Crematoria General Assistant

Overview

Do you love working outdoors? Experienced in grounds maintenance? Following a review of our staffing and resources we’re looking to recruit an enthusiastic and personable individual to join our team of Crematoria General Assistants. Working across the beautiful gardens of remembrance at Chilterns and Bierton Crematoria you’ll be making sure that our grounds are maintained to a high standard appropriate for commemoration and reflection.

This is a varied and rewarding role, seeing you turn your hand to any number of tasks, from grass and hedge cutting to leaf clearance and car park marshalling.

This role is being advertised for Buckinghamshire Council internal and agency employees only.

About us

We are a small team based at Chilterns Crematorium, Amersham, and Bierton Crematorium, Aylesbury.  Our team are proud of the work we do and have an ambition to continue to be a leading crematoria of choice, providing high quality funeral and cremation services.

Our Service Mission is to ensure a tranquil and welcoming space for everyone in our community to access our services and providing a respectful and tailored experience with sensitivity and empathy, by professional and caring staff.

This is not your everyday job; you’ll be providing an essential service to bereaved members of our communities to make their funeral experience the best it can be.

Crematoria Team Manager, Marko, said: ‘We recognise that working at a crematorium can be daunting, we’ve all been there! As a team, we’re keen to break down barriers and show people the reality of what it’s like to work here. It’s a really rewarding role, where you get to help people at a particularly hard time in their lives. You’ll need to be a people-person, with good empathy and conflict resolution skills. You’ll be joining a supportive team who have really come together in the last year – there is always room for future development and job prospects too.’

Career development is something we take seriously; we love nothing more than seeing our colleagues grow with us, with many members of the team progressing quickly as they gain more experience and responsibilities within their specialist areas.

In this role there is the opportunity to develop and to gain a recognised professional certificate of competence in the operation and maintenance of cremation and ancillary equipment.  You’ll help provide resilience to our team of Crematorium Technicians by undertaking cremations during busy periods and working Saturdays, on a rota basis, at Bierton Crematorium.

We’re committed to building an exceptional crematoria team, utilising our team members’ talent, and making the most of what they have to offer. With a strong and supportive management team behind you, you’ll be encouraged to develop your skills in areas of interest to you and you’ll have access to further training within the crematoria industry.

About the role

As a Crematoria General Assistant, you’ll work as part of a dedicated and friendly team, to provide a high-quality service that is responsive to our customer needs.  

Your key responsibilities at Grade 2 will include:

• Undertaking a range of general maintenance tasks throughout the crematoria gardens of remembrance.  This will include duties such as grass cutting, hedge trimming, weeding, sweeping roads and pathways, ice and snow clearance, clearing leaves and litter, clearance of floral tributes, maintenance of fencing, cleaning and painting of garden seats and sheds.
• Carrying out horticultural operations within the grounds either as part of a team or individually. This will include duties such as planting, seeding, chemical control (including record keeping) and soft and hard landscaping
• Assisting with marshalling cars and visitors on occasions when car parking capacity is exceeded.
• Placing and maintaining memorials and plaques within the gardens including placing ashes caskets in sanctums with or without families in attendance.

Optional job progression:

On gaining certificate of competence in cremation (Grade 3)

• Undertaking a range of activities across the crematories and chapels, operating the cremators, in accordance with statutory requirements.
• Assisting with the daily and routine maintenance of the cremators, and associated equipment and cleaning of the crematories, committal and adjoining rooms.

This varied role means you’ll work at both Chilterns and Bierton Crematoria spending the majority of your time in the gardens of remembrance.  We will supply uniform, PPE and training to ensure that you are equipped to provide a service to be proud of.

About you

• You have experience of horticultural and general grounds maintenance.
• You have proven experience in the competent and safe operation, maintenance and security of grounds maintenance equipment including ride on machinery and powered tools.
• You possess, or will gain after training, a recognised certificate of competence in the safe use of a chainsaw and pesticides.
• You have good communication and interpersonal skills and can use tact and diplomacy when marshalling mourners’ vehicles within the grounds.
• You have good literacy and numeracy skills and the ability to use Outlook and Word.

Other information

For further information on this role please see the attached job summary.

This role is site based, working at both Chilterns Crematorium, Amersham, and Bierton Crematorium, Aylesbury as part of a team of Crematoria General Assistants.  It is offered on a full-time basis, 37 hours per week, with Saturday working on a rota basis with time off in lieu.

Number of positions available: 1

Closing date: 2nd July 2026

Interview date: TBC

Interview-type / process: In person at Chilterns Crematorium, Amersham

If you would like to have an informal conversation about this role please contact the Crematoria Grounds & Ecology Manager, Clive Dickens on 07825 012099.

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent cautions and/or unspent convictions

For further information on how long it takes for cautions and convictions cautions to become spent, please refer to our guide on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (updated 2023) | Nacro

We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Our Communities directorate works across the county to deliver a number of the key customer-facing services that our residents, businesses and visitors rely on every day. 

This directorate includes a wide range of services, including:

• collecting and disposing of waste and recycling
• maintaining our roads and Rights of Way network and parking
• ensuring the delivery of school transport, and supporting sustainable travel including public bus services and School Crossing Patrollers
• managing Country Parks
• leisure facilities, museums, theatres and libraries, as well as developing our Cultural Strategy
• Licensing, Environmental Health and Trading Standards
• Cemeteries and Crematoria

The customer is central to how we develop and deliver all of these services, which help promote our rich and vibrant culture and special environment. 

We are looking for enthusiastic, ambitious and committed individuals to join our team and help us to continue to make Buckinghamshire a great place to live, work and visit. This is an exciting time for us as we bring together the services previously run by five separate councils before Buckinghamshire Council was created. Whilst making major changes to contracts affecting residents across Bucks, we continue to focus on delivering great customer service. You will join us on our journey of continuous improvement - whether that’s through developing strategies and ways of working or delivering services on the ground, every person in Communities is a valued member of the team.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/