Vacancy Introduction

We have provided Funeral Services to clients and families across the East of England for over 90 years. We know that our colleagues are the ‘heartbeat’ of this service as the main point of contact for our clients, families and local communities.

You will support clients and families, offering specialist advice and guidance during, what is often, a difficult time for them. They place their complete trust and confidence in us and our Assistant Chapel & Services Manager's recognise that we only have one opportunity to deliver a faultless final tribute.  

You will also need to demonstrate the same professionalism when advising on other services, such as pre-payment plans and masonry.

We will fully support you in engaging with local projects and supporting important causes, helping you to establish the East of England Co-op Funeral Services and you, as an individual, in the community; our colleagues regularly tell us how rewarding this is!

Whilst previous experience of Funerals would be desirable, this isn’t essential; we’re more interested in hearing from individuals who can demonstrate that they have the personality, empathy and people skills suited to this environment. We are truly local, so whatever experience you bring to this role, you can be reassured that you will be fully supported by nearby branches and Head Office colleagues, as well as your line manager.

Role Responsibility

As well as carrying out the roles and responsibilities of a Funeral Co-Ordinator , our Assistant Chapel & Service Managers are responsible for the smooth operation of our Chapels of Rest, ensuring that all associated administration and liaison is completed professionally and accurately. At times, they will be the first point of contact for third parties such as hospitals or care homes and provide a service to those clients that are unable to view their loved ones in their local branch. Other responsibilities for this role include:

• Assist in the day to day operational management and support of the Chapel of Rest (front and rear of house), garage and fleet activities, together with the coffin workshop (location specific).
• Provide Chapel visit services to clients from other locations.
• Organise the distribution of Cremated Remains that are received from local Crematoria.
• Liaise with branches and the local Embalmer to organise for the transfer of any deceased that require our embalming services.
• Liaise with branches to ensure all necessary information and paperwork has been received to allow preparation of deceased.
• Liaise with and maintain third party relationships with Doctors, Hospitals, Care Homes and Suppliers.
• Ensure all paperwork for Chapel visits is completed in a timely manner.
• Ensure all paperwork for the transfer of Cremated Remains is completed in a timely manner.
• Maintain accurate deceased records.
• Take responsibility for stock takes of supplies kept within the Mortuary and process the relevant orders when replenishing supplies.
• Monitor and react to any issues of compliance, including cleanliness or hygiene.
• To assist in the management of individual colleague performance by supporting the Sector or Chapel Manager with training or coaching as required.
• To be comfortable with moving deceased from refrigeration to the Chapel. 
• May be required to participate in the out of hours duty team/rota.
• To have a good knowledge of the local area(s).
• Provide a professional service to clients, advising on funeral services, pre-payment plans, masonry and ancillary services
• When co-ordinating a funeral service, liaise with the Funeral Director, as well as third parties (e.g. Crematorium, Minister) to ensure that this is carried out in accordance with the client’s wishes and instructions
• Efficiently complete all required administration tasks (including those required as part of financial and statutory procedures)
• Provide information about after-care services, such as our bereavement support groups
• To be responsible for the overall standard, service and compliance of the branch
• Co-ordinate and support chapel visits (either in-branch or at the local Chapel of Rest)
• Play an active role in the community, developing relationships with key stakeholders and engaging with local causes, projects and initiatives
   

The Ideal Candidate

• Ability to supervise and provide a high standard of presentation of deceased.
• Previous administration experience
• IT literacy
• Great communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to organise and prioritise own workload
• Professional and empathetic approach
• Attention to detail (in work, as well as own conduct and presentation)

Package Description

Alongside a competitive salary, we also offer enhanced employer pension contribution and holiday entitlement, as well as our colleague discount scheme (including 20% off in our Food stores) – these are just a few benefits of working for us! Full details can be viewed on the ‘Colleague benefits’ section of our website.

You will benefit from our award-winning training helping you to achieve your true potential. Should you have your sights on career progression in the future, we’ve supported lots of our colleagues through Apprenticeships and to develop into managerial and professional roles.  

Working Hours  

We understand the importance of balancing work commitments with other activities and responsibilities, which is why we are happy to offer flexible working. We are always looking to find the right solutions to suit our colleagues and the business. Please indicate your availability within your application.

About the Company

As a co-op we’re a different type of business. We’re owned by our members and we work for the benefit of people and our communities, not just for profit.  We’re driven by our democratic values which are based around being fair, doing the right thing and caring for all those we deal with.  This includes our customers, our suppliers, our environment and each other.  We expect colleagues who work with us to share these values. We’re still a business and we work in a very competitive area so it’s still important that we’re efficient and work to the highest professional standards.

Click here to find out more https://www.eastofengland.coop/.

COVID-19 Recruitment Statement

Our colleague’s health and wellbeing is our priority and we have taken all reasonable steps to protect our teams in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whilst we have a number of measures in place to make our workplaces COVID-secure, applicants should be aware that the vast majority of our vacancies are for customer-facing roles. Whilst you are not obliged to share the details of any health conditions as part of your application, we would encourage you to consider any Government guidance which might apply to you. The latest advice for clinically vulnerable and clinically extremely vulnerable people can be found here (https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus).

If you would like to discuss a vacancy prior to making an application, please contact hrservices@eastofengland.coop.

East of England Co-op