Crematorium Manager
Working flexibly, 5 days per week which will include regular weekends, evenings and early mornings on a rota basis
40 hours per week
Our core operating hours are between 6am – 10pm daily, so the ability to work flexibly across 5 days of the week will be required
Salary from £38,000 - £48,000 per annum + Site performance bonus + Benefits
Permanent role
Wessex Vale Crematorium
Have you always wanted to use your transferable Management skills in a role where what you do can truly make a difference every day?
Would you enjoy leading a close-knit team with a sense of camaraderie not found in a generic job?
If so, we would love to hear from you!
We are the largest independent operator of crematoria in the UK, employing more than 450 empathetic and dedicated individuals and we are growing.
Like many of our employees, you might not have considered our industry before, however with ongoing growth and passionate collaborative colleagues, you will find it one of the most varied and rewarding opportunities you could ever imagine.
The role
Leading one of our sites means a genuine opportunity to make your mark at a local level. Our crematoria provide a crucial service to the local communities that we serve, and it’s a privilege to provide the space for families to reflect and remember their loved ones all year round, not just on the day of a service.
Using your strong leadership skills and commercial acumen in a role where you can add so much value will ensure your site is set up for success. You’ll have full ownership of typical business management activities, from the day-to-day running and operational performance of the site and P&L, the development of your site team - ensuring the culture you shape reflects our values and that our reputation for quality & exceptional care is maintained, to building connections so families and Funeral Directors know who they can count on at a time when they need our expertise.
The services we provide continue to change and adapt to the ever-growing call for more choice when it comes to a final goodbye and no two days will be the same as each family and service are uniquely personal.
Families can hold the funeral of their choice and our Chapel has been designed to cater for people of all beliefs and faiths and for those who have none.
Your ideas and creativity will also help shape the individuality of your site, some of our Site Managers have implemented bee hives, wildflower meadows, animal habitats, regular quiz nights and coffee mornings to name but a few!
When you join us, it’s an opportunity to be a part of something truly meaningful and significant.
Additional detail about the role:
People
- Lead the site team to deliver best in class service to the bereaved and funeral director partners.
- Lead and manage site team in all aspects of day-to-day activity including monitoring performance in relation to KPI’s and budget, ongoing development, and recruitment.
- Collaborative working and communication with all support functions.
- Role model for our vision, values and leadership behaviours.
Quality
- Deliver the highest standards of quality in compliance and services, ensuring all services adhere to Westerleigh standards, policy and relevant legislation.
- Maintenance and development of cemetery, liaising with grave diggers and grounds teams to ensure burials are carried out to the highest standard (for sites with cemetery)
- Contribute to innovation and improved practice for site and within the wider division.
- Monitor customer feedback.
- Deliver the highest standards of health and safety.
Business
- Responsibility for the commercial performance of your site.
- Drive improvements in volume through active pursuit of new opportunities and building relationships both in and out of normal catchment area.
- Optimise the efficient use of site staff, facilities equipment, supplies, consumables and support services.
- Contribute to annual pricing and budgeting activities and manage the processes for the site.
- Develop and nurture relationships with external stakeholders and customers including Funeral Directors and local community individuals/groups to develop new / additional business and promote the Westerleigh and site brand.
- Support group projects as required.
- Ensure facilities, buildings and grounds are maintained and are fit for purpose.
- Work with Facilities to ensure routine and CAPEX site projects are implemented.
- Promote and support the Westerleigh Group memorial strategy.
- Competency in all aspects of technical expectations regarding crematory & Cemetery (if applicable) operations including the compliance and legal obligations.
Supporting the team with their duties when required:
- Chapel - Welcomingfamilies & Funeral Directors and ensuring things run smoothly.
- Cremation – You’ll be fully trained and work towards an accredited FBCA qualification. Involved in the end to end cremation process and ashes management. You’ll need to be able bodied as there will be manual handling involved in this process.
- Ad hoc work – e.g. a Christmas service or making sure the site is tidy and presentable.
This role requires flexibility and pulling together as one team to support each other and provide the exceptional care and service that we are known for.
About you
- An experienced Business Manager and leader of people who loves to develop people and continue learning new things.
- Commercial acumen and comfortable to work with financials including managing your site P&L.
- Bereavement sector experience e.g. Funeral Director / Crematorium Manager or similar would be beneficial but not essential. If you have strong people management skills & experience of business management from any industry (many of our Managers have joined from Retail for example and worked as a Retail Manager / Store Manager / Operations Manager) then we can teach you all you need to know about our uniquely personal industry.
- A real team player with natural compassion and the desire to make a difference every day.
- Confident communicator able to speak to people in a caring and empathetic manner.
- Ability to build strong relationships with customers and the local community, marketing your site to raise awareness of what we do.
- Some occasional travel will be required for training, and you will undertake extensive training at your site but also at some of our other local sites with experienced Site Managers.
- Good IT skills and comfortable with Word / Excel and emails.
What We Offer
If you would like to join the Westerleigh team, you can be sure of a warm welcome, ongoing training and development and a sense of pride by truly make a difference every day to the families that we serve.
No two days are the same and many of our Managers have developed their careers within the business.
The values we champion are Safety First, Exceptional Care, Uniquely Personal and One Team.
In addition to salary, you will also be eligible for the following benefits: