Bereavement Officer

We are looking for an experienced and enthusiastic Bereavement Assistant to join our Bereavement team at Enable.

About Us: Enable is a charity dedicated to improving people's wellbeing and strengthening local communities. We work with councils, charities and other local organisations to deliver health, leisure, community services and events that enrich people’s lives and strengthen our local community. At Enable, we value our employees and our culture, focusing on embracing diversity and fostering an inclusive, flexible and fun environment for employees to perform at their best.

On top of a competitive salary and flexible working environment, employees will also receive:

• 30 days of annual leave (plus 8 bank holidays)
• Life Insurance
• Reward Schemes (RewardHub Membership, wellbeing budgets and cycle to work)
• A variety of social and wellbeing activities each month
• Mental Health & Wellbeing Perks (Monthly talks, Wellbeing Hour, etc)

Reports to: Cemetery Manager

Salary: £28887.15 per annum (London Living Wage)

Contract: Full Time 40 hours, Fixed Term Contract (12 months)

Work Arrangement: On-Site

Role Overview: The Bereavement Team are a small team of professionals based at Putney Vale or North East Surrey. The team manages two crematoria, three busy cemeteries and two closed cemeteries. The team pride themselves on their work showing professionalism, empathy and compassion through everything they do, positively supporting the community in times of need.

The Bereavement Officer’s role is to participate in the provision of the efficient and effective running of our Crematorium and cemeteries that are managed by Enable on behalf of Wandsworth Council, in accordance with the relevant statutory and local responsibilities and the Codes of Practice, covering administration and reception duties for all areas, ensuring services are delivered and mourners/visitors are dealt with in a caring and compassionate manner.

The role is predominantly based at Putney Vale Cemetery and Crematorium, Stag Lane. However, the successful applicant will need to be available to work 5 days over 7, to accommodate services at the weekends and occasionally bank holidays and may need to travel to satellite cemeteries around Wandsworth and occasionally may be required to support North East Surrey Crematorium in line with our contractual arrangements.

Reporting directly to the Cemeteries Manager, Rhonda Ireland. You will work as part of a team carrying out all duties as required within Bereavement Services in a smooth, accurate, efficient and sensitive manner, meeting daily deadlines and targets for performance on a front-line service and to undertake any other duties as considered appropriate to the equivalent of grade.

You need to be able to deal sensitively and efficiently with queries, service requests or complaints from the bereaved, funeral directors, clergy, stonemasons, contractors, internal/external staff and the public.

Main Duties/Responsibilities:

• Ensure the accurate review and processing of all statutory and non-statutory paperwork relating to bookings for cremations and burials, and memorial contracts using our in-house database, Microsoft 365 and manual processes.
• Basic finance procedures, assisting the Finance department. Utilising MS Excel and Sage Intacct.
• Ensure all administration relating to the sale of memorialisation including the correct calculation of fees, placing of orders with suppliers and coordinating installation of memorials within allocated memorial grounds is carried out in a timely and efficient manner.
• Ensure the accurate input and processing of all financial information relating to all cremation, burial and memorial bookings using the bereavement software system leading to the timely invoicing to all customers.
• Act as point of contact for general enquiries or complaints from all stakeholders ensuring a good customer service is provided and enquiries are resolved in a sensitive, appropriate and timely manner, and escalated more complex matters appropriately.
• Assist colleagues with other areas of the business, including chapel attending, and various types of interments.
• Take part in One Enable. An amazing opportunity to give back to your community, working in and around Wandsworth at events that include the famous Battersea fireworks.
• Undertake any other reasonable tasks within the scope of the role and grade.
• Play an active role in successful delivery of company events including open days and charity activities.

Skills and Experience:

Essential to role:

• Experience working with IT systems with Windows, web applications including Office 365, Teams and Outlook, as well as other related software, including Sage Intacct.
• Possess a high level of resilience, emotional stability and maturity with a commitment to achieving and maintaining standards of excellence and experience of delivering administrative support in a busy, front-facing and highly pressurised office environment.
• Possesses effective interactive communication skills with the ability to deal with potentially difficult and sensitive situations in a professional and calm manner without compromising the needs and quality of the service.
• With an excellent level of English language both written and orally, able to present information clearly and concisely.
• Able to handle confidential and sensitive information appropriately and maintain confidentiality throughout that complies with GDPR requirements.
• Attention to detail and methodical approach to work, ensuring completeness and accuracy.
• Able to work as an effective team player, assisting and supporting other team members and help celebrate the success of the team and Enable as a whole.
• Respects diversity and adopts a fair and inclusive approach with everyone.
• Demonstrates the highest standards of personal conduct, honesty, integrity that inspires trust and confidence.
• Able to travel and work to various satellite locations across Wandsworth to facilitate services within our cemeteries, as well as North East Surrey Crematorium.
• Able to prioritise tasks according to need and urgency.
• Undertake Fire Marshall training if required and execute related duties if needed.
• Undertake First Aid in the Workplace training and provide first aid in the workplace as and when needed post-training and qualification.
• To always be of smart appearance and wear provided uniform when required to.
• Full UK driving licence.
• Access to a vehicle suitable for use in connection with work duties.

Ideal but not essential:

• Experience working within the bereavement industry or similar environment such as care.
• Be qualified to cremate or willing to work towards this.
• Experience of chapel and burial duties.

This is an exciting opportunity to be a part of a company that positively impacts the community around them! If you are someone that is motivated by a desire to enrich the lives of others and make a genuine difference, then please Apply Now and follow the prompts. If this role is not quite right, however you are still interested in working at Enable then we encourage you to get in touch today on hr@enablelc.org.

Enable is strongly committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace and is an equal opportunities employer. We value diversity and encourage applications from candidates from all backgrounds. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. To find out more on our approach to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, please visit our website.