and development opportunities

Job summary

Southern Co-Op is hiring an Area Funeral Arranger to support families with care and compassion across multiple funeral homes. You will listen to wishes, guide choices, and help create personal funerals, while maintaining consistent, professional service across locations. Full training is provided.

You’ll travel between funeral homes, adapt to different teams, and build trusted relationships with families, ensuring dignified and respectful treatment throughout the client journey.

Qualifications

• Genuine empathy and understanding when supporting families.
• Excellent communication skills for sensitive conversations.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Good administrative and IT skills, including MS Office.

Responsibilities

• Support families to arrange meaningful funerals, guiding them through choices.
• Care for the deceased with dignity and respect, including daily checks.
• Assist families visiting Reflection Rooms to create personal experiences.
• Help families choose memorials and aftercare options and manage admin accurately.
• Oversee day-to-day running of the funeral home and ensure health and safety standards.

Skills

Empathy

Compassion

Communication

Organisation

Attention to detail

MS Office

Driving licence

Adaptability

Teamwork

Customer service

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Be there when it matters most.

Could you support someone through one of the most difficult moments of their life?

As an Area Funeral Arranger, you’ll support families with care, compassion and reassurance when they need it most. You’ll listen, guide them through their choices and help create a funeral that feels personal and right for their loved one.

You’ll provide flexible cover across multiple funeral homes within a defined geographical area. You’ll need to quickly understand what’s already been agreed and provide a consistent, caring service for every family.

No previous funeral experience is needed. What matters is your ability to listen, communicate sensitively, stay organised and genuinely care about people. We’ll provide full training and support to help you build a rewarding career in funeral services.

What you’ll do

Every family is different. Every funeral is personal. And every day in this role brings an opportunity to make a difference.

From the first conversation through to the funeral and beyond, you’ll build trusted relationships with families and make sure they receive a caring, professional and personal service.

You’ll:

• Support families to arrange meaningful funerals, listening carefully to their wishes and guiding them through the choices available
• Care for the deceased entrusted to us, ensuring they are always treated with dignity and respect, including completing daily checks
• Support families visiting our Reflection Rooms, helping to make these important moments as comfortable and personal as possible
• Help families choose memorials and other ways to remember their loved one, as well as providing ongoing aftercare
• Complete funeral, memorial and client administration accurately and with attention to detail
• Take responsibility for the day-to-day running of the funeral home you are supporting, including opening and closing, health and safety checks and maintaining high standards
• Work across different funeral homes, adapting quickly to different teams, locations and ways of working while maintaining a consistent standard of client care
• Pick up funeral arrangements at different stages of the client journey, quickly familiarising yourself with what has already been discussed and agreed with the family
• Build rapport and trust with families, including when you are taking over an arrangement from another colleague
• Work closely with colleagues, internal teams and external suppliers to make sure every detail of a funeral comes together
• Complete FCA-regulated training, enabling you to discuss and arrange pre-paid funeral plans
• Build relationships within your local community and represent Funeralcare at local events and activities

What we’re looking for

Above all, we’re looking for someone who wants to make a genuine difference to families experiencing the loss of someone they love.

You’ll understand that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to saying goodbye. You’ll take the time to understand each family, treating their individual wishes, beliefs and circumstances with care and respect

The core skills and qualities needed for this role are the same as those needed in our branch-based Funeral Arranger roles. However, as an Area Funeral Arranger, you’ll need to be particularly comfortable with change and working across different locations.

You’ll also bring:

• Genuine empathy, compassion and understanding
• Excellent communication skills and the confidence to have sensitive conversations
• Strong organisational skills and excellent attention to detail
• Good administrative skills
• Confidence using IT, including Microsoft Office
• Resilience and the ability to remain calm and professional during emotionally challenging situations
• Adaptability and the confidence to move between different funeral homes, teams and locations and to understand what is happening and pick up arrangements that may already be underway
• The confidence to build rapport and trust with families, even when you are not the colleague who initially supported them
• A consistent and professional approach to client care, regardless of the funeral home you are working from
• The ability to work independently and confidently in different funeral homes
• Flexibility to manage the travel and changing requirements that come with working across an area
• A willingness to learn and develop within the funeral profession

Travel to other funeral homes will be required as part of your role and training.

A full UK driving licence is essential.

What you’ll get

We want our colleagues to feel supported too.

• 20% colleague discount in our retail stores
• Health and dental cash plans
• 24/7 virtual GP and fitness discounts through Aviva DigiCare+ Workplace
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Life insurance and NEST pension
• Financial wellbeing tools
• Cycle-to-work and Electric Vehicle schemes
• Training and development opportunities to help you build your career

Successful candidates will be required to complete a DBS check as part of our compliance requirements.

Any offer of employment will also be subject to meeting our pre-employment vetting requirements, in line with the regulatory framework set out by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This includes satisfactory reference checks. Further information will be provided during the recruitment process.

About us

We’re an independent Co-op, operating across the south of England running convenience food stores, funeral homes, crematoria, natural/woodland burial grounds and a Starbucks coffee franchise. We’re owned by our ,+ members, have over 4, colleagues and a purpose of working together for the benefit of our communities. We have a commitment to sustainable business and a promise to provide a fair, fresh approach, for all.

Become part of the family who are proud to serve local communities and put people first.