National Mortuary Manager

MAYDAY Recruitment is partnering with a highly respected organisation in the funeral services industry to appoint a National Mortuary Manager to lead standards, capability, compliance and continuous improvement across mortuary operations throughout Australia.

This is a national leadership opportunity for an experienced professional who understands that great operations are about more than processes and compliance — they're about people, care, capability and doing things properly.

You'll work across a geographically dispersed network of mortuary operations, partnering with operational leaders and specialist teams to strengthen governance, develop capability, improve consistency and ensure the highest standards of care are maintained nationally.

While experience in funeral services, mortuary operations or embalming would be highly valued, we're also open to senior professionals from clinical, healthcare, forensic, aged care, palliative care or other highly regulated environments who bring strong governance, risk, compliance and people leadership experience.

This role can be based in NSW, VIC or QLD, with candidates from New Zealand also encouraged to apply if you are open to relocation.

What makes this role different?

This is not a head-office role where you'll simply manage policies and compliance from behind a desk.

You'll be out in the business, spending time in mortuaries, working alongside the teams, understanding how they operate and helping bring national standards to life.

You'll need to be comfortable being hands-on and visible across the network — including spending time in mortuary environments and working respectfully around deceased persons.

You'll be the subject matter leader and trusted partner for mortuary operations, working alongside experienced Mortuary Managers and operational leaders to understand what's working, identify risks and gaps, and create practical frameworks that make a genuine difference.

The role has a strong focus on:

• Governance and risk management

• Compliance, policies and procedures

• Training, competency and leadership capability

• Facilities, equipment and operational standards

• Documentation, records and audit readiness

• Continuous improvement and national consistency

• Workforce capability, retention and culture

• Care, empathy and the experience of the people doing the work

You'll need to be comfortable holding people accountable while bringing them with you. This is a consultative, collaborative and people-focused leadership role where your ability to build trust will be just as important as your technical knowledge.

What you'll be doing

• Providing national leadership and governance across mortuary operations

• Developing and embedding a consistent national framework for mortuary standards, compliance and risk management

• Regularly travelling to mortuary locations and operational sites across Australia

• Spending meaningful time with mortuary teams to understand their environment, challenges and capability needs

• Working directly within mortuary environments and being comfortable around deceased persons

• Reviewing operational practices, identifying gaps and working with teams to implement practical improvements

• Supporting compliance with relevant legislation, WHS requirements, infection control, hazardous substances and industry standards

• Ensuring policies, procedures, records and documentation are fit for purpose and consistently maintained

• Partnering with Operations, HR, Learning & Development, Quality, WHS and Facilities to strengthen operational capability

• Developing national training, competency and mentoring pathways across mortuary roles

• Supporting Mortuary Managers and Supervisors with leadership, team engagement and capability development

• Identifying workforce risks and contributing to retention and workforce sustainability initiatives

• Supporting recruitment and workforce planning by identifying capability gaps and future needs

• Assessing facilities, equipment and resources and identifying areas for improvement

• Building strong relationships with geographically dispersed teams and understanding the realities of their day-to-day operations

• Working with relevant regulatory and health bodies where required

• Using data, reporting and documentation to provide clear recommendations to senior leadership

• Driving a culture of continuous improvement while maintaining a strong focus on care and professional standards

We're looking for someone who...

Most importantly, you're a senior, credible and empathetic leader who knows how to bring people on a journey.

You may come from:

• Mortuary management or embalming

• Funeral services

• Healthcare or clinical operations

• Forensic environments

• Aged care or palliative care

• Another highly regulated, compliance-driven environment

You'll ideally bring:

• Significant experience leading specialist operational teams in a regulated environment

• Strong knowledge of governance, risk, compliance and operational standards

• Experience developing or implementing frameworks, policies, procedures or audit processes

• A strong understanding of WHS, risk, infection control or other relevant compliance requirements

• Experience developing training, competency or capability frameworks

• The ability to influence and hold teams accountable without taking a heavy-