Cemetery Maintenance Operative

Westfield Secondary School; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 19,000 - 23,000; Full time

Job summary

Sheffield City Council is seeking a Cemetery Maintenance Operative to join the Bereavement Services team on an 18-month fixed contract. The role covers 16 city cemeteries, spanning about 300 acres, ensuring spaces are safe, tidy and welcoming for visitors.

You will work outdoors in all seasons, follow risk assessments, and uphold council values of openness, teamwork, and care for people. A full UK driving licence is essential for this post.

Qualifications

• Flexible, motivated and committed to delivering excellent customer service.
• Able to complete grounds maintenance activities for up to 9 hours per day.
• Willing to work at different cemeteries across the city and drive council vehicles.
• A full UK driving licence is essential for this post.

Responsibilities

• Travel to a variety of cemetery sites as required.
• Carry out grass cutting, strimming, hedge cutting, planting and general grounds upkeep.
• Work outdoors throughout the year and in varying weather conditions.
• Help maintain 16 cemetery sites across the city, covering approximately 300 acres.
• Liaise courteously with the public, funeral directors and colleagues.
• Emptying of bins and dealing with fly tipping
• Help keep cemetery grounds safe, tidy, respectful and welcoming.

Skills

Flexibility

Customer service

Driving license

Grounds maintenance

Outdoor work

Job description

Cemetery Maintenance Operative

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Cemetery Maintenance Operative to join our Bereavement Services team on an 18-month fixed contract. The service manages and maintains 16 city-wide cemeteries covering approximately 300 acres. As a Grounds Maintenance Operative, you will work outdoors in all seasons, helping to keep these important public spaces safe, tidy and welcoming for visitors.

You will be expected to work safely, follow instructions and risk assessments, and uphold Sheffield City Council's values by being open and honest, working together to get things done, and keeping people at the heart of everything we do.

Key responsibilities

• Travel to a variety of cemetery sites as required.
• Carry out grass cutting, strimming, hedge cutting, planting and general grounds upkeep.
• Work outdoors throughout the year and in varying weather conditions.
• Help maintain 16 city-wide cemetery sites covering approximately 300 acres across the city.
• Liaise courteously and sensitively with members of the public, funeral directors and colleagues.
• Emptying of bins and dealing with fly tipping
• Help keep cemetery grounds safe, tidy, respectful and welcoming.

About You

• Flexible, motivated and committed to delivering excellent customer service.
• Able to complete grounds maintenance activities for up to 9 hour per day
• Willing to work from different cemeteries throughout the city, whilst driving council vehicles
• A full UK driving licence is essential for this post.

Further Information

Please read the Job Description and Person Specification carefully before submitting your application.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact: Martyn Harratt 07825 145143 or email: [e-mail]

We are investing in our workforce and are promoting opportunities to our under-represented groups. We value equality, diversity and inclusion and are focused on increasing the diversity of our workforce, particularly the number of Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic, Disabled and LGBTQ+ people, so that our teams reflect the communities in the city we serve. We are also supporting staff with unpaid caring responsibilities to work flexibly.

It is a great time to join us and we welcome your application.

Under the Guaranteed Interview scheme, applicants who are disabled, care leavers, or armed forces veterans will be guaranteed an interview if they meet the essential criteria and indicate their eligibility on the application form. Sometimes, if lots of people apply, we might not be able to interview everyone who qualifies for the Guarantee. In these cases, we’ll interview the candidates who best meet the essential criteria for the job.

Full-time employees work 37 hours for 52 weeks of the year and we offer a generous holiday entitlement. We are open to discussions about a wide range of flexible working opportunities which benefit you and the Council, including reduced hour contracts, working part time or as a job share.

If you are appointed to this role, your starting salary will be at the bottom of the grade. If you provide payslip evidence that your basic pay is greater than the bottom of the grade, we will consider starting you at the point of minimum advantage within the grade.

Equality of pay is extremely important to us. All roles at Sheffield City Council are going through an evaluation process which may result in changes to some pay arrangements from 2026. Find out more on our Sheff news page.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all individuals, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for everyone and where appropriate to the role the successful applicant will be required to undertake relevant safeguarding checks.