Funeral Director

Co-op; Reading; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 33,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30% off Co-op branded products

23 days holidays (pro rata)

Pension with employer contributions

Employee Assistance Programme

Access to virtual GP

Career development opportunities

Supportive team ensuring community mak

Job summary

Co-op Funeralcare in Reading is seeking a Funeral Director to balance managerial duties with compassionate client care. You will be a key contact for families, oversee service delivery, and uphold professional standards with the wider team.

The role offers a competitive salary (£29,776 per year) and a 37.5-hour week, with an on-call rota including evenings and weekends, reflecting the need to provide support when families require it most.

Qualifications

• No experience required.
• Strong people skills and a real commercial focus.
• UK manual driving licence required.

Responsibilities

• Ensure client needs and KPIs are met and act as main point of contact with clients.
• Support funerals by conducting ceremonies, leading teams and lifting where needed.
• Refer regulated work to a certified colleague, including funeral planning appointments.
• Build and maintain relationships with team, clients and the community.

Skills

Commercial mindset

Customer focus

People leadership

Detail orientation

UK driving licence

Job description

Closing date: 16-09-2026

Funeral Director £29,776 per annum (£15.27 per hour) plus benefits Full time 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday 8am-8pm - as part of this role, you'll also be part of the on call rota (including evenings & weekends)

Reading, RG30 1EA, including cover for Bracknell & Earley

No experience needed.

Please note all positions within Funeralcare can involve direct physical contact with the deceased as part of normal duties - the amount of contact will differ dependant on role applied for.

Typical duties include but are not limited to preparation, transportation, and personal care of the deceased to be carried out with professionalism, dignity, respect and adherence to health and safety standards.

Please carefully consider your comfort levels with these responsibilities before applying.

We're looking for an empathetic and commercially minded person to join the Co-op Funeralcare team.

You don't need industry experience. If you have great people skills, and a real commercial focus, you could be perfect for this role.

At Co-op Funeralcare, we provide a caring and compassionate service when families need it most. As a funeral director, you'll be right at the heart of that service. You'll balance your time between managerial and business tasks, and building strong, trusting relationships with clients.

At the Co-op, you'll be part of something meaningful. Join us today.

What you'll do

• make sure client needs, service levels and KPIs are met
• be clients' main point of contact; supporting and guiding with the help of the wider team
• support funerals - conducting the ceremony, leading the team and carrying the deceased when necessary
• make sure all regulated work, including funeral planning appointments, is referred to a 'certified colleague'
• build and maintain relationships with the team, clients and the community

What you'll bring

• a commercial mind-set and experience in a managerial role
• a true customer focus and a real passion for delivering a great service
• the ability to capture intricate detail and make sure it is reflected in the service we deliver
• compassion, understanding and empathy, and the ability to keep a cool head under pressure
• a UK manual driving licence

Why Co-op?

At Co-op, we're owned by our members. And because we're owned by you, we can do right by you. So when you join us, you're not just taking a job, you're joining a movement. We're an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we're powered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you'll also receive:

• 30% off Co-op branded products in our food stores all year-round
• 10% off other brands in our food stores all year-round
• discounts on other Co-op products and services
• 23 days holidays (pro rata, rising with service)
• a pension with up to 10% employer contributions
• access to our Employee Assistance Programme which offers confidential advice and support on anything you're struggling with, 24 hours a day
• access to virtual GP and free eye tests
• endless career development opportunities including apprenticeships
• friendly, supportive team and the knowledge that you make a huge difference to your community
• access to Stream - a money management app that gives you access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it

A place you'll belong

We're building diverse and inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and are committed to creating a workplace where colleagues can feel like they belong, supported by our inclusive policies and the ways we work.

We're proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme and offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a job. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, we'll support you.

Learn more about our recruitment process at Your Co-op Application Journey and our inclusion commitments at Diversity and inclusion at Co-op

As part of your application you'll need to complete an online assessment. It will take you around 20 minutes to complete this test.

If you're successful in your application, we'll perform some background checks as part of our pre-employment screening process. These will include a DBS (disclosure and barring service) and adverse media checks, and an occupational health questionnaire (to ensure you are fit to perform the role). We'll also check your social media activity on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Any offer of employment made will be conditional upon the completion of pre-employment screening checks.

We reserve the right to remove a vacancy before the scheduled closing date.