Worcester

Worcester is a great place to work. We have a thriving city centre, investment by cutting edge technology companies, a great wealth of history, a fantastic environment making it somewhere to be proud of.

Surrounded by beautiful countryside, Worcester has a history spanning more than 2,000 years. Its rich heritage includes the 12th Century Cathedral and the Guildhall admired by monarchs from King George III to Queen Elizabeth II. Worcester offers a high quality of life with its rich and varied heritage, award winning parks, excellent schools and diverse range of shops and restaurants.

The city enjoys a strong sporting reputation based on top flight cricket and rugby clubs, a centrally located racecourse and major annual running and cycling events. Worcester has a strong cultural and musical life and is the birthplace of Elgar, one of England’s most celebrated composers.

At Worcester City Council, we are committed to seeking excellence in everything we do as we strive for the coveted Investors in Accreditation standard.

 

Benefits to you:

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (rising to 30 days with 5 years of local government service)
• Generous pension scheme
• Support for training and professional development
• Subsidised leisure facilities and employee discounts in local stores
• Free confidential employee assistance programme, available 24 hours a day

The role

The Bereavement Services Manager is responsible for the management, development and effective delivery of Bereavement Services in Worcester City, providing high quality, customer-focused services within the Council’s crematorium, cemetery and burial grounds within statutory laws and regulation. Responsible for the staff team of 10, including the grounds team, the role plays a vital part of the customer facing services of the Council.

Part of the Community Services management team the post holder will also be a member of the Council's wider management team, and play a key role in ensuring that the current and future services provided by the bereavement services team meet the needs of customers, whilst generating income for the Council to invest in public service provision. Responsible for day to day operational management including: burials, cremations, exhumations, customer services, grounds maintenance, memorial management and administration, and liaison with local communities and the established Cemetery and Crematorium Forum in Worcester. The successful candidate will ensure appropriate deployment of resources to deliver a quality service, sensitive to the needs of the customer, ensuring that the deceased are disposed of with dignity. 

Key Requirements 

The post holder will come from a managerial position either within Bereavement Services or another discipline. The post holder will be expected to have excellent commercial awareness, and will be expected to have or to gain an in-depth knowledge of statutory provisions and codes of practice and policies for burials and cremations.

Successful applicants should have a excellent management knowledge and experience and may have knowledge of the technical aspects of the whole service, operational practices, vehicles, machinery, plant and equipment. A comprehensive knowledge of health and safety legislation and practices, and how they relate to cemetery and cremation provision forms a key part of the role, the post holder should either hold or be willing to undertake an IOSH Health and Safety Qualification.

Good organisational project management and planning skills are required by the post holder to achieve corporate and service goals.

Skills and Experience

Ideally the successful candidate will posses:

• Experience of strategic planning and the management of bereavement or similar services; ideally including equipment planning and project delivery
• Experience and knowledge of budget preparation; financial and budgetary management and control; including knowledge and experience of tender processes; fees and charges; capital project management and financial regulations
• Effective team leadership and development skills
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills, to liaise with employees, partners, customers and elected councillors, recognising the sensitive nature of your service area
• Proven ability to use IT and Microsoft office packages to produce reports and analyse detailed information
• Ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines
• Track record in developing and delivering improvements for customers and in service performance 
• Experience of memorial operations and infrastructure within all cemeteries/closed churchyards and of taking responsibility for their safety, ensuring agreed audits are carried out
• Experience of offering professional advice in care/support to all parties in highly sensitive situations and as an advisory channel for other bereavement agencies e.g. SANDS, CRUSE, Hospitals, Welfare Groups, etc.
• Desirable experience includes working with emergency planning in the area; e.g. excess deaths, or mass mortalities with the ability to support agencies leading the planning for these events

Additional Information

The post holder may be required to work at evenings or weekends subject to service demands and needs.

For more information, please contact Alice Davey on Alice.Davey@worcester.gov.uk.

Closing date:  15^th April 2019

Supporting documents
Person Specification
Role profile