External Relations Liaison

Overview:

Drives funeral home activities with key stakeholders and assists in influencing funeral directors to support organ and tissue donation; works with coroners to promote effective partnerships and eliminate obstacles to donation; manages the movement and disposition of tissue donors according to Gift of Hope policy and state regulations

Essential Functions:

The following essential functions are the basic job duties that an employee must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation.

• Support Gift of Hope’s mission, vision and values; adhere to its policies and procedures in carrying out the responsibilities of this position 
• Demonstrate support for our mission through annual participation in a donor family event 
• Work with funeral directors, including Funeral Director Advisory Council, to create effective policies and procedures that support and improve organ and tissue donation 
• Develop and implement plans to optimize funeral home performance, focusing on Gift of Hope’s top 20 funeral home partners and funeral homes by region according to department strategic plan 
• Track results and monitor progress; modify plans as needed 
• Meet regularly with key funeral director partners to review cases, process improvement, and continuing education 
• Plan and execute county level funeral director seminars 
• Conduct quarterly visits/meetings with assigned coroners to provide staff education and maintain working relationships 
• Build and develop collaborative relationships with key external organizations, e.g., IFDA, NAME, ICMEA, regional funeral director associations 
• Collaborate across departments to address/resolve funeral home or forensic services issues 
• Respond to questions/complaints from funeral homes, coroners and related external organizations 
• Develop and present educational programs on all aspects of the donation process and its interface with funeral homes, coroners and related external organizations 
• Represent Gift of Hope at public events to promote organ and tissue donation awareness 
• Manage the team of transporters; conduct interviews for the hiring of licensed funeral directors to transport bodies on behalf of Gift of Hope; hold annual meetings and manage complaints and performance issues 
• Handle the disposition of unclaimed bodies at the Itasca location, working with transporters and cremation services in accordance with Gift of Hope policy and state regulations 
• Plan and conduct wet lab education for two mortuary schools annually, to include donation education and the embalming of tissue donors

Education and Training Required:

The following identifies the minimum education and training required to perform the essential functions of the job.

• Associate’s degree in one of the life sciences, sales, marketing or a related field

Experience and Skills Required:

The following indicates the minimum skills and experience required to perform the essential functions of the job.

• Ability to influence external partners on matters related to organ and tissue donation 
• Ability to think strategically to develop workable plans 
• Ability to make presentations to public audiences 
• Basic skills in Excel, Word and PowerPoint

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

• Ability to function in an office environment, funeral home and OR suite 
• Ability to speak in public to groups of varying size 
• Ability to drive personal auto to work assignments within the donor service area 
• Ability to work outside of normal business hours 
• Ability to use personal cell phone for business purpose