Cemetery Assistant
Service: Bereavement Services
Grade scale: Grade 2 Level 4
Reports to: Cemeteries Officer
Purpose of the job
To ensure the provision of a professional bereavement service and provide support to the Cemeteries Officer to achieve a quality service which complies with legislative and health and safety requirements of all related headstone inspection programme services.
Key tasks and responsibilities
To be responsible for carrying out risk assessments in relation to cemeteries issues.
To assist to manage all lair arrangements within South Lanarkshire Council’s cemeteries, ensuring all necessary administrative arrangements are complete to allow for burial.
To undertake inspection and monitoring of existing memorials.
To organise and supervision of staff for all cemetery work related tasks including small construction works.
To assist in the development, implementation and compliance of a range of cemetery specifications.
To be responsible for the procurement of supplies for cemetery operations via on-line ordering system.
To prepare statistics and reports to support all levels of management and committee.
To ensure frontline staff provide the highest standards of customer service, dealing with customer enquiries, requests and complaints.
To provide advice and guidance to members of the public on bereavement and technical related matters relating to burials and memorial headstone safety.
Person specification
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Criteria |
Essential |
Desirable |
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Education, qualification and training |
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National Certificate in English or equivalent Previous experience in a cemetery environment |
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Skills, knowledge, experience |
Ability to communicate effectively with team members, the public, working partners and management Experience of reading and interpretating maps and plans A wide and comprehensive range of administrative and supervisory experience with the ability to organise a team Comfortable using Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, and Outlook, and able to produce standard documents, organise information, and communicate appropriately. Demonstrable ability to communicate effectively and sensitively, both verbally and in writing, with strong active listening skills. Ability to work well within a team and on own initiative Ability to adapt to changing priorities and workloads in a fast paced environment |
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Personal qualities |
Calm and professional when responding to unplanned or urgent situations. Demonstrate a professional, dignified and courteous manner when dealing with colleagues and customers. Understanding and awareness of working in an emotive environment |
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Other |
Ability to undertake manual work in assessing and securing headstones To demonstrate behaviours consistent with honesty and openness: treating people consistently, fairly and with respect Inclusive and supportive team player |
Full UK driving licence |
Safer recruitment checks
As part of our approach to good practice and safer recruitment we carry out a number of pre-employment checks
- Asylum and Immigration right to work in the UK.
- Reference check: external candidates require 2 references, one of which must be from present or most recent employer; Internal candidates require 1 reference from current line manager.
- Candidate Disclosure Scotland check, where applicable.
Behaviour framework
The council’s behaviour framework is a set of core behaviours that defines how employees approach work to enable the delivery of key tasks for the role. The expected behaviours for this role are:
Efficient
- Use initiative and drive to improve and develop systems and processes to increase efficiency achieving better outcomes in service delivery.
- Suggests ways to improve how others organise their own work.
- As a manager or professional/expert you actively seek solutions to deliver improvements and involves others in the development of solutions and improvements.
- Agrees SMART objectives for both team and individual employees reviewing progress to achieve successful outcomes.
- Manage budgets with no overspends and applying the council’s financial policies and procedures.
- Ensures sustainability and environmental awareness practices are being implemented and that they inform the development of new projects/initiatives.
Flexible
- Anticipates and responds flexibly to changing priorities and modifies practice to meet changing environment.
- Identifies and implements new ways of working.
- Supports individuals and team at times of both organisational and personal change making appropriate adjustments to accommodate individual needs where required.
- Expresses a positive approach to change and promotes the benefits of change to team and colleagues.
- Actively listens to customer feedback and takes action to improve customer experience.
Performing
- Use professional expertise and knowledge to ensure the council is leading best practice to improve outcomes.
- Ensure that the council is meeting it’s legislative and statutory requirements by keeping abreast of new initiatives and legislation.
- Evaluates and reviews the impact of service improvements from the customers perspective.
- Identifies trends and creates solutions.
- Ensuring that health and safety practices, policies and procedures are applied keeping employees and customers safe and minimising workplace accidents and injuries.
- Implements the council’s maximising attendance policy and procedure ensuring action is taken and recorded on people connect.
- Considers risk in the context of service development and delivery.
Working with others
- Promotes a positive team environment with good morale.
- Works with other teams and colleagues internally and externally, developing relationships and sharing knowledge, ideas and expertise to achieve outcomes.
- Provide objective and constructive advice and support if tensions arise.
- Shares knowledge with internal and external colleagues to achieve common objectives.
- Giving praise and recognition for good work.
- Use professional identity and expert knowledge to work across disciplines breaking down professional barriers to improve outcomes for individuals and communities.
- Encourages colleagues to consider different perspectives in their work.
- Adapts communication to encourage desired behaviour.
Leading
- Understands what needs to be achieved and ensures that this is communicated to team members.
- Expresses positive expectations of others to support their development.
- Recognise individual and team achievements thanking and praising others.
- Maintain a positive approach and motivate team when things go wrong, or demands are high.
- You identify talent and provide opportunities for those individuals who wish to progress or learn new skills.
- Takes responsibility for personal and team development needs taking account of learning styles and available learning/training methods of delivery.
- Uses professional judgement/expert knowledge to make informed decisions.