Lead Anatomical Pathological Technician

Our benefits

You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here: Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council.

About the role

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people and the difference they make. As our Lead Anatomical Pathological Technician, you will play a vital leadership role within the County Mortuary, ensuring the highest standards of care, professionalism and compliance are upheld at all times. You’ll lead the delivery of post mortem services across adult, paediatric and forensic cases, while supporting the Coroners and Service Manager to maintain the mortuary’s Human Tissue Authority licence and regulatory standards. This is a unique opportunity to combine technical expertise with leadership, helping shape a service that supports our communities with dignity, compassion and excellence.

What will you be doing?

You’ll lead the day-to-day operation of the County Mortuary, ensuring services are safe, compliant and delivered to the highest professional standards. Acting as the technical and compliance lead, you’ll oversee post mortem activity, maintain strict adherence to Human Tissue Authority and related regulations, and drive continuous improvement in quality and processes. You’ll manage and develop a skilled team, ensure effective training and resource planning, and work closely with partners including Coroners, police, NHS Trusts and funeral directors. Alongside this, you’ll play a key role in supporting bereaved families with care and respect, while ensuring every aspect of the service is handled with sensitivity, professionalism and attention to detail.

About you

You’re an experienced Anatomical Pathology Technician with strong leadership skills and a passion for delivering high-quality, compassionate services. You bring extensive knowledge of mortuary practice, post mortem procedures and relevant legislation, along with experience working in a compliant, high-pressure environment. Confident leading teams and managing complex situations, you are both technically skilled and people-focused, able to support others while maintaining the highest standards. You communicate with empathy and professionalism, particularly when working with bereaved families and partners, and you’re committed to continuous improvement, safety and excellence in everything you do, reflecting our THRIVE values.

About us

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.

If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email careers@westnorthants.gov.uk for support.

Please note we reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so we recommend applying as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.