Removal Technician

Job Purpose

To respectfully transport the bodies of deceased individuals from place of death to our refrigeration facility.

• Respond to initial phone calls about death and arrange for removal with the deceased's family or the facility where death occurred.
• Treating the deceased and their survivors with compassion and respect.
• Advocate for the grieving families, including explaining the various options available and assisting with making choices in a supportive, non-commercial way consistent with Coda's vision and values.
• Offer emotional support to grieving families as needed.
• Assure accurate recordkeeping and identification during all stages of the removal.
• Attend and supervise funeral and memorial services, including connecting with families, venues, service providers, and speakers.
• Courier urns and certified death certificates between facilities and the office.
• Maintain a clean, safe, sanitary van and equipment.
• Maintain and arrange for service and upkeep of van and equipment.
• Maintain inventory of equipment and supplies in the van.
• Work as part of a team, and offer ongoing emotional and practical support to other team members.
• Participate in general office assignments, including but not limited to, meetings, answering incoming phone calls, and housekeeping.
• Other duties as assigned.

The work is normally performed outside an office environment, within regular assigned on-call hours. The physical requirements include lifting and/or maneuvering 150+ lbs, occasional lifting of boxes, and equipment.

• Washington State driver's license and insurance.
• Washington State licensed funeral director intern is desirable.
• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in a relevant field of study is desirable.
• Well-grounded spiritual background is a plus.
• Cross-cultural knowledge of traditions around death and dying, and the ability to act upon that knowledge in a respectful and compassionate way.
• Empathy and interpersonal sensitivity, great listening skills.
• Emotional generosity – ability and willingness to offer comfort and support to people in distress, whether clients or team members.
• Resilience and the ability to manage own emotions, demonstrate self-control under pressure or adversity, and practice self-care.
• Project management skills, including attention to detail, ability to track tasks to completion, ability to foresee, prevent, or solve problems.
• Flexibility, including the ability to multi-task, adapt to new situations, and to change focus unexpectedly, sometimes several times during a day.
• Basic computer skills, ability to operate MS Office products and databases.