Funeral Service Operative

Overview

Position: Funeral Service Operative

Location: Horace Road Care Centre, Kingston-upon-Thames

Job Type: Full-time, permanent

Salary: £30,555.20 per annum + standby payments

We’re looking for a compassionate and reliable individual to join our team at our Horace Road Care Centre in Kingston-upon-Thames as a Funeral Service Operative. This role offers the chance to support families at one of life’s most sensitive moments, delivering respectful, meaningful services that truly make a difference.

The Role

You’ll support every stage of the funeral process—from preparing vehicles and venues to assisting with ceremonial duties and family interactions. This is a physically active, hands-on role that requires empathy, reliability, and a calm, respectful presence. As a representative of both your local branch and the wider Dignity Group, you’ll help maintain our trusted presence in the community.

Shift Patterns

This role is based on a rotating shift pattern across our London centres, which includes:

• 4:00 AM – 2:00 PM
• 2:00 PM – 00:00 AM

Flexibility is essential, as the role will involve out-of-hours support.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive and operate specialist vehicles (including hearses and limousines)
• Set up venues and carry out ceremonial duties, including coffin bearing
• Maintain funeral vehicles and equipment to high standards
• Participate in an out-of-hours on-call rota (including nights/weekends) to support families
• 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

About You

• Demonstrates empathy, professionalism, and composure under pressure
• Has a respectful, caring approach when supporting both colleagues and families
• Is physically capable of manual handling tasks, including lifting and carrying
• Is comfortable working in direct contact with the deceased in a variety of conditions
• Is reliable, flexible, and able to work outside standard hours when needed
• Takes pride in presenting themselves in a professional and dignified manner
• Holds a Full UK Driving Licence (essential)

No previous funeral experience is necessary – full training, uniform, and support will be provided.

What We Offer

• A fulfilling and meaningful role supporting families in your community
• Full training and personal development opportunities
• 30 – 33 days annual leave, inclusive of bank holidays
• Uniform and all necessary equipment provided
• Company pension and life assurance
• Access to an employee assistance programme for wellbeing support
• Annual company bonus

We’d love to hear from you if you’re committed to delivering the highest standards of care and want to join a compassionate team.

Next Steps

To apply, click the \’apply\’ button to submit your application. A member of our Talent Acquisition Team will be in touch.

About Us

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. We operate Farewill and collaborate across a range of end-of-life services to support families before, during, and after the funeral. Today we are over 4,000 people across the UK, driven by a shared goal: to care for families with compassion and professionalism.

Compliance and Inclusion

FCA Statement: We are regulated by the FCA, so some roles may be subject to background checks.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: We know diverse teams make better decisions and we’d love to hear from you. If you need any adjustments to make the process more accessible, please let us know.

Note: We reserve the right, depending on application numbers, to close or extend the closing dates for positions; early applications are encouraged.

We are not including external job alerts or unrelated postings in this refined description.