Funeral Home Managers
Overview
Funeral Home Managers run funeral homes by planning services, managing staff like embalmers and attendants, and helping families during difficult times. They handle everything from setting prices and scheduling services to providing comfort and guidance to grieving families while ensuring all legal requirements are met. This role combines business management skills with compassionate customer service, often using modern software for scheduling, inventory management, and digital marketing. Success in this field typically requires strong communication skills, business knowledge, and often formal education in mortuary science or business management.
Did you know?
Funeral home managers must obtain proper state licensing and meet continuing education requirements that vary significantly across different states in America.
At a Glance
Median Wage
$78,056 Avg/yr
Growth
Fast Growing
Top Skill
Programming
Key Responsibilities
- Schedule work hours for funeral home or contract employees.
- Sell funeral services, products, or merchandise to clients.
- Evaluate the performance of vendors, contract employees, or other service providers to ensure quality and cost-efficiency.
- Conduct market research and analyze industry trends.
- Plan and implement changes to service offerings to meet community needs or increase funeral home revenues.
- Monitor funeral service operations to ensure that they comply with applicable policies, regulations, and laws.
- Negotiate contracts for prearranged funeral services.
- Consult with families or friends of the deceased to arrange funeral details, such as obituary notice wording, casket selection, or plans for services.
- Attend or make presentations at community events to promote funeral home services or build community relationships.
- Offer counsel and comfort to families and friends of the deceased.
- Respond to customer complaints, legal inquiries, payment negotiations, or other post-service matters.
- Direct and supervise work of embalmers, funeral attendants, death certificate clerks, cosmetologists, or other staff.
- Review financial statements, sales or activity reports, or other performance data to identify opportunities for cost reductions or service improvements.
- Set marketing, sales, or other financial goals for funeral service establishments and monitor progress toward these goals.
- Identify skill development needs for funeral home staff.
- Plan and implement sales promotions or other marketing strategies and activities for funeral home operations.
- Deliver death certificates to medical facilities or offices to obtain signatures from legally authorized persons.
- Interview and hire new employees.
- Schedule funerals, burials, or cremations.
- Explain goals, policies, or procedures to staff members.
- Complete and maintain records, such as state-required documents, tracking documents, or product inventories.
- Set prices or credit terms for funeral products or services.
- Direct or monitor administrative, support, repair, or maintenance services for funeral homes.
Career Considerations
State Licensing Requirements
Funeral home managers must obtain proper state licensing and meet continuing education requirements that vary significantly across different states in America.
Emotional Resilience and Sensitivity
The role requires exceptional emotional intelligence to support grieving families while maintaining professional composure in consistently difficult circumstances.
Business Management in Sensitive Industry
Managers must balance profit-driven business operations with the ethical responsibility of serving families during their most vulnerable moments.