Funeral Director Assistants (part-time/casual)

As the National Cemetery of Canada, our every-day is dedicated to delivering high-quality service to honor our ancestors and set a precedent for future generations; we are Beechwood Funeral, Cemetery and Cremation Services. Located on Beechwood Avenue in Ottawa, we operate on a not-for-profit basis and provide funeral, cemetery, and cremation services.

We are excited to be growing our team and we are looking for Funeral Director Assistants to join our Funeral Services team.

Our values

Beechwood is guided by the following core values in its relations with families, partners, stakeholders, and employees.

• Integrity • Professionalism • Service Excellence • Dignity and Respect • Empathy, Sensitivity and Compassion • Open, Honest and Transparent Communication •

As part of our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, we encourage applications from all qualified individuals. If you require accommodations during any stage of the application or interview process, please email hr@beechwoodottawa.ca. We are happy to work with you to meet your needs.

Is this role right for you?

Do you feel rewarded by providing the highest level of customer service, especially during emotionally charged events? Do you get great satisfaction from ensuring that event spaces are meticulously set up and guests needs are attended to throughout events?

Position overview

Funeral Director Assistants play a key role in ensuring Beechwood is able to provide funeral services with the excellent quality, dignity, and care that families have come to expect from us. This role is ideal for someone with excellent communication skills and attention to detail. As a Funeral Director Assistant, you will

• Assist Funeral Directors to conduct funeral services in our Sacred Space, at churches, gravesides, or our Crematorium. This could include setting up and managing Livestreams during the service. 
• Set up event spaces for services, visitations, and receptions; such as arranging furniture, preparing catering and beverages stations, setting up flowers, placing the casket/urn, organizing stationery, configuring music and audio/visual equipment, and displaying family belongings.
• Greet families and acting as a host/hostess during receptions, including serving alcohol (Smart Serve required), and support bereaved families and friends from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds
• Clean and restore event spaces after each event; and performing general maintenance duties, light housekeeping-ensuring the space is clean and tidy at all the times. 
• Transport flowers, memorabilia, and other items to and from services and events. Maintain the company vehicles in presentable manner and drive company vehicles, with or without passengers, as required.
• Participate in implementing systems that increase the effectiveness and quality standards of the department and the organization as well as streamline processes, and may be called upon, from time to time, to work extended hours.

Skills and experience 

• Excellent communication skills with families, staff and community professionals.  
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize and multitask.  
• Good judgment, strong interpersonal and organizational skills. 
• Team player with strong empathy and respect 
• Valid Driver Licence (required) 
• Smart Serve Certification (required, can be obtained during probationary period)
• Bilingualism in English and French is an asset 

Hours of Work and Schedule

We do our best to provide a week notice of shift assignments, but cannot guarantee we will always be able to as some funerals and services are arranged very quickly following a death.

As a casual employee, hours cannot be guaranteed. We have periods where we are very busy and others that are slower. Shifts are usually about 4 hours long, and will include evenings and weekends. The hourly wage ranges from $23 to $26.

Beechwood may use AI during the recruitment process for this position to aid in screening and assessing applications. This posting is for an existing vacancy. 

At Beechwood we value diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility; we encourage applications from all qualified individuals. If you require accommodations during any stage of the application or interview process, please email hr@beechwoodottawa.ca. We are happy to work with you to meet your needs.