Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced, licensed funeral service professional to serve as Assistant Funeral Home Manager and Primary Embalmer. Our firm averages approximately 200-250 calls a year. This is a senior-level position combining funeral home operational leadership with primary responsibility for embalming, restorative care, preparation room management, and quality assurance.
The successful candidate will work closely with funeral home leadership in overseeing daily operations while independently managing the preparation room and embalming program. This position requires a highly experienced professional who is equally comfortable providing advanced technical care in the preparation room, directing and mentoring staff, assisting families, coordinating funeral services, and helping manage the daily operations of a funeral home.
The ideal candidate will bring extensive funeral service experience, strong embalming and restorative skills, sound professional judgment, and demonstrated leadership ability.
Primary Responsibilities
Funeral Home Management
- Assist with the overall daily management and operation of the funeral home.
- Provide leadership and direction to funeral directors, embalmers, apprentices, and support personnel.
- Assist with employee scheduling, workflow management, staff development, and operational planning.
- Support hiring, onboarding, training, and performance development of funeral home personnel.
- Assist management with budgeting, purchasing, inventory control, vendor relationships, and expense management.
- Help develop and maintain efficient operational procedures and standards.
- Ensure consistent professional standards throughout funeral home operations.
- Assist with family arrangements, funeral directing, service coordination, and other funeral director responsibilities as needed.
- Coordinate with cemeteries, clergy, hospitals, hospices, coroners, medical examiners, government agencies, and other outside organizations.
- Serve as a member of the funeral home's management team and assume additional management responsibilities when necessary.
Embalming & Preparation Room Management
- Serve as the funeral home's Primary Embalmer and oversee the embalming and preparation care of decedents entrusted to the funeral home.
- Manage the daily operation, organization, cleanliness, security, and regulatory compliance of the preparation room.
- Perform embalming procedures ranging from routine cases to technically difficult or complex cases.
- Provide restorative care, feature setting, cosmetology, dressing, casketing, and final preparation.
- Evaluate individual cases and determine appropriate embalming techniques, chemicals, treatments, and restorative procedures.
- Establish and maintain high standards for appearance, preservation, sanitation, identification, and dignified care.
- Review preparation work and provide quality assurance before visitation or services.
- Maintain preparation room equipment, chemical inventory, instruments, supplies, and PPE.
- Coordinate preparation schedules with funeral directors and management to ensure cases are completed accurately and on time.
- Provide technical guidance and assistance to other embalmers and apprentices.
- Develop and maintain preparation room procedures and standards.
Compliance, Safety & Training
- Maintain compliance with applicable federal, state, and local funeral service requirements.
- Oversee OSHA-related preparation room practices, including bloodborne pathogen standards, infection control, PPE, chemical safety, and workplace safety.
- Maintain appropriate preparation room documentation and operational records.
- Develop and conduct employee training related to embalming, preparation room procedures, infection control, OSHA requirements, and professional standards.
- Mentor apprentices and less-experienced funeral service professionals.
- Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, consistency, safety, and quality of care.
- Maintain a professional environment emphasizing dignity, accountability, ethical conduct, and respect for the deceased and their families.
Required Qualifications
- Current Kentucky Funeral Director and Embalmer licenses, in good standing.
- Extensive professional embalming experience.
- Demonstrated experience in funeral home operations and funeral directing.
- Strong knowledge of embalming techniques, restorative care, preparation room procedures, and mortuary science.
- Working knowledge of OSHA requirements, bloodborne pathogen standards, infection control, and funeral service regulatory compliance.
- Demonstrated supervisory or management experience.
- Ability to independently manage a preparation room and embalming caseload.
- Strong organizational and time-management skills.
- Excellent professional judgment and attention to detail.
- Ability to communicate effectively with families, staff, management, clergy, cemeteries, medical professionals, and government agencies.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion in sensitive circumstances.
- Valid driver's license and ability to perform the physical responsibilities associated with funeral service.
Preferred Qualifications
- 7 + years of professional funeral service experience.
- Bachelor's degree
- Significant experience as a licensed embalmer.
- Previous funeral home management or assistant management experience.
- Experience supervising or training embalmers, apprentices, or funeral service personnel.
- Restorative care experience.
- Experience developing preparation room procedures, training programs, or standard operating procedures.
- Experience with budgeting, purchasing, inventory management, scheduling, and vendor management.
- Additional education or advanced professional training is highly desirable.
Skills & Competencies
Successful candidates should demonstrate:
- Advanced embalming and restorative care skills
- Funeral home operations management
- Preparation room leadership
- Staff supervision and development
- Apprentice training and mentorship
- Quality assurance
- Regulatory compliance
- OSHA and workplace safety knowledge
- Family service and funeral directing
- Problem solving and sound professional judgment
- Scheduling and workflow management
- Inventory and purchasing management
- Vendor coordination
- Written and verbal communication
- Professional discretion and confidentiality
- Ability to perform effectively in a demanding and time-sensitive environment
Compensation & Benefits
Salary: $125,000 per year
Benefits include:
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- Life insurance
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Health savings account
- Paid time off
- Flexible scheduling
- Parental leave
- Professional development assistance
Position Expectations
This position is intended for an experienced funeral service professional capable of functioning with a high degree of independence and accountability. The Assistant Funeral Home Manager and Primary Embalmer will be expected to balance administrative leadership with hands-on funeral service responsibilities while maintaining exceptional standards of care.
The individual selected for this position should be capable of taking ownership of the funeral home's embalming and preparation operations while serving as a dependable member of the management team.
We are seeking a professional who views embalming and restorative care not simply as technical responsibilities, but as essential components of the funeral home's commitment to families, dignity, professional excellence, and quality service.
Pay: $125,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Flexible schedule
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Professional development assistance
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
