Funeral Service Operative - Casual Hours

Southern Co-Op; Burgh Heath; On-site; GBP 12,000 - 18,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discount in stores

Health & dental plans

Virtual GP & Aviva Digicare+

Employee Assistance Programme

Life insurance & pension

Financial wellbeing tools

Cycle-to-work & EV schemes

Training & development opportunities

Job summary

Southern Co-Op is seeking a Funeral Service Operative to help deliver dignified end-of-life care and services. You will assist in collection, preparation and transport of the deceased, drive our vehicles, and act as a bearer. The role involves physical tasks and on-call requirements, often in varying locations.

The successful candidate will have a full UK driving licence (manual/automatic) and be over 25 for insurance purposes. DBS check applies.

Qualifications

• Excellent communication, listening and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to remain calm and professional under pressure.
• Demonstrates empathy and compassion for families and the deceased.

Responsibilities

• Collect the deceased and bring them into our care, sometimes in difficult locations.
• Assist with dressing and preparing the deceased for viewing and placement in the coffin.
• Drive our vehicles and ensure vehicles are clean and in good order for each funeral.
• Act as a bearer during funeral services and processions.
• Support communities and represent our funeral care services with professionalism.
• This role involves manual handling.

Skills

Excellent communication

Resilience under pressure

Empathy and compassion

Job description

We’re offering an exciting opportunity to deliver the best end of life care, support, and experience to the deceased and their families at their time of need. As a Funeral Service Operative you’ll assist in the smooth delivery of funerals, from collection, transportation, and preparation of the deceased, through to driving our vehicles and acting as a conductor or bearer. This is a physically and emotionally demanding role.

You'll need a full UK driving license (valid for both manual and automatic vehicles) and for insurance purposes you must be over 25.

Shifts will be worked on a casual basis, when the need arises. These will be worked Monday to Friday and you'll be required to work on call and out of hours as part of our on call rota (evenings, weekends, overnight).

What you'll get...

• 20% colleague discount in our retail shops
• Health & dental cash plans
• 24/7 virtual GP & fitness discounts via Aviva Digicare+ Workplace
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Life insurance & NEST pension
• Financial wellbeing tools
• Cycle-to-work & Electric Vehicle schemes
• Training & development opportunities

What to expect...

• Collecting the deceased and bringing them into our care. This may involve challenging locations and circumstances.
• Helping dress and prepare the deceased, including preparing for viewing and placing the deceased into the coffin or casket.
• Driving our vehicles and ensuring all are in a pristine condition for each funeral.
• Acting as a bearer.
• Supporting our local communities and acting as a trusted ambassador for our funeral care services.
• This role will involve manual handling.

What we're looking for...

• Excellent communication & listening skills.
• Can demonstrate resilience and work under pressure.
• High level of understanding, empathy, and compassion.

Training...

• Previous experience within the funeral industry is not required as we’ll provide full training.
• Travel to other sites will be required.

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.

Successful candidates will undergo a DBS check as part of compliance requirements.

If we receive a high volume of relevant applications, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so please apply as soon as you can.