Jobs

Description

ROLE PURPOSE:

• Management of the Crematorium services team based at Breakspear Crematorium, ensuring agreed team plans and performance targets are delivered and that a culture of putting our residents first and continuous service improvement is maintained, ensuring agreed team plans and performance targets are delivered and that a culture of ‘putting our residents first’ is maintained.

In addition, the post-holder will be responsible for the Councils registrars’ function and ensuring Borough wide compliance with the 2012 Cemeteries regulations

Resident & Community Contribution

• To demonstrate understanding of the Council’s Customer Care Standards and ensure that these standards are met to deliver the Council vision of ‘putting our residents first’.

People Management

• To be responsible for the selection, development and performance of the Crematorium services team in line with the Council’s HR policies.
• To ensure all team members receive the appropriate level of communication to maintain engagement with the Council’s vision, priorities and activities.
• To supervise and performance manage a team of officers responsible for providing a professional and high-quality service on behalf of the London Borough of Hillingdon in respect of Crematorium management.
• To be responsible for maintaining a safe and healthy working environment in line with Health & Safety at Work Act (1974).

Operational Service Delivery

• To carry out the statutory duties of Registration as required by the Home Office.
• Ensuring that the cremators and all other plant and building structures connected with Breakspear Crematorium are kept in working order, including a programme of maintenance and repairs for buildings, equipment and grounds.
• To develop the service provision for unattended funerals and publicise service in collaboration with communications and web team.
• To take account of all relevant health and Safety Legislation and to ensure safe working practices at the Crematorium.
• When required to liaise with the Home Office and other statutory bodies concerning Cremation Certificates and related matters.
• To liaise with Funeral Directors, Ministers, and others conducting services.

Service Planning & Development

• Ensure that an annual Team Plan, aligned to the Group / Service Plan(s), is developed, agreed and communicated to team members in a timely manner.
• Ensure clear Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are in place where appropriate, covering all aspects of service delivery with performance and response levels, together with the escalation process if SLAs are not met.
• Maintain a current service workforce plan including a succession plan for all key roles within own team.
• To manage a programme of maintenance and repairs for buildings, equipment and grounds.

Financial & Resource Management

• To take responsibility for the effective management of the allocated department / team budget.
• To ensure all purchasing and procurement is conducted in line with the corporate guidelines with appropriate use of the Council's financial systems.
• To ensure that all workforce expenditure is compliant with corporate guidance and that any temporary resource is purchased through the Council's agency contracts.
• To manage all the budgetary aspects of Breakspear Crematorium.
• To ensure that all equipment is maintained and operated to a high standard of safety and effectiveness
• The Postholder has overall responsibility for meeting the requirements of statutory law by ensuring that all registers, computerised systems and relevant statutory documents, and particulars are maintained and updated within approved and recognised guidelines.

Service Improvement

• Implement continuous monitoring of team and individual performance and productivity to ensure the delivery of Service Level Agreements (SLA’s) are maximised.
• Manage the implementation of improvement initiatives and change programmes using the Council’s Project Management and Service Improvement methodologies.

Contacts

• Primary contact will be with other officers within the Council, and service users / residents and their representative bodies. To include who the contacts are and nature of interaction.
• The Postholder will act as the main representative at the Crematorium and Cemeteries in developing and maintaining external partnerships with key stakeholders including Funeral Directors ministers of religion, secular service officiants and other relevant organisations, to enable the progressive development and day to day smooth running of the service.
• The post-holder will be directly responsible for maintaining a working relationship with Harrow Council given the joint funding arrangements for Breakspear Crematorium.

Additional Responsibilities

• Complete other reasonable tasks in order to fulfil role purpose or as instructed by management.
• This profile/JD is not intended to be exhaustive list of duties the post holder will carry out. Other reasonable duties commensurate with the level of the post, including supporting emergency and priority situations will form part of this role.

Key Performance Indicators

• Delivery of agreed Team Plans.
• Delivery against any agreed Service Levels.
• Delivery against allocated budgets and MTFF saving targets.
• Staff performance & productivity metrics.
• Delivery of agreed PADA objectives

QUALIFICATIONS

• Educated to degree level or equivalent experience
• Industry relevant qualification
• Evidence of continuing professional development

STATUTORY or ROLE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to work flexibly, sometimes outside of regular working hours, to meet the needs of the service
• Membership of a professional body

EXPERIENCE

• Experience of managing staff and resources to deliver a cremation service.
• Experience of managing budgets and expenditure effectively and within approved limits
• Experience of managing sites and facilities management
• Extensive experience of health and safety and risk assessment work in a crematorium environment

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

• Ability to deliver a compassionate, culturally sensitive and efficient front line Crematorium service
• Ability to undertake the administration of the Crematorium Services in accordance with the cremation procedures laid down by Home Office Regulations and Council procedures, including the registrar function
• Ability to demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the Law and Statutory Regulations governing Cremation and the Environmental Protection Act to enable the Council to fulfil its statutory duties
• Sound ICT skills including ability to learn and use service specific software
• Ability to safely manage large numbers of visitors to the site
• Ability to develop and maintain partnership working with a variety of stakeholders on matters relating to the Crematorium as required
• Ability to develop, maintain and manage systems and procedures to ensure the safe and effective storage and retrieval of registers, plans, drawings and other documents.

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

• "Can do" positive attitude
• Demonstrates a commitment to changing work practices and processes, and a willingness to try new ways of working or thinking.
• Takes responsibility and delivers results
• Adapts to changing demands to ensure that objectives are met, overcoming problems and making well considered decisions.
• Team working
• Acts as a role model to others in the team, sharing knowledge and experience, when necessary, whilst respecting and valuing the contribution other team members' experiences can bring.

Communication

• Demonstrates well developed written and verbal communication skills; and the confidence to present reports and verbal accounts credibly to a variety of different audiences.

Customer Care

• Develops contacts and relationships with customer/ client groups, regularly reviewing service delivery and taking responsibility to ensure quality service provision.
• Takes ownership of personal development
• Takes action to develop own and others' capability and knowledge by promoting and supporting developmental opportunities to improve performance.