Skip to main content

Find your Co-op job

Search

Benefits

  • Holidays starting from 31 days holiday per year (includes bank holidays)
  • 30% off Co-op branded products in our food stores
  • Pension with up to 10% employer contributions
  • Wagestream – a money management app that gives you access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it
  • Services to support your physical, mental and financial wellbeing
  • Flexibility – we’ll aim to find a working pattern that fits your life
  • Endless career development opportunities including apprenticeships

Job description

Funeral Director
£34,756 per annum (£14.69 per hour) plus benefits
Full Time 45.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday 8am-5pm plus occasional on-call duties covering evenings and weekends
Welwyn Garden City, Hertforshire AL7 4ST

No experience needed.

We’re looking for an empathetic and commercially minded person to join the Co-op Funeralcare team. 

You don’t need industry experience. If you have great people skills, and a real commercial focus, you could be perfect for this role. 

At Co-op Funeralcare, we provide a caring and compassionate service when families need it most. As a funeral director, you’ll be right at the heart of that service. You’ll balance your time between managerial and business tasks, and building strong, trusting relationships with clients. 

At the Co-op, you’ll be part of something meaningful. Join us today.

What you’ll do

• make sure client needs, service levels and KPIs are met
• be clients’ main point of contact; supporting and guiding with the help of the wider team
• support funerals – conducting the ceremony, leading the team and carrying the deceased when necessary
• make sure all regulated work, including funeral planning appointments, is referred to a ‘certified colleague’ 
• build and maintain relationships with the team, clients and the community 

This role would suit people who have

• a commercial mind-set and experience in a managerial role
• a true customer focus and a real passion for delivering a great service
• the ability to capture intricate detail and make sure it is reflected in the service we deliver 
• compassion, understanding and empathy, and the ability to keep a cool head under pressure
• a UK manual driving licence 

Why Co-op? 

You’ll get a fantastic benefits package including: 

• 30% off Co-op branded products in our food stores all year-round 
• 10% off other brands in our food stores all year-round (doubles to 20% on the Friday and Saturday after payday) 
• discounts on other Co-op products and services 
• 23 days holidays (pro rata, rising with service)  
• a pension with up to 10% employer contributions 
• access to our Employee Assistance Programme which offers confidential advice and support on anything you’re struggling with, 24 hours a day
• access to virtual GP and free eye tests
• endless career development opportunities including apprenticeships
• friendly, supportive team and the knowledge that you make a huge difference to your community
• access to Wagestream - a money management app that gives you access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it 

At Co-op, we’re proud to do things a different way. As one of the world’s largest co-operatives, owned by millions of members, community is at the heart of what we do. Since our Co-op was founded in 1844, we’ve had a clear social purpose, and everything we do as a business helps to build a fairer world for our members, customers, colleagues, and communities

Building an inclusive work environment 

We’re actively building diverse teams and we welcome applications from everyone. We want to build inclusive work environments, where our colleagues have equal opportunities to reach their full potential. We celebrate our differences, and recognise the importance of our teams reflecting the communities they serve.  

If you have a disability, we can make reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process according to your needs. We're also part of the Disability Confident scheme, meaning we'll always offer an interview to disabled candidates who apply through the scheme if they meet the minimum criteria for a job. 

We'll ask whether you’d like to be considered under the Disability Confident scheme when you apply.  

If we invite you to take part in the recruitment process for any of our jobs, we’ll ask you if you need any reasonable adjustments to enable you to participate. 

You can find out more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process.  

You can find out more about the Disability Confident scheme and all our commitments to diversity and inclusion at colleagues.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion-and-wellbeing. 

As part of your application you’ll need to complete an online assessment. It will take you around 20 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 check your social media activity on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  

Any offer of employment made will be conditional upon the completion of pre-employment screening checks.  

Expand for full job description

Success profile

What makes a successful member of our team? Check out the top traits we're looking for and see if you have the right mix.

  • Forging Relationships
  • Co-operation
  • Teamwork
  • Empathy
  • Compassion

Back to Job Navigation (Success)

Helping everyone say their best goodbye

Culture Video

This can be an emotional job. But it’s also an incredibly fulfilling career. At Co-op Funeralcare we're proud to support our customers at the most difficult time of their lives. Empathy and compassion are key to everything we do, looking after and caring for our clients every step of the way. Our funeral homes are at the heart of their local communities, and our colleagues play a key role in building relationships and making connections to make a difference, in the true spirit of co-operation. You’ll be part of a close-knit team, in which everyone has a voice and feels valued, welcome and included. Everyone can find their place here and build a rewarding career.

Our culture

Kindness and compassion are central to our culture and evident in the way we support our colleagues and clients. We champion the progress of our colleagues, and foster an environment where everyone feels valued and included no matter who they are. We work together to do what’s right for our clients, supporting them at the most difficult times of their lives and helping them say their best goodbye.

