Description

JOB DESCRIPTION

FUNERAL DIRECTOR

Summary:

Perform various tasks to arrange and direct public or private funeral and memorial services, viewing and visitation services, committal services, out-of-city/state/country transportation and other legally required and requested services for a decedent in accordance with the wishes and needs of a family/authorized party.  Funeral Directors are under the immediate and direct control of the funeral home location manager.

Tasks:  (Note:  The tasks described herein do not represent a complete listing of possible tasks required in the full scope of a funeral director’s duties, but are listed to give a general overview of some of the required tasks associated with the position of a funeral director.  The position will be expected to occasionally perform reasonable and related tasks pertaining to general funeral service operations that are not specifically listed.)

      Conduct all duties in compliance with all company policies and procedures, all governmental regulations, in particular the Federal Trade Commission, and generally accepted and applied principles and practices of funeral service.

      Assist in the daily cleaning duties of maintaining, supplying and organizing a clean and safe facility, automobiles and funeral service equipment.

      Operate telephone to answer, screen and forward calls, providing information, taking messages and scheduling appointments.

      Receive payments and record receipts for services.

      Performing administrative duties such as proofreading, transcribing handwritten information and operating calculators, typewriters and/or computers to work with a variety of documents.

      Provide information about establishment, such as service and viewing/visitation location, employees within the organization or services provided.

      Transmit information or documents to customers, using telephone, computer, mail, company courier or facsimile machine.

      Greet persons entering establishment, determine nature and purpose of visit and direct or escort them to specific destinations.

      Contact the family/authorized party of the deceased to give appropriate consolation, reassurance and information, to secure initial information about the deceased and to set an appointment time for a counseling/arrangement conference.

      Meet and greet the family/authorized party in a professional manner.

      Establish a sincere rapport with the family/authorized party.

      Conduct the arrangement conference with the family/authorized party in a professional, efficient and empathetic manner.

      All arrangement conferences should be conducted so as to ensure that the services and merchandise selected are personalized to the utmost.

      Obtain all required and appropriate information to facilitate the services selected.

      Present all appropriate service and merchandise options in a professional and knowledgeable manner, providing and offering information to ensure that the family/authorized party makes informed and fiscally responsible decisions about the services and merchandise selected.   

      Secure all required arrangement conference documents, including appropriate signatures and initials where necessary.

      The primary arranger will collect all monies due the company for merchandise and services in accordance with the company’s Collection Policies and Procedures.

      Provide copies of all appropriate documents to the family/authorized party and present these to them in an appropriate binder/folder.

      Communicate with the Family Care Center all appropriate elements of preparation in a thorough and professional manner, complying with the company policies and procedures for such communication.

      Thoroughly and accurately complete the appropriate death certificate and ensure that it is processed in a timely manner.

      Secure the burial/transit/final disposition permit in a timely manner.

      Order the appropriate number of certified copies of the death certificate according the wishes of the family/authorized party.  

      Arrange for clergy or other officiant to preside over the service.

      Arrange for the participation of all other outside parties that may be involved in the conduction of the services, i.e. military, limousine service, processional escorts, public servants such as the police, sheriff, fire, etc. fraternal and societal organization such as the Masons, Oddfellows, Elks, etc.

      Arrange for music and/or video presentations for the service (when necessary).

      Ensure that service folders, registers book(s) and other stationary items are created in accordance with the wishes of the family/authorized party.

      Arrange for the presence and usage of casket bearers (when necessary).

      Boutonnières are to be provided to all casket bearers.

      Consult with family/authorized party to create an obituary notice and submit obituaries in all requested media.

      Contact the appropriate cemetery to schedule the opening and closing of the grave, along with all appropriate merchandise and equipment.

      Arrange and be present at the appropriate viewing/visitation services as requested by the family/authorized party.

      Coordinate all elements, details and timing of the services with all parties involved through clear, complete and accurate instruction and information.  This should be done on a continual basis, including and up to the time of service, including any committal services.

      Communicate and coordinate all details of the service to each and every staff member working that service to ensure that each member understands his/her role and responsibilities.

      When conducting a service in a church of other organization’s facility, conform to any and all rules and guidelines of that church or organization.

      Know in advance the physical layout of the facility in which the service is to be conducted, i.e. restrooms, kitchen, private parlor or family room, etc.

      Arrange and display all floral tributes in an aesthetically pleasing fashion.

      Coordinate the placement of the casket at the service site and open or close the casket at the appropriate time for viewing in accordance with the wishes of the family/authorized party.

      Remove and inventory any and all jewelry in accordance with the wished of the family/authorized party.  Place in an appropriate jewelry bag.

      Be in attendance and visible at all times during any services.

      Designate appropriate seating for family, casket bearers, and all other specifically designated attendees, such as fraternal organization, military, public servants, etc.

      At the conclusion of funeral/memorial services, clearly, concisely and professional announce recessional instructions to insure the organized and informed exit from the place of service.

      Ensure that all parties from the service (family, casket bearers and organizations) are safely and securely in their vehicles and properly placed within the processional entourage prior to proceeding to the cemetery.

      The occasional driving of company vehicles is required.  

      Obey all prevailing traffic laws and drive in a courteous and safe manner.

      Ensure that your driving speed is such to allow the processional entourage to follow you in a safe and reasonable manner.

      Ensure that the family and other participants in the committal service are gathered and placed in the appropriate positions prior to beginning the committal service and that you have clearly communicated the details of the committal service to them.

      At the conclusion of the committal services politely instruct the casket bearers to come forward (one-by-one) and place their boutonnières upon the casket.

      After the casket bearers are done, kneel before the family (if they are sitting) and speak with them.  Offer to usher those in attendance by them for a greeting, or if they decline, escort them to their car(s).

      At an appropriate time immediately after speaking with the family, announce to those in attendance that this concludes the services, thank them for their attendance and if so requested, begin ushering friends by the family.

      Possess and maintain a current and valid Nevada state driver’s license.

Knowledge:

Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar.
Clerical — Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, typing, managing files and records and other office procedures and terminology.
Psychology — Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests, learning and motivation.
Sales and Marketing — Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques and sales control systems.
Law and Government — Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations and agency rules as they apply to funeral service.
Occupational Safety & Health Administration Compliance – Must possess and maintain a working knowledge and practice of OSHA policies and procedures at all times, as they apply to the position.
 

Skills:

Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people.
Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the reader.
Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Interacting with Computers – Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to communicate, receive, enter, send, retrieve and save information.
 

Abilities:

Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong and the ability and initiative to prevent the occurrence.
Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment — Must have excellent driving skills and good driving record; running, maneuvering, navigating and driving vehicles such as passenger cars, funeral coaches and cargo vans.
 

Work Activities:

Performing for or Working Directly with the Public — Performing for people or dealing directly with the public and at times speaking in front of an audience; public speaking. 
Getting Information — Observing, receiving and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others and maintaining them over time.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, fax, in written form, e-mail or in person.
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations or standards.
Communicating with Persons Outside Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone, fax or e-mail.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices or Equipment — Must have excellent driving skills and good driving record; running, maneuvering, navigating and driving vehicles such as passenger cars, funeral coaches and cargo vans.
 

(End of Job Description/Funeral Director; revised 04-2005) 

Acknowledgement page attached.

Requirements

Need to have completed mortuary school, apprenticeship and be licensed as an embalmer.