Funeral Service Manager - 12 Month Fixed Term Contract £30,000-£36,000 Full Time, 37.5 hours • Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm Southend-On-Sea, SS2 6JJ 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 a funeral service manager to join the Co-op Funeralcare team and help our colleagues to deliver the best possible service to our clients. If you can bring amazing people skills combined with real commercial focus, we can offer you the opportunity to make a difference. As a funeral service manager you’ll work with colleagues at all levels, covering between 7 and 15 funeral homes in your region. We’ll look to you to build great relationships, set standards for care and adherence to regulatory compliance, and oversee funeral services and processes to make sure we’re consistently delivering to the highest possible standards. What you’ll do • lead and coach a team of funeral directors and arrangers across your region • build strong and effective relationships with colleagues in your area to drive a consistently high standard of funeral service to our clients • inspire your teams to focus on achieving the highest possible standards of client care in line with business and commercial objectives • analyse and review management information to spot opportunities and drive continuous improvement and consistency across the wider business • take an active role in the community; building relationships with other Co-op businesses and external organisations to promote our services and bring our communities together • make sure ‘certified colleagues’ are fully supported in reaching and maintaining the required levels of competency for operating in a regulated environment • make sure ‘non-certified’ colleagues are operating within regulatory guidelines and processes • manage resources across the area, make sure there’s funeral plan arrangement cover in the homes where there are no trained colleagues • take responsibility for any client complaints and issues • carry out inspections of funeral homes to make sure standards are met and premises are always immaculate and presentable and in line with risk, health and safety standards What you'll bring • real commercial focus and the ability to spot opportunities and trends • excellent organisational skills and attention to detail to make sure regulatory policies and processes are always adhered to • confidence communicating and presenting to all kinds of people • the ability to coach and mentor teams across multiple locations • great relationship building and customer service skills • the ability to communicate professionally and sensitively with clients and at a difficult time in their lives • an open mind when it comes to working around and coming into contact with the deceased • 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: • competitive salary • coaching, training and support to help you develop • pension with up to 10% employer contributions • annual incentive scheme • 28 days holiday (increasing with service) • discounts on Co-op products and services 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 12 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 seek regulatory references and check your social media activity on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In this role you’ll work under FCA regulation – we’ll provide you with all the training you need to become a ‘certified colleague’. To make sure you’re eligible to advise clients on ‘pre-need’ funeral plans as a ‘certified colleague’, we’ll perform FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) and financial integrity checks. These aim to identify financial sanctions such as CCJs (county court judgements) or bankruptcy. Your credit score will not be checked as part of this process. 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.