Vacancy Introduction

We have provided Funeral Services to clients and families across Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire for over 90 years. We’ve invested £10million in the last 4 years, representing our ongoing commitment to our valued colleagues and the communities they serve.

As Sector Manager, you’ll lead and develop a team of high-performing Funeral Co-ordinators, Funeral Directors and Funeral Operatives to deliver an exemplary client service; with overall responsibility for all colleagues, branches, facilities and vehicles.

This is a key role within our Funeral Services’ operational management team, reporting into the Area Manager and working closely with other colleagues.

Role Responsibility

You’ll create an open and supportive working environment where your team feel valued and understand their contribution to our performance. Through effective leadership, recruitment, performance management and colleague development, you’ll be responsible for ensuring your teams:

• Deliver exceptional standards of client care and branch standards.
• Achieve KPIs (service, financial, etc.), identifying and responding to performance issues.
• Work smartly, communicating effectively and maximising the resources available to them.
• Innovate, taking their feedback on how we can do better and turn this into reality, driving future change.
• Effectively support new colleagues and their development.
• Work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders (e.g. local crematorium, cemetery, etc.) to understand opportunities and challenges.
• Engage with their local communities, positively representing the East of England Co-op as brand ambassadors.

The Ideal Candidate

• Experience of managing large and diverse operational teams, setting individual and team targets
• Customer / client service background
• Commercially astute
• Experience of implementing change, ensuring the team and business are aligned
• Experience of ensuring compliance in team members and service (ideally within a regulated area)
• Great communication skills, with the ability to compile accurate, concise records / reports
• Effective interpersonal skills, effective with all stakeholders
• Ability to work with challenging deadlines and independently prioritise workload
• Good standard of Maths and English and IT competence (Microsoft and bespoke systems)

Whilst experience of the Funeral Service sector would be advantageous, this is not essential. We’re more than happy to offer the right person the guidance and support they’ll need to adapt, in return for their relevant skills and experience.

This role will require regular travel across our trading areas in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex . As such, the successful candidate will need to have a current valid driving license.

Package Description

What’s in it for you

At the East of England Co-op, we strive to be the best place to work. We invest in our colleagues to help them to progress in their careers and achieve their full potential. How do we do this?  

• Competitive rates of pay
• 20% discount in our food stores, along with other discounts across our family of businesses
• 25 days holiday (plus bank holiday entitlement) which increases with service
• 5% employer pension contribution
• Death in service benefit
• Access to our colleague communications app, The Loop
• Enhanced* family leave and pay arrangements
• Opportunities to grow, with award-winning training and apprenticeship programmes
• Great deals and discounts across 100’s of high street and online retailers
• Financial wellbeing support, including Wagestream®

Check out the detail of all our colleague benefits here.

* Enhanced on statutory terms, subject to service criteria.

We recognise the challenges people face trying to balance commitments both in and out of the workplace -  perhaps studying, caring commitments, or other employment. We therefore aim to be as flexible as possible, to create shift patterns that work for both our co-op and our colleagues.

About the Company

The East of England Co-op is the largest independent retailer in East Anglia, with over 230 stores and branches across Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire.

Owned by over 260,000 members – including our colleagues – our vision is to be the most valued organisation in our region, by being a better kind of business and using our profit to make a positive impact on our communities.

Our Community Cares Fund provides hundreds of thousands of pounds to support groups and good causes, with a focus on mental health and wellbeing, food justice for all and creating community spaces. 

With a focus on environmental sustainability, we’re proud to have led the way on reducing food waste, being the first major retailer to sell food past its Best Before date for just 10p. 

At the East of England Co-op, we strive to be the best place to work. We invest in our colleagues to help them to progress in their careers and achieve their full potential, whether in food retail, funeral services, property investment, travel, security, stonemasonry, events, or our support functions. 

Find out more at www.eastofengland.coop

Our Recruitment Process

If this is the job for you, simply click ‘apply’. You will be required to register a profile on our careers page. To do this simply click apply. The good news is you’ll only have to register once – after this, it’ll be easier and quicker to apply for any roles in the future too.

Please note that our working patterns are non-contractual. The advertised working pattern represents the normal working pattern for the role at time of advertisement and is subject to change.

East of England Co-op