  • Culture Icon one

    Our past, present and future is all about looking after our clients, with compassion and kindness at the core of everything we do.

  • Culture Icon Two

    Whatever job you do, you’ll be part of a caring and supporting team.

  • Culture Icon three

    We’re proud our business makes a positive impact in our communities.

  • Culture Icon four

    Everyone can find their place here, learn and develop new skills and build a career.

Find out about our roles

A career with Co-op Funeralcare could take you in a number of different directions, including management, embalming or a role in our support functions. You could even progress into another Co-op business area like Retail, Legal Services or Insurance.

  • Funeral Service Crew
  • Funeral Service CrewOur Funeral Service Crew help with the funeral and care for the deceased. You’ll work closely with your team to provide a seamless, sensitive service. And you don’t need experience – just a full UK driver’s licence. We’ll give you all the support you need to help build your career with Co-op Funeralcare.

    close
  • Funeral Arranger
  • Funeral ArrangerOur Funeral Arrangers are the first point of contact for clients. They get to know clients’ needs and help them plan their funeral. You’ll need empathy and great customer service skills because your clients will look to you for help, support and advice. We’ll teach you everything else you need to do the job through our training and support.

    close
  • Funeral Director
  • Funeral DirectorAs a Funeral Director, you’ll spend most of your time with families, supporting them through the funeral arrangements. You’ll manage your own time and build strong, trusting relationships.
    We’ll give you all the support and training you need to develop your team and deliver a thoughtful service that works for our clients, and our business. Here, you’ll discover job satisfaction you never thought possible.

    close
  • Care Logistics Manager / Funeral Services Manager
  • Care Logistics Manager / Funeral Services ManagerThese are management roles. Our Care Logistics Managers focus on the co-ordination of funerals and the line management of operational teams, making sure all resources are in the right place at the right time. Funeral Services Managers look after multiple branches, making sure funeral services are consistently delivered to the highest possible standards.

    close
  • Embalmer
  • EmbalmerBecoming an Embalmer isn’t a common career choice, but it is an incredibly rewarding one. Embalmers help preserve and restore deceased people, creating a peaceful and lasting image for their family and friends. It’s a highly skilled and technical role, for which you need an official BIE qualification. If don’t hold this qualification, you can enrol on our embalmer apprenticeship.

    close
  • Apprenticeships
  • ApprenticeshipsOur apprenticeships are open to everyone. As a Level 2 Funeral Team Member, you’ll develop your funeral arranging skills, learning how to deliver them with care and compassion. At Level 3, you can learn how to become a funeral director. Or you can become an embalmer with our Level 5 Embalmer programme, or progress to managerial roles with our degree apprenticeships. There are all kinds of ways you can progress in this role. Find out more on our apprentice hub.

    close

Application process

At Co-op, we’re passionate about doing great work for the communities we trade in. That means having the right people, from all walks of life and backgrounds, in our team to serve them. Take a look below how to become one of us.

1
Applying for a job
2
Online assessment
3
Interview
4
Your decision
Apply

Applying for a job You can apply for a job with us quickly and easily on your laptop or phone. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done before or if you have little experience — it’s all about matching our values and bringing your passion, motivation and capabilities to your new role.

You don't need a CV to apply for a Funeralcare role at Co-op. We think that empathy and compassion are more important than experience and qualifications.

Online assessment As part of your application you’ll need to complete an online assessment which will measure how well your behaviours, values and motivations match up to this role. It will take around 20 minutes to complete.

Interview If you pass your online assessment and short phone call, you’ll be asked to come to one of our Funeralcare homes for an interview.

We’ll send you an email for you to choose a date and time for your interview online – but if you can’t make it, don’t worry, you can provide the Hiring Manager times of when’s best for you. Before your interview, we’ll send you a really helpful guide on how best to prepare, so nothing on the day should surprise you, and most importantly what proof you need to bring to prove your right to work in the UK.

Your decision If you’re successful at your interview, you’ll receive a phone call from the hiring manager you met to talk about your job offer. If you accept, we’ll then send your offer online via an email. Before anything can be processed, we'll need you to accept this offer online. There will then be a round of pre-employment screening, including background checks. Once all confirmed, this will start your journey into our Co-op.

Don't have a CV

Our CV builder is here to help. It’s a simple form you can complete on your desktop or mobile phone that lets you create a great CV in minutes.

Find out more

Career Development Hub

The Co-op Career Development Hub gives you free access to all kinds of employability resources, including CV and application building tools, practice psychometric tests, video and phone interview simulators and quizzes on ability, motivation, personality and resilience. It’s all designed to help you develop your skills and build your career.

Explore now