Grounds Facilities Manager

Our client is the largest privately owned mid-sized provider of bereavement services in the UK. They offer a sustainable alternative to traditional cemeteries through beautiful woodland and traditional memorial parks, currently operating six sites across the UK.

They provides a unique end of life experience for bereaved families, with a focus on preserving and enhancing the natural beauty of these serene locations, providing families with a distinctive and often eco-friendly way to memorialise their loved ones. Providing a personalised service in a unique and caring environment for all families and are now looking for exceptional people to join our team.

Position Overview:

As the Grounds Facilities Manager, you will lead, motivate and develop the Grounds and Maintenance teams, to ensure that the park and gardens are maintained to a high standard all year round, with a genuine enthusiasm to help our families.

Strong leadership skills are required to achieve and deliver park objectives. The Grounds Facilities Manager, will ideally be from a landscape or horticultural background who will champion and promote exceptional customer service, within the teams they are managing.

Diary management and effective planning around required works are essential. Plus, providing support and guidance to your teams to achieve high volume output and productivity.

Key Responsibilities:

1. CUSTOMER SERVICE

• Ensure the Grounds team consistently promotes the highest standard of professional customer service
• All customer queries and complaints handled in a timely and compassionate manner and tracked via the operating system
• Seek out opportunities to improve the parks environmental credentials
• Ensure a 5-star first impression is created for customers through ensuring the park always looks its best 365 days a year
• Ensure the effective delivery of services to Group standards and values

1. GROUNDS

• Ensure the Grounds team maintain the grounds to a prestige, distinctive and contemporary standard.
• Lead the team to effectively perform all funeral - related duties to our WOW standards as expected by our customers, such as digging and backfilling of graves, preparing ash interments, maintenance of the park, and project work.
• Manage facilities and maintain vehicles and site equipment.
• Knowledge of industry trends and legislations ensuring that best practice is adopted.
• Responsible for the development, coordination, and delivery of all ground's projects in the park in conjunction with the Park Director.

1. SALES AND MARKETING

• Play a key role in delivering sales targets through effective delivery of all activities and landscaping projects.
• Liaise with the Service Manager and Park Director to ensure that stock levels are maintained at an appropriate level.
• Work closely with the Service Manager and Park Director to ensure all customer events are delivered successfully.
• Deliver the community engagement strategy for long term growth.
• Input into the continuous development of new products and services for the site.

1. PEOPLE MANAGEMENT

• Play a key role to lead on our One Team One Group values and behaviours.
• Effective calendar management to plan grounds team resourcing and activity.
• Lead, motivate and develop the grounds team to deliver on KPIs.
• Develop the team through coaching, training, e-learning and providing external training as required.
• Meet regularly with the team supervisors to provide, guidance, support and training as required.
• Follow the annual appraisal process for all members of the grounds team and set SMART, aligned objectives for them.
• Manage all grounds recruitment as required in conjunction with the Park Director and HR.
• Ensure the retention of quality colleagues
• Follow group policies and procedures as required for any Employee Relations cases.

1. FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

• Manage the grounds budget effectively including Purchase Order System and salary budget management.
• Drive efficiencies within the operational areas to meet targets and manage costs.
• Utilise available systems to create continuous efficiencies and ensure lean ways of working.
• Adherence to all internal central and operational processes.
• Lead on the effective use of operating system to map the site. Locate stock and allocate task.

1. HEALTH, SAFETY AND SECURITY

• Ensure colleagues are adhering to all Health and Safety procedures
• Responsible for internal audit compliance
• Ensure overall security of the site
• If required and trained deliver first aid and follow the correct health and safety procedures to ensure own safety.

Essential Skills:

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Must be able to demonstrate people led management.
• Experience working either in landscaping or horticultural (ideally with a horticultural qualification).
• A passion for supporting our families and community, always showing empathy and respect.
• Computer literate/data entry - (training will be provided on our internal systems).
• Driving License required.

Benefits:

• Opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the bereavement services sector while promoting sustainability.
• Supportive work environment and opportunities for profe