Bereavement Manager

Bereavement Manager
Salary: £41.66 p/h Umbrella
Location: Breakspear Crematorium, Breakspear Road, Ruislip, Middlesex, HA4 7SJ

About the Role
We are seeking an experienced, compassionate and commercially minded Bereavement Manager to provide effective and professional leadership and management of our bereavement service. This is a pivotal role responsible for developing and enhancing the service through innovation, compliance, strong governance, digital transformation and continuous improvement. You will lead a service that supports people at one of the most difficult and sensitive points in their lives, ensuring every service user receives an experience built on compassion, professionalism, dignity and respect.
You will provide strategic direction and a clear sense of purpose for the service, using business insight, performance data and digital capabilities to drive improvement. You will ensure activity is aligned with the service business plan, corporate objectives and relevant inter-authority agreements.
This is an exciting opportunity for an ambitious leader who can balance people, customer service, operational delivery, finance, compliance and strategic development while maintaining the highest standards across our crematorium and cemetery services.

Key Responsibilities
Leadership and People Management

• Provide visible, inspirational leadership across the bereavement service, creating a culture of accountability, pride, purpose and compassion.
• Directly manage the Office Manager and Operations Manager, with indirect leadership responsibility for the wider operational and administrative workforce.
• Build a cohesive, respectful and high-performing team that places service users at the heart of everything it does.
• Maintain strong communication and engagement with staff, ensuring everyone understands the Council's vision, priorities and objectives.
• Regularly engage with frontline teams through a "return to the floor" approach, developing a detailed understanding of operational challenges and opportunities.
• Manage performance, attendance and behavioural matters in accordance with Council policies and procedures.
• Establish clear performance measures, objectives and development plans through one-to-ones, appraisals and regular feedback.
• Maintain a comprehensive training matrix, ensuring staff are competent, confident and appropriately trained.
• Develop a flexible, multi-skilled workforce capable of responding effectively to changing priorities and supporting business continuity.

Customer Experience

• Own and deliver the Bereavement Business Plan, ensuring actions, performance measures and commitments are achieved within agreed timescales.
• Deliver an exceptional customer experience throughout the bereavement journey, recognising the sensitive circumstances of service users and their families.
• Manage complaints effectively, ensuring appropriate resolution and identifying lessons learned to reduce recurrence.
• Develop digital and self-service solutions to simplify booking and purchasing processes for customers.
• Manage the Inter Authority Agreement between Hillingdon and Harrow Local Authorities, including performance management and open-book accounting.
• Develop effective customer booking and scheduling arrangements to reduce disruption and improve the customer journey.
• Build positive and professional relationships with funeral directors, faith groups, NHS representatives, medical referees, service providers and other stakeholders.
• Ensure bereavement policies, procedures and legislation are consistently applied and clearly communicated.

Service Delivery and Compliance

• Develop service plans that clearly establish priorities, forecast demand and support a sustainable operating model.
• Optimise crematorium, chapel, burial and cemetery schedules to maximise availability, service quality and income generation.
• Maintain effective end-to-end processes, ensuring milestones, records and compliance requirements are consistently achieved.
• Use business intelligence, data analysis and digital systems to streamline processes and improve service performance.
• Identify trends and customer requirements and use these insights to shape future service delivery.
• Manage sensitive bereavement data appropriately and ensure all statutory and corporate reporting requirements are met.
• Manage burial space limitations and ensure compliance with legislative obligations relating to cemetery grounds.
• Ensure the service operates safely and lawfully, complying with Health and Safety legislation, cemetery regulations, local authority requirements and associated controls.
• Maintain accurate digital service records and ensure information is readily available to support enquiries, investigations and Freedom of Information requests.
• Own service performance and use data to identify and implement corrective action and improvements.
• Lead Health and Safety, legislative compliance and information governance across the service, escalating issues where appropriate.
• Drive performance against KPIs contained within the Inter Authority Agreement and relevant industry best practice.

Service Planning and Development

• Develop and deliver the business plan for the crematorium and a sustainable long-term management plan for cemeteries and burial space.
• Deliver agreed financial, operational and service KPIs under the Inter Authority Agreement.
• Manage customer engagement, process management and income-generation gateways.
• Develop a digitally enabled, process-driven service where compliance, knowledge sharing and continuous improvement are embedded into everyday practice.
• Use business intelligence to analyse performance, identify trends and inform service development and reporting.
• Reduce operational idle time through effective scheduling and comprehensive service planning.
• Own and regularly review Business Continuity Plans for cemetery and crematorium operations.

Financial and Resource Management

• Take overall responsibility for accurate financial management across revenue, capital, grants, fees, charges and income generation.
• Monitor financial performance, identify risks and develop sustainable savings and growth opportunities.
• Lead annual fees and charges reviews, ensuring recommendations are timely, evidence-based and effectively communicated.
• Use business intelligence to inform future income and expenditure forecasts and support organisational financial stability.
• Ensure fees and charges are managed compliantly and that appropriate costs are recovered.
• Challenge expenditure constructively and ensure all procurement and spending complies with corporate procedures and regulations.
• Benchmark service performance to ensure value for money, competitiveness and innovation.
• Manage aged debt recovery and expenditure supported through relevant government funding arrangements, including child funeral funding.
• Identify opportunities to generate income and reduce expenditure without compromising service quality.
• Work collaboratively with Finance, Recovery and Fraud colleagues to improve reconciliation and payment processes.
• Ensure the service is appropriately resourced with a flexible and multi-skilled workforce.
• Maintain effective management of bereavement assets and address issues such as burial-space encroachment within the appropriate legislative framework.

Continuous Improvement

• Lead and contribute to the Bereavement Improvement Plan, ensuring milestones and objectives are achieved.
• Identify and implement digital enhancements that improve efficiency, customer experience and service resilience.
• Create a culture where continuous improvement, learning and innovation are part of everyday service delivery.
• Encourage staff to engage with industry developments, networking, best practice and professional learning.
• Lead improvement initiatives and change programmes using the Council's project management and service improvement methodologies.

About You We are looking for an accomplished leader with experience of managing a complex, multi-faceted service and a strong understanding of the relationship between people, performance, finance, customer experience and compliance.
You will ideally have:

• A degree or equivalent relevant professional experience.
• A relevant bereavement industry qualification or equivalent experience, with ICCM experience/qualification desirable or relevant.
• Experience managing a commercial operation and significant financial budgets, potentially up to £8 million.
• Experience leading diverse teams and creating a strong sense of purpose, accountability and cohesion.
• Experience developing and delivering business plans, action plans and financial forecasts.
• Proven experience delivering transformational change through data, digital systems and effective change management.
• Experience managing complex projects, critical pathways, milestones and competing priorities.
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.
• Experience identifying underperformance, managing risk and implementing effective remedial action.
• Strong numerical, analytical and IT skills, including Microsoft Office and relevant specialist bereavement systems.
• A strong understanding of compliance, governance, risk management and legislative requirements.
• The ability to develop positive commercial and organisational relationships while maintaining a clear focus on corporate objectives.
• Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills, with the confidence to communicate with a wide range of audiences.
• A current UK driving licence, access to a vehicle for work purposes and the ability to tow trailers.
• The ability to access buildings, operational sites and rough ground as required.
• Flexibility to attend Council meetings, presentations and other activities outside normal working hours when required.

Our Ideal Candidate You will be a compassionate and confident leader who can provide stability and direction while also challenging established ways of working.
You will demonstrate:

• A positive "can-do" approach and willingness to embrace new ideas.
• Ownership and accountability, with a strong focus on delivering results.
• Excellent teamwork and the ability to act as a role model.
• Outstanding communication and influencing skills.
• A genuine commitment to customer care and service excellence.
• A commitment to developing yourself and others.
• Strong equality, diversity and inclusion values.
• The ability to assess and manage risk without becoming risk averse.
• The confidence to make well-informed decisions in complex and sensitive circumstances.

Why Join Us?
This is a unique opportunity to lead a service that has a profound impact on local communities. You will have the opportunity to shape the future of our bereavement services, improve the experience of service users and their families, develop a high-performing team and deliver meaningful operational and digital transformation.

If you are an experienced leader who combines compassion with commercial awareness, operational expertise with strategic thinking, and strong governance with a passion for improvement, we would like to hear from you.
Key Performance Indicators Success in this role will be measured through:

• Delivery of agreed financial performance.
• Delivery of Inter Authority Agreement KPIs.
• Staff performance, productivity and workforce development.
• Customer experience and service performance.
• Compliance, Health and Safety and governance standards.
• Delivery of agreed service improvement and digital transformation objectives.