Crematorium & Cemeteries Operations Lead

About the Borough

Found in zone 6 with good transport links in and out of London, Kingston is a vibrant and diverse university town which creates the rich sense of community shared across the borough and its Residents. Kingston boasts an idyllic riverside location, good shopping and great restaurants, as well as a mix of modern and historic town centre. Kingston has lots of open parklands and cycle routes that help connect the district town centres into an enjoyable place to live and work.

We are passionate about working closely with our residents and vulnerable groups to help them maintain their independence and create a balance between support and independent living.

About the Service and Team

Kingston’s Registration, Nationality and Bereavement Services support residents at some of the most significant moments in their lives. The Cemetery and Crematorium service forms a vital part of this offer, delivering safe, dignified and professionally assured burial and cremation services to the borough and surrounding communities.

Our bereavement services operate within a highly regulated environment, with a strong focus on statutory compliance, professional standards and compassionate customer care. We work closely with funeral directors, faith groups, healthcare providers and partner organisations to ensure services are delivered with integrity, sensitivity and efficiency.

The team is experienced, committed and supportive, with a strong culture of collaboration and mutual respect. We are continuing to build capability, strengthen how we work and introduce digital improvements to make day to day working clearer and more effective across all service areas.

About the Role and Our Ideal Candidate

As Operations Lead, you will take day to day responsibility for the smooth and professional running of cemetery and crematorium services. In practice, this means you will:

• Oversee daily burial and cremation operations, ensuring services are delivered safely, respectfully and in full compliance with legislation and regulatory standards

• Provide visible operational leadership to the team, offering supervision, coaching and clear direction in a sensitive and emotionally demanding environment

• Act as the first point of escalation for complex cases, working confidently with funeral directors, faith groups and partner agencies

• Monitor service demand, workflow and performance, making practical decisions to maintain continuity and high standards

• Contribute to service improvements, including digital transformation and modern working practices that support efficiency and resilience

This is a hands on leadership role within a regulated environment where attention to detail, professionalism and sound judgement are essential.

About You

We are looking for someone who brings both operational experience and steady leadership.

You will have:

• A recognised crematorium technical qualification (BTEC Level 2 Award in Crematorium Technical Operations or equivalent)

• At least two years experience in cemetery, crematorium or statutory funeral services

• Experience supervising or leading a team in a bereavement or similarly sensitive operational environment

• A sound working knowledge of burial and cremation legislation and relevant professional standards

• The ability to work calmly under pressure, make balanced decisions and communicate confidently with a wide range of stakeholders

Desirable

It would be beneficial if you also have:

• Experience contributing to service improvement or digital transformation initiatives

• Familiarity with national assurance frameworks such as the Charter for the Bereaved or FBCA Code of Practice

​We are looking for an Operations Lead who can help maintain high standards, promote professional confidence and contribute positively to the ongoing development of the service, strengthening operational consistency and supporting the team’s continued growth and training.

Our Offer to You

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work life balance, some of which include:

• A generous annual leave entitlement of 25-32 days, plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply) depending on service and grade.
• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leave
• Three volunteering days per year in Kingston
• Hybrid working (dependent on the role)
• Flexible and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks
• Learning and development portal offering a range of courses
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Electric vehicle leasing scheme
• Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support

Application Process

Apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application and check your CV details have been uploaded correctly in the relevant sections.

We understand and recognise the benefits of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace and are embracing AI where appropriate, to boost our productivity and streamline how we deliver our Council services efficiently; to provide the best possible outcomes for our residents and communities.
However, we reserve the right to reject applications where it is apparent that AI-generated content has been used in isolation and without personalised responses. At Kingston we value authenticity and are looking for individuals who can clearly demonstrate their own skills, experience and motivation for the role that they are applying for and embrace and demonstrate our STAR values.
Here at Kingston we have core values of Transparency and this is to be demonstrated during the application process and completion of the supporting statement and will be further tested at interview and selection stage for those who progress forward.

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

As part of our award winning Diversity Programme we anonymise all applications received to reduce conscious and unconscious bias enabling every application to be reviewed on the knowledge, skills and experience shown in your application. We encourage our interview panels to be as diverse as possible (age, cultural, neurodiverse etc.) to reduce bias where possible. We are fully committed to removing barriers and enhancing the diversity of our workforce.

Additional Information

We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce, therefore we welcome applications from under represented groups.

To support our workers and their families we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

We are also proud to be a disability confident employer and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role. As an accredited London Living Wage Employer all our employees are guaranteed the London Living Wage regardless of their length or type of contract.

The UK has a points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance. Sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.