Funeral Service Operative Level One in Hindley

We are looking for a compassionate and reliable individual to join our team at Middleton & Wood Funeral Directors, Wigan as a Funeral Service Operative (Level One). This role offers the opportunity to support families during one of life's most sensitive moments, playing a key part in delivering respectful and meaningful services that genuinely make a difference. At Dignity, we believe that every farewell should be handled with compassion, dignity, and care. Your role will ensure that families feel supported, respected, and reassured throughout the entire way.

Responsibilities:

• Provide dignified and professional care for the deceased.
• Support Funeral Directors in delivering seamless service and ceremonial work.
• Drive and operate specialist vehicles (including hearses, limousines and private ambulances).
• Maintain high standards of presentation for vehicles and facilities, ensuring they are well-maintained.
• Participate in an out-of-hours on-call rota (including nights/weekends) to support families – providing dignified collection and transfer of the deceased into care.
• Bring the deceased into our care from the place of death – including private homes, hospitals, hospices, or public spaces – under varying circumstances.
• Prepare the deceased (washing, dressing, presentation) in accordance with family, religious or cultural wishes.
• Support with chapel visits and interactions with families in a calm and respectful manner.
• Carry out all duties involving the deceased with the utmost care and professionalism.
• Demonstrate empathy, professionalism, and composure under pressure.
• Exhibit a respectful, caring approach when supporting both colleagues and families.
• Be physically capable of manual handling tasks, including lifting and carrying.
• Work comfortably in direct contact with the deceased in a variety of conditions.
• Be reliable, flexible, and able to work outside standard hours when needed.
• Takes pride in presenting themselves in a professional and dignified manner.

Qualifications:

• Holds a Full UK Driving Licence (essential).
• No previous funeral experience is necessary – complete training, uniform, and support will be provided.

Benefits:

• Professional development – a comprehensive induction plan and the opportunity to complete in-house development programmes or pursue a qualification through our apprenticeship programme.
• Bonus potential – unlock the possibility of earning additional bonuses, rewarding your hard work and achievements.
• Life assurance cover – enjoy peace of mind with our life assurance cover, securing your family's future.
• Health & wellbeing programme – benefit from an employee assistance programme that supports your health and wellbeing.
• Holiday allowance – start with a generous leave entitlement of 30-33 days per year, inclusive of bank holidays.
• Pension scheme – plan for the future with our contributory pension scheme, helping you save for a secure retirement.

We are Dignity, one of the UK's oldest and most trusted funeral providers, with over 200 years of history, 570 branches, and 46 crematoria across the country. From launching the UK's first funeral plan to helping shape modern regulation, we have led the way in supporting families with care, compassion, and professionalism. We are now building the UK's leading end-of-life company. As part of the Dignity Group, we also operate Farewill, the country's most prominent will writer and one of the UK's top probate providers, giving families support not just at the funeral, but before and after as well. Today, we are over 4,000 people across the UK, all driven by the same goal: to care for families with compassion and make the UK a world leader in end-of-life care.