Funeral Service Assistant

What will you be doing?

Caring for families is at the heart of what we do. You will be our families’ first point of contact whilst attending the scene of the recent bereavement. You’ll build relationships with families at a difficult moment as we take responsibility for the care and preparation of their loved one.

Working within our funeral team offers a unique and privileged experience. You’ll be showing people compassion and empathy on one of the most difficult days of their lives, whilst taking special care to deliver the highest standards of professional service.

You’ll have the responsibility and privilege to look after the preparation and presentation of the person who has passed away, which includes washing and dressing them with the dignity and respect that this personal act requires.

You will also be required to participate in a Standby and On-Call rota as part of your responsibilities.

Please note as of 1st December 2023, new joiners to our Funeral Business will be subject to a standard DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check. All offers will be conditional on us receiving a satisfactory disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service.

How will I know if I am right for this role?

Working in our funeral home requires you to have qualities and characteristics that make you perfect for the role. If you have compassion, empathy and take pride in your professionalism and the thought of caring for the deceased with care and respect speaks to you, then a fulfilling career in funeral could be right for you. This is an extraordinary opportunity for extraordinary people.

Physical ability to lift and transfer the deceased person in our care is essential in this wide-ranging role.

You will work closely with your colleagues as a family unit, who flex and support each other in a variety of duties, including the transfer of the deceased within our Society vehicles. You will need to hold a full UK Manual driving licence (valid for driving manual and automatic vehicles) and be ready to assist with the on-call schedule across varying shifts.

You will also be required to participate in a Standby and On-Call rota as part of your responsibilities

We’re looking for people from all walks of life, whether you’ve had your own experiences that lead you to wanting to pursue a role in funeral care, or you have a passion for helping people and wish to make a difference to your community. With the right coaching, guidance and ability to learn being provided, a long-term and fulfilling career path in a caring profession is waiting for you.

Everyone is welcome here. We’re happy to make reasonable adjustments so that all our candidates can show us how they’ll perform their role. There is a section in the application form where you can provide any additional information. Please use this section to include any reasonable adjustments you need, and we’ll do our best to support you through our recruitment process

What benefits are available to you?

In addition to our competitive salaries, our colleagues also benefit from:

Reward and Benefits

• Fantastic colleague discount - Reward ££’s and discounts across our Retail and Funeral businesses.
• Retail discounts - our hub offers colleagues access to hundreds of exclusive retail discounts, savings on days out and holiday discounts.
• Colleague Dividend - We pay a share of our profits to eligible colleagues as a thank you for their contribution to our success.
• Colleague recognition - we celebrate our colleague’s achievements both personally and professionally
• Personalised learning and development - with easy access to a wide range of training programmes
• Paid time for volunteering - we encourage our colleagues to spend three days per year taking part in volunteering, fully paid for by us.
• Enhanced family friendly policies - to help you feel fully supported during any significant life events.

  Wellbeing

• Annual health check kit and virtual GP – Finger prick blood test kit, that is sent to Square Healthcare for your personal healthcare report, and access to a virtual GP 7 days a week 8am to 8pm for you and your family.
• Colleague assistance programme – to support you and your family when you need it the most.
• Healthcare Cashplan - your wellbeing is important, so you’ve got the opportunity to contribute into a voluntary plan that helps pay towards a range of healthcare expenses.
• Company sick pay – We offer company sick pay to colleagues so that you can focus on getting better and returning to work in full health.
• Life Assurance - after an initial qualifying period, you’ll get free life assurance cover, that pays your nominated beneficiary if you die while you’re working for us.
• We’ve got you – our colleague wellbeing campaign, making wellbeing benefits and resources accessible and relevant to the role that you do.
• Give as you earn - helping you support charities which mean something to you.

  Financial Wellbeing

• iTrent Financial Wellbeing (Wagestream)- offers something for all our colleagues, whether you want to track your finances, save some money, or access up to 50% of your earned pay flexibly in a way that suits you.
• The Money Co-op – Free access to support all aspects of your financial wellbeing, such as savings and loans at competitive rates.
• Salary Sacrifice schemes :
  • Electric Vehicle scheme – Option to purchase your EV through salary sacrifice
  • Share Incentive Plan (SIP) – option to buy shares within the Society, where they will attract interest and £10 worth of matching shares.
  • Cycle to Work scheme – Option to purchase your bicycle and accessories through salary sacrifice
  • Holiday buy - colleagues can buy up to a week extra of annual leave each year
• Company Pension - you can access a company pension scheme with us as well as access to Pension wellbeing information.
• Nous – smart assistant that can save you money and time on managing your household bills.

To find out more about all of these plus many more reasons to join us, please visit Rewards and benefits - Central Coop (careers.coop)

Who are we?

OurCoop is the UK’s largest independent co-operative Society, with more than one million Members and 13,000 colleagues operating in communities nationwide. It was formed by bringing together Central Co-op, The Midcounties Co-operative and Chelmsford Star Co-op to create a stronger, member-owned organisation rooted in shared co-operative values.

The Society trades nationally through its family of businesses while remaining deeply rooted in local communities. Its footprint spans Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Bedfordshire in the South and West; the Midlands including Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Northamptonshire; the North including Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Yorkshire; and the East of England, including Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk.

OurCoop and its family of businesses are trading names of Central England Co-operative Limited.