Crematorium Assistant and Gardener

Eltham Crematorium

Helping to make their day that little bit easier………………… When loved ones are no longer with us, it’s right that we want to honour their memory. Eltham Crematorium, located within the Royal Borough of Greenwich, provides two chapels, a Garden of Remembrance, a Chapel of Remembrance, and a walled Memorial Court, so families and friends can pay respect to their loved ones amidst peaceful surroundings.

Opened in 1956, it is the UK’s busiest crematorium hosting up to 3,000 cremations each year and an average of 12 funerals per day. The crematorium is operated by a Joint Committee comprising the Royal Borough of Greenwich, London Borough of Bexley and Dartford Borough Councils.

• Assist in cleaning and preparing the chapels for a funeral.
• Operate the music for a service.
• Ensure the grounds are spotless.
• Facilitate the retention and disposal of remains sensitively.
• Assist with cremations and carry out minor repairs as needed.
• Support mourners throughout services so that they have everything they need.

• Experience working within grounds maintenance in bereavement services.
• Horticultural qualifications are highly beneficial.
• Exceptional customer‑service skills when dealing with the bereaved.
• Familiarity with plant machinery, tools and other equipment, and basic record‑keeping.
• General ‘can‑do’ approach to gardening, maintenance and repair work.
• Physical fitness to cope with long periods of standing in all weather conditions.
• Basic IT and good written and communication skills.
• Willingness to undertake training to support the qualified cremation engineers with cremations and maintaining associated equipment to comply with statutory guidance.

• Generous holiday.
• Flexible working arrangements.
• Excellent pension scheme.

Starting Salary Pay:
Grade, Scale 5 SCP 7 £ 32,535 (inc. London Weighting)

Royal Borough of Greenwich values the diversity of its community and aims to have a workforce that reflects this. We therefore encourage applications from all sections of the community.

All vacancies close at midnight unless otherwise stated. Royal Borough of Greenwich reserves the right to close any job advert earlier than the advertised closing date where there is reason to do so (for example high volume of applications).

Each application is scored according to how well the supporting statements addresses each point on the Person Specification for the role. Candidates will be short‑listed for interview on the extent to which they meet the specific points within the Person Specification. The Person Specification is supplied with the job advert. When completing your application, please use the supporting statements section to tell us how you meet each of the points on the Person Specification.

We need to have this information in order to consider your application.

Salaries advertised are for a standard working week of 35 hours unless otherwise stated. Please use this 'Salary Calculator' to help you calculate a pro‑rata salary.

Our Staff Values are important to us. Candidates will be continuously assessed against our staff values throughout the recruitment process. Where candidates demonstrate views and behaviours that do not meet the standards of our staff values, we reserve the right to reject their application/registration.