Location: Masters House, Lewes Road, Lindfield, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH16 2LE
Salary: £45,000-£50,000 per annum, with flexibility for an exceptional candidate
Hours: Full-time, Monday to Friday, 9.00am-5.00pm; flexibility required when operationally necessary
Reporting to: The Owners, Ian and Sue Masters
About Masters & Son
Masters & Son Funeral Directors is a small, independent and family-run firm based in Lindfield, near Haywards Heath. The business provides personal, bespoke funerals that reflect the life and wishes of each individual, supporting families with compassion, care and attention to detail throughout the funeral journey.
This newly created role will strengthen the day-to-day leadership of the firm.
Purpose of the role
The General Manager will take hands-on responsibility for the smooth and professional day-to-day operation of the funeral home. The postholder will lead the team while remaining fully involved in arranging, directing and conducting funerals, administration, care of the deceased, compliance and relationships with families and the local community.
This is an operational leadership role rather than a finance-led or purely office-based management position. The successful candidate must be an experienced funeral director who is equally comfortable supporting a bereaved family, leading a funeral, managing colleagues and ensuring consistently high professional standards.
Key responsibilities
Funeral service and family care
- Personally arrange, direct and conduct funerals, ensuring that every service reflects the family's wishes and is delivered with dignity, compassion and meticulous attention to detail.
- Provide clear, sensitive and professional guidance to bereaved families from the first point of contact through to the completion of the funeral and any appropriate aftercare.
- Coordinate all funeral arrangements and resources, including service details, staffing, timings, documentation and liaison with relevant third parties.
- Undertake final checks before each funeral and respond calmly and effectively to changes or operational issues.
- Maintain the personal, bespoke standard of service for which an independent family funeral director is valued.
Daily operations
- Manage the day-to-day operation of the funeral home and ensure all activity is properly organised, prioritised and completed.
- Oversee funeral arranging, funeral directing, mortuary procedures, premises and associated administrative systems.
- Plan staffing and allocate resources effectively across funerals and other operational requirements.
- Maintain accurate, complete and confidential computerised and paper records.
- Ensure company policies, procedures and service standards are consistently followed.
- Remain flexible and provide practical operational cover, including occasional evening or weekend attendance, when reasonably required. The role is not part of a regular on-call rota.
Care of the deceased, compliance and standards
- Ensure the deceased are cared for respectfully, safely and in accordance with the family's wishes, company procedures and professional standards.
- Oversee mortuary practice, identification, documentation, preparation and presentation standards.
- Maintain robust standards of health and safety, infection prevention, risk assessment, data protection and confidentiality.
- Monitor compliance with relevant legislation, codes of practice and industry guidance, implementing procedural updates where required.
- Promote a culture of dignity, accountability, continuous improvement and professional pride.
People leadership
- Provide approachable, fair and effective leadership to two full-time employees, one part-time employee and the firm's funeral bearers.
- Manage rotas, staffing levels, holidays and day-to-day allocation of duties.
- Set clear expectations, provide regular feedback and conduct appraisals and performance reviews.
- Identify training needs and support the continuing development of team members.
- Manage recruitment, attendance, conduct, capability and disciplinary matters in conjunction with the owners and in accordance with company procedure.
- Build trust with the established team and preserve a supportive, easy-going but professionally accountable working culture.
Community and professional relationships
- Act as a visible and credible ambassador for Masters & Son within Lindfield, Haywards Heath and the surrounding community.
- Develop and maintain effective relationships with crematoria, cemeteries, clergy, celebrants, florists, venues, suppliers and other professional partners.
- Support appropriate local marketing, community engagement and funeral-plan activity.
- Protect and enhance the reputation of the business through consistently high standards of conduct and service.
Authority and accountability
- Report directly to either Ian Masters, Tracey Osgerby or Sue Masters and keep them appropriately informed about operational performance, staffing and any significant issues.
- Exercise day-to-day managerial authority within agreed responsibilities and company policies.
- Refer significant expenditure, supplier commitments, pricing and other reserved commercial or financial decisions to the owners for approval.
- Work collaboratively with the owners, who will remain actively involved in the business.
Person specification
Sector experience
- At least 3-5 years' substantive experience within funeral service, including recent responsibility for arranging and conducting funerals.
Professional capability
- An experienced and confident funeral director with a thorough practical understanding of the complete funeral process .Diploma in Funeral Directing (DipFD), or another relevant funeral-service qualification preferrable.
Leadership
- Evidence of supervising or managing colleagues, allocating work and maintaining service standards.
Family service
- Outstanding empathy, discretion and communication skills, with the ability to support families sensitively in difficult circumstances.
Operations and compliance
- Strong organisation, administration and attention to detail; sound knowledge of professional practice, health and safety and confidential record-keeping.
Personal approach
- Calm, approachable, easy-going and dependable, while able to take responsibility, make decisions and address issues constructively.
Practical requirements
- Full clean UK driving licence; ability to work on site in Lindfield and flex working hours when operationally necessary.
Terms and benefits
Salary: £45,000-£50,000 per annum, dependent on experience.
Working pattern: Full-time, normally Monday to Friday, 9.00am-5.00pm, based at Masters House in Lindfield
Flexibility: Occasional evening or weekend work may be required to meet operational needs; there is no regular on-call rota
Annual leave: 25 days per annum plus bank holidays
Pension: Workplace pension provided through NEST, subject to scheme rules
Other: Uniform provided; the position is site-based with no regular home-working arrangement
Notice: Three months following successful completion of probation