Work for Dignity Funerals
Introduction to Dignity Funerals
Dignity is the only end of life provider in the UK that is uniquely positioned to offer all elements of a funeral service. Our core purpose is to help people to say goodbye, remember their loved ones and celebrate the life of those lost.
Dignity’s people are our most valuable and important asset. Their dedication, commitment and local knowledge are the foundations of what we do as an organisation.
We operate in a truly unique sector; the funeral profession remains one of the few timeless pillars in communities. Whilst working in the funeral industry can occasionally be challenging, you will always be there for people, supporting them through their most difficult times.
From our national network of nearly 800 funeral directors and 46 crematoria, we help families to arrange funerals when someone has passed away and care for their loved one with respect and compassion.
By joining Dignity, you will be joining a team of caring and ambitious people around the UK. We are currently recruiting for a variety of roles in Funeral Operations, our Crematoria and in our Central Support Services.
Why we’re working with Rest Less
Our colleagues are from the places in which they serve, and work and they take pride in representing their communities.
Why work with Dignity Funerals
Great people are the essence of what makes Dignity a successful business. We are proud to offer a range of job opportunities within Funeral Operations, Crematoria, Central Support and Manufacturing.
Find your perfect opportunity at Dignity Funerals
Real-life stories
Changing your career track or transferring to a new company needn’t be daunting. We asked some of our valued team of carers to tell us about their experiences of working at Dignity Funerals. We hope they inspire you too.
Sarah Anastasiades - North Devon Business Leader
“I started as a Funeral Service Arranger in 2005 and then in 2016 I was promoted to Funeral Manager, which is where I am today.
To be honest, I wasn’t sure about the industry at first, but after a week I knew there was nothing else I wanted to do! I would say it’s an amazing career.
To be given the privilege to look after someone’s most loved family member and to take them on their final journey is an honour. I was 41 before I found a career that I really love and can honestly say that in 17 years there has not been one day where I haven’t wanted to go to work.”
Laura Southby - Business Manager
Laura joined the joined the funeral sector in 2000 at the age of 16 following the death of a loved one and she decided she wanted to help families in their time of need.
“When I first started in the funeral industry, I was young, but I was accepted by my peers and I realised what a great community it was to be a part of.
I started training as an embalmer when I joined the funeral industry, which is a role that I stayed in for 16 years. I was responsible for preparation of the coffins and making sure that families’ loved ones were dressed for the chapel of rest.
I then began meeting with families and making funeral arrangements and I progressed to become a funeral director, and this led to me becoming a funeral manager, which meant I would oversee a number of funerals to ensure the service meets the family’s wishes.
No day is the same in the funeral sector, and the days can be long and challenging sometimes. But knowing that you can help make a difference to someone’s final journey and meeting the families who put their trust in us to ensure the wishes of their loved ones are carried out, it’s just priceless.
I feel proud to work for Dignity as the organisation celebrates and values diversity and equality.”
Richard Wright - Senior Cremator Technician
“Seeing someone leave here knowing we have done our absolute best to make things run as smoothly as possible at such a difficult time can often help so much.”
Richard began working at St. Faith Crematorium, in Norwich, after two former colleagues encouraged him to join the industry.
He said, “Two of my former colleagues both went on to work in the funeral business and spoke highly of the industry. I asked them to keep an eye out for any vacancies, it took a bit of time but a few years later a role became available at St. Faith Crematorium which I successfully applied for.
We have a beautiful, historic site at St Faith’s, with a traditional chapel dating back to 1937. Of course, the technology and equipment have changed quite a lot since then. The machines I work with now are so much more reliable. We also have a variety of modern systems such as TV screens for visual tributes as well as a huge digital library of music, this would have been unheard of a few years ago.”
Talking about his current role as Senior Cremator Technician, Richard said: “I really do enjoy my job and have built up some really good friendships with families I have supported. The satisfaction of helping people to get through a very difficult time just by being there and talking to them if they need it is something that I have never had in a job before. Seeing someone leave here knowing we have done our absolute best to make things run as smoothly as possible at such a very difficult time can often help so much.”
Example roles at Dignity Funerals
Funeral Service Operative
Working as a Funeral Service Operative you’ll be responsible for supporting at the funeral itself, as well as supporting with the care of the deceased. Being part of a dedicated and supportive team, you will help to ensure that all our clients, families and communities receive a service that meet all their end-of-life needs. The only thing you need to have to be considered for this role is a full UK driver’s license. Previous experience is not essential as we will provide you with full training and continuous support.
Funeral Service Arranger
As a Funeral Service Arranger, you’ll be one of the very first points of contact for our families. You will be the coordinator that we look to for supporting our families, arranging, and planning the funeral, whilst also being there when our families need any help, advice, or support. As a Funeral Service Arranger, you will also work alongside our teams to ensure that every funeral is delivered at the highest standard, whilst also meeting the personable requests of the families – helping them to celebrate the memory of a lost loved one.
You will need to have excellent customer service and administration skills to be successful in this role. Previous experience is not necessary as everything else will be taught throughout our training and ongoing support.
Funeral Director
Working with us as a Funeral Director, you will be at the core of our business and the funerals which we deliver within the community. You’ll be responsible for persistently delivering excellent service to the deceased and their families, by regularly advising and making thoughtful funeral arrangements, as well as, conducting the funerals by the requested arrangements. As a Funeral Director, you will have excellent customer service skills, listening skills, empathy, leadership and time management.
Dignity Funerals brand values
We want our colleagues to feel proud to work for Dignity empowered to make business decisions locally.
Our principles have been created to give our colleagues the tools they need to make decisions whilst knowing it is the right thing to do for our families, suppliers, partners, communities, and colleagues.
Our 12 principles create a framework for our colleagues and are the foundations of everything that we do at Dignity.
- We Serve Families
We exist to serve our clients, families and communities for all of their end of life needs. We strive to understand and meet their needs, whilst acting with sensitivity and empathy. We are focused on delivering the highest quality service, with chouse and flexibility for the best value for money. - We Act With Integrity
Integrity and openness underpin everything we do. Our colleagues are empowered to make ethical decisions based on good judgement, and we trust them to do the right thing for our clients. We communicate internally and externally with honesty and candour. We treat other how we would wish to be treated if the roles were reversed. - We Celebrate Life
Whilst we deal with death, we have an immense appreciation for the beauty of life, and we care deeply for our clients and communities. We help the bereaved celebrate the memory of lost loved ones, and we support people in planning ahead so their families can focus on remembering.
- We Care For Our Community
Our colleagues are from the places in which they serve and work and take pride in knowing the communities around them. We are a federation of local businesses that aim to contribute to local life, from education and support on end of life matters, to community initiatives and charity work. - We Aim To Contribute To Society
We take our duty and responsibility as one of the UK’s largest end of life providers very seriously. We use our experience to lead, inform and educate. We aim to inspire others to raise standards and to innovate to meet changing consumer needs. We are fully committed to the development and enhancement of regulation in all aspect of our industry. - We Respect Our Planet
We must do the right thing for our planet. That means prioritising sustainable practices and continuing to research, evaluate and minimise our impact on the environment. We aim to become the world’s most sustainable end of life service provider.
- We Think And Act Long Term
We aspire to build a great and enduring business that we are all proud to be a part of and that requires a long term perspective. We organise ourselves to be able to act in that way. We set ourselves challenging targets and hold ourselves accountable to them. - We Treat Our Partners And Suppliers As Family
We are focused on building long term, collaborative relationships that centre on achieving shared goals. We are respectful to our partners, we honour contracts, and we treat them fairly. - We Are Good Stewards Of Our Owner’s Capital
Our goal is to create excellent long term value for our shareholders. We will allocate capital wisely, organise ourselves prudently, spend money frugally and report openly and honestly.
- We Are Only As Good As Our People
Great service comes from great people who are aligned to a single purpose. We work in teams, and just like a family, we care for and protect our people and those that we look after. We embrace our diversity, celebrate our differences, and help each other grow. - We Innovate And We Learn
As a learning organisation, we are curious and think outside the box, always looking for new ways to delight our clients, improve our service and meet society’s evolving needs. Our culture celebrates the trying and failing, as much as the successes. We test, we pilot, we learn – starting with “yes”, finishing with “what can we do better?” - We Value Humility
We consider humility to be an essential ingredient for good decision making, great service and continuous improvement. It is this modesty and selflessness that lays at the heard of the actions we take each day for each other and our clients.
Dignity Funerals diversity statement
We aim to build a truly inclusive culture at Dignity where people see themselves represented, feel they can do their best work, meet their career aspirations and thrive. We’re already one of the UKs largest end of life providers and we want to be the UK’s most inclusive. Our goal is to go beyond the legislation and embrace best practice.
We aim to empower leaders and colleagues to seek out and understand new voices and perspectives; to be vocal about inequity and exclusion, and take decisive, informed and bold action to promote inclusion and belonging.
Dignity Funerals partnerships
Circle back initiative commitment
The Circle Back Initiative is a collection of employer and recruitment agencies who commit to responding to every job applicant.
We are a member of the Circle Back Initiative, and have made the commitment, along with other employers, to ensure EVERY candidate who applies for a role receives an outcome response.
Be sure to look out for the Circle Back Initiative badge, which is displayed on our job ads and website, to highlight our commitment
