POST TITLE: Bereavement Services Technical Officer

SECTION: Leisure & Property Services

SALARY: Grade 6 £26,840 - £28,434 pa

Location: Maidstone, Kent

Contract: Full-time 37 hrs per week, Permanent

Make a difference at an important time

About the Role

Vinters Park Crematorium delivers in excess of 1800 cremations a year, approximately 130 burials, and offers memorials for families to remember their loved ones in our gardens of remembrance.

We are looking for a compassionate, empathetic and organised person to join the team of Bereavement Services Technical Officers. The postholder will deliver a safe, dignified and professional service at Vinters Park Crematorium and Maidstone Cemetery. This is a varied, practical role combining technical cremator operation, chapel and funeral support, cemetery duties, accurate record keeping and the daily presentation of our sites.

Your time will be split between crematory operations, front-of-house chapel support, and duties across the wider site, on a rotation basis. You will work closely with funeral directors, clergy, celebrants, and members of the public, providing a calm, respectful and responsive service while maintaining the highest standards of safety and accuracy.

Daily duties will include:

- Preparing the chapel, music and visual tributes, monitoring services and supporting the dignified arrival and departure of mourners.
- Safely operating the cremators and maintaining accurate records relating to funerals, cremations, cremated remains, memorials and statutory requirements.
- Supporting burials, scatterings and interments of ashes with sensitivity and care.
- Carrying out memorial safety inspections and associated administration, communicating appropriately with grave owners when action is required.
- Helping maintain the high-quality presentation of the crematorium, including practical gardening and site duties.
- Assisting with funeral paperwork and bereavement administration.

As this is a unique and sensitive role, we recognise that this type of work may not be suitable for everyone. Successful applicants will need to be comfortable working with cremated remains and in close proximity to coffins and cremation equipment, while contributing to the delivery of a dignified and respectful service for the deceased and their families.

This role is full-time, working 37 hours per week, on a permanent basis. You will be office-based on site at the crematorium with a requirement to work core business hours between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.

About you

Previous experience in bereavement is not essential, but will be beneficial, and ideal candidates will have technical knowledge and experience of cremators. You will be educated to GCSE level or equivalent (including Maths & English) and have experience of supporting people through bereavement.

As a Bereavement Services Technical Officer, you are expected to hold, or be willing to obtain, the Crematorium Technicians Training Scheme (CTTS), a BTEC-accredited qualification demonstrating competency to undertake the cremation process, following a period of assessed theoretical and practical on-the-job training.

You will also bring:

- Attention to detail, the ability to work accurately under pressure and a commitment to getting things right first time.
- A calm, diplomatic and empathetic approach, including when supporting people in distress.
- The ability to keep accurate records, follow legislation and procedures, and work safely in a highly regulated environment.
- Confidence using Microsoft Office and Microsoft Teams and other systems including BACAS, TeamViewer, FGT systems.
- Excellent communication, teamwork and interpersonal skills, with the judgement to work independently when required.
- Flexibility to undertake work outdoors and work outside normal hours when required.

Please note, this role will involve safely operating crematorium equipment and undertaking tasks that involve moving and handling items of a substantial weight, in accordance with health and safety procedures.

About Maidstone Borough Council

Maidstone Borough Council is a confident organisation with ambition and aspirations to deliver high-quality services to our residents and local businesses. We strive to make the borough an attractive place for all and secure a successful economy. We continue to build on our strengths - assets, knowledge and expertise and our track record for innovation and improvement to create a financially sustainable future so that we can continue with our undiminished plans.

We will only achieve the results we are aiming for through the talents and hard work of all our people. You are encouraged to become part of our vision, and in return, you can expect support, training, and fair reward from us. We will give you the opportunity to develop the skills to do your job well and create a positive working environment where your ideas about improving how we do things are valued and we manage the changes needed for new ways of working well.

At Maidstone Borough Council, we recognise the importance of flexible working and the benefits this can bring to both our staff and the Council. We know that by offering employees a range of flexible working opportunities, we can positively impact their wellbeing and engagement, and drive productivity in return. As such, we have developed a highly flexible hybrid working policy, alongside our flexi time and flexible working policies, enabling staff to shape their working patterns around building a greater work life balance.

Our Offer:

A range of benefits including:

- Generous holiday entitlement, which increases after 5 years’ LG service, plus bank holidays, with the option to buy additional leave
- Additional 3 days’ leave given to enable a close down of the offices between Christmas and New Year
- Free parking
- Invitations to staff events to celebrate success and support wellbeing that include holistic therapies and outdoor activities
- Employee Assistance Programme, which provides confidential & independent information and access to counsellors
- Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) with valuable life cover and financial protection for your family
- Life Assurance – three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS)
- Season Ticket Loan - to help with the cost of your rail/bus journey to & from work
- Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand-new car. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax
- Annual flu vaccine
- Cycle to work scheme
- Staff discounts on leisure, eating out, holidays and shopping
- Excellent learning and career opportunities for committed individuals
- A professional fee payment, if required for the role

Selection Process:

Following the submission of your application form, it will be reviewed by the recruiting manager. Those that are successful in securing an interview can expect a tour of the crematorium and an interview.

The Council considers this to be a customer-focused role and the ability to converse at ease with customers, adapting communication style to suit differing audiences and provide advice in accurate spoken English, is fundamental to the role.

Maidstone Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to discuss this position, please contact Mark Rundle. Contact details are available via the apply button.

To apply for the position, please select the apply button and complete the online application form or contact us by phone.

Closing Date: Tuesday 20th October 2026

Interview date: Friday 30th October 2026