Closing date: 02-12-2024 Funeral Service Manager£36,000-£40,000 per annum plus benefits (Work Level 6A) Full Time 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday 9am-5pm Luton, Bedfordshire LU1 1SE   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 yourregion  • 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 alwaysimmaculate and presentable and in line with risk, health and safety standards    This role will suit people who have   • 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?     Here you’ll do work that matters. We’re a commercial organisation with a purpose beyond profit, you’ll have an opportunity to help us build a stronger Co-op and stronger communities. You’ll also get a package that includes:    • 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    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 partin 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 . You can find out more about the Disability Confident scheme and all our commitments to diversity and inclusion at .   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.