Administrative Assistant - Funeral Home Lafferty & Smith Cremation and Funeral Services Santa Rosa, CA Job Details Full-time $25 - $30 an hour 19 hours ago Benefits Health insurance Dental insurance Paid time off Vision insurance Qualifications Bereavement support Emotional support in crisis intervention Client rapport building Emotional safety support

Full Job Description About Us:

Since 1886, Lafferty & Smith Cremation and Funeral Services is an historic pillar of dignified, deeply empathetic care in Sonoma County. We operate with pristine efficiency, unwavering structure, and a profound dedication to the families we serve. We are seeking a highly competent, experienced Administrative Assistant who shares our deeply rooted commitment to serving the grieving with grace, unmasked warmth, and absolute precision.

The Role:

Reporting directly to the Managing Funeral Director, the Administrative Assistant serves as the vital operational anchor of our funeral home. You will operate with the mechanical flow of the front office, acting as a sturdy, compassionate buffer so our funeral director can focus entirely on the sacred gravity of funeral arrangement care. This role is designed for a seasoned administrative assistant who can speak the proverbial language of the death care industry and is ready to step seamlessly into a highly structured, compassionate environment, while anticipating that our profession is dynamic. After all, death is, by nature, unpredictable, and so adaptability to the ebb and flow of our profession is key.

Compassionate First Contact:

Answer death calls by telephone, dispatch transport services, and handle general inquiries with genuine, radiating warmth, serving as a stabilizing and approachable presence for families during their most vulnerable hours. Greet guests respectfully.

Signature Empathy Implementation:

Prepare and execute our trademarked touches of care. This includes assembling delicate Forget-Me-Not seed packets with a follow-up condolence card, sending precise one-week follow-up emails, and presenting commemorative lapel pins alongside an original poem to families when they arrive to receive Cremated Remains or death certificates.

Operational Details:

Handle scheduling, unpredictable call volume, and intricate filing and record keeping systems to maintain the flawless daily efficiency of the funeral home.

Profound Emotional Intelligence:

Must possess a naturally warm, communicative demeanor with a deep, intuitive capacity to hold space for grieving individuals without becoming emotionally withdrawn. Must be an internal "family member" within our organization, with our funeral director, as well as be personable and friendly. Being outgoing and a "people-person" is also key. You cannot shy away from caring for the grieving. They require a steady hand, a warm heart, and a caring voice.

Emotional Grounding & Stability:

The nature of death care is inherently heavy. We need an anchor—a candidate who brings a calm, emotionally regulated, and stabilizing presence to the front desk. You must be able to hold space for the grief of others without absorbing the chaos or bringing personal turbulence into the workspace.

Authentic, Radiating Warmth:

You must possess a genuinely welcoming and open demeanor, both with grieving families and with your colleagues. We are looking for someone who naturally creates a sense of openness, safety and approachability, and who actively participates in building a supportive, connected office culture.

Transparent & Direct Communicator:

We operate a structured, mutually respectful environment that relies on absolute clarity. The ideal candidate is forthright, emotionally mature, and values constructive dialogue and transparent collaboration over indirect communication styles. We seek someone who actively participates in maintaining a communicative and supportive office culture.

Organizational Excellence:

Ability to thrive in a highly structured environment, executing delegated tasks with reliable consistency and a collaborative spirit.

Collaborative Autonomy:

You will be working alongside a highly experienced, deeply dedicated Managing Funeral Director. The ideal candidate is an empowered self-starter who takes confident ownership of the mechanical flow of the office, acting as a sturdy, reliable buffer so the directors can focus fully on the families. Immaculate Attention to

Detail:

We require a professional who is inherently meticulous, structure-driven, and takes deep personal pride in executing tasks—from legal documents to intricate memorial packages—with pristine precision.

Sanctuary Maintenance:

Meticulously curate the physical environment of the lobby, arrangement rooms, and public spaces, ensuring the funeral home always reflects a pristine, comforting, and highly organized aesthetic.

Office Skills:

Be familiar with using Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat, Docusign/PandaDoc, etc., with relative proficiency.

Concierge-Level Hospitality:

Welcome grieving families and their guests as they step through our doors, offering refreshments, gentle guidance, and an immediate sense of safety and structure.

Memorialization Design:

Format, proofread, and print beautiful, personalized stationary packages, including memorial folders, prayer cards, and guest register books, ensuring absolute accuracy in every detail.

Obituary Management:

Intake, format, and submit obituaries to local newspapers and the Lafferty & Smith digital platforms, working closely with families to ensure their loved one's narrative is honored perfectly.

Case File Architecture:

Maintain impeccable case files from the funeral director for every family, tracking all necessary authorizations, contracts, and legal documentation from the first call to final disposition.

Chain of Custody Tracking:

Maintain the strict, secure logging of death certificates, as well as Cremated Remains when they arrive from the crematory, ensuring their safe housing until the family retrieves these items.

Office Administration:

Process family credit card/check payments and meticulously track office and cleaning supplies to ensure the building operates without a single interruption.

Triage & Gatekeeping:

Act as the ultimate operational buffer, expertly fielding vendor calls, solicitor inquiries, and routine questions so the funeral director is kept from unnecessary interruptions.

Documents and Cremated Remains Delivery:

Drive to the Sonoma County Vital Statistics office to drop off and pick up death certificate orders, as well as mail Cremated Remains at the post office.

On-call Telephone Support:

Answer phone calls and messages from answering service, assisting as able or taking messages for funeral director. This is on a set calendar-rotating basis (5 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. the next day, about one night a week, and a Friday 5 p.m. to Monday 8:30 a.m. weekend once every six to seven weeks).

Compassionate Final Contact:

Release death certificates and Cremated Remains to the client family, and send out memorial cards to follow-up with families.

Pay:

$25.00 - $30.00 per hour Expected hours: 40.0 per week

Benefits:

Dental insurance Health insurance Paid time off Vision insurance

Work Location:

In person