Divisional Crematorium Assistant

Westerleigh Group Limited; Great Glen; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company performance bonus

Business mileage & expenses

32 days holiday (Includes 8 days bank)

Life Assurance

Pension scheme

Employee Assistance / Occupational he̶

Free parking

Job summary

Westerleigh Group Limited is recruiting a Divisional Crematorium Assistant for a field-based role. Based at Great Glen Cemetery & Crematorium, you will travel to other sites within the division, including overnight stays, to cover holidays and busy periods.

You will perform cremation duties under supervision, prepare chapels, assist families, manage ashes, and handle administrative tasks using Word/Excel. A flexible, compassionate team player is essential.

Qualifications

• Full driving licence and own transport.
• Good IT skills with Word/Excel and emails.
• Able to travel and stay away from home with short notice.

Responsibilities

• Regular travel and overnight stays to sites within the division.
• Involvement in cremation process and ashes management under supervision.
• Chapel preparation, welcoming families and directing them to seats.
• Answering queries on the phone and assisting with service planning.
• Ad hoc duties including basic gardening and site presentation.

Skills

Driving licence

IT skills

Team player

Flexibility

Tools

Word

Excel

Job description

About The Role

Divisional Crematorium Assistant

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 including regular weekends, evenings and early mornings on a rota basis will be required.

Regular travel and overnight stays are a requirement of the role

Business mileage, expenses and accommodation costs covered

Salary from £26,842 - £28,000 per annum + £500 salary uplift after qualification + Company performance bonus + Business mileage + Benefits

Permanent

Great Glen Cemetery & Crematorium - Base location. Travel required to other sites across the Division when required

Have you always wanted to use your transferable skills in a role where what you do can truly make a difference every day?

We have a vacancy for a Divisional Crematorium Assistant to join our friendly teams in a Field based role. You will be based at our beautiful Great Glen Cemetery & Crematorium, however this is a Field Based role where you will also be required to travel to our different sites across division when required (typically within to 2 - 3 hours travel time).

You will provide cover during holiday / sickness / busy times at other sites so this role will include travel and overnight stays – this could be for a night, it could be for a couple of weeks. If you enjoy travelling, seeing new places and meeting different people then you will enjoy the variety of this role.

We are the largest independent operator of crematoria in the UK, employing more than 500 empathetic and dedicated individuals and we are growing.

Like many of our employees, you might not have considered this line of work before, however with industry training provided and on-going career development, you will find it one of the most varied and rewarding opportunities you could ever imagine.

The role

No two days will be the same as each family and service are uniquely personal. You will be involved in a variety of tasks each day including:

• Regular travel and overnight stays to site in the division.
• Cremation – You’ll be fully trained and work towards an accredited FBCA qualification under supervision and guidance from experienced colleagues. You will be involved in the end to end cremation process and ashes management. You will need to be able bodied as there will be manual handling involved in this process. PPE will be provided for your safety. Some of our sites also have burial grounds so you could also be involved in these services if applicable.
• Chapel - Preparation of the chapel hall before each service and welcoming the families and Funeral Directors attending and directing them to their seats. Ensuring the correct music / visual tributes are played, orders of service are in place and offering support as required.
• Administration - Answering the telephone with great customer service skills, using Chronicle / Word / Excel, helping families with queries / collection of ashes / planning a service to showing a family around the grounds to view memorial options.
• Ad hoc work – for example some basic gardening, getting involved in 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

• Full driving licence and own transport (Business mileage paid).
• Happy to stay away from home, sometimes at short notice and for a couple of days/weeks as necessary to provide cover.
• Any previous bereavement / funeral industry experience would be beneficial (Crematorium Assistant / Crematorium Technician / Funeral Operative / Funeral Arranger etc) however not essential as full training is provided.
• Emotionally resilient and organised with excellent attention to detail.
• You will need to be able bodied as manual handling will be part of this role. PPE will be provided for your safety.
• A real team player with natural compassion and the desire to make a difference every day.
• Flexible in approach to working hours.
• Comfortable communicator able to speak to people in a caring and understanding manner.
• Good level of 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 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:

• Company performance bonus up to 5%
• Business Mileage & Expenses
• 32 days holiday (Includes 8 days bank holiday)
• £500 salary increase (pro rata) after completing FBCA Accredited cremator training
• Life Assurance
• Access to a wide range of retail discounts and wellbeing support
• Ongoing learning & development
• Pension scheme
• Employee Assistance / Occupational health support Program
• Mindfulness App
• Mental Health Ambassadors
• The benefit we hope you’ll never need: Free Cremation benefit for Immediate family
• Bereavement Leave
• Enhanced maternity & paternity pay
• Recognition scheme
• Free Flu jab
• Smart uniform and PPE provided
• Free parking

We generally advertise vacancies for a minimum of 1 week before reviewing applications. We reserve the right to close the application window sooner if a significant number of applications are received. If you’re not contacted, please assume you have been unsuccessful. Unfortunately, feedback is not always possible due to the volume of applications we receive.

About Us

Westerleigh Group has been building and managing Crematoria for over 30 years and we care for over 70,000 cremations and burials every year. We are one of the UK’s largest independent owners and operators of crematoria and cemeteries with more than 40 sites across England, Wales and Scotland and plans to continue growing with care.

We have established a reputation for creating beautifully landscaped, high quality and peaceful facilities where families can remember and celebrate the life of their loved ones. Our core objective is to deliver the highest possible standards of care in a way that is uniquely personal.

We play an active part in the local communities that we serve and in 2025 our sites raised over £400,000 to support local charitable causes and projects.

Our letters to heaven post boxes continue to capture hearts and minds. An inspirational idea from the daughter of one of our colleagues.

In 2021 Distinct Cremations was formed as part of the Westerleigh Group and caters to the direct cremation market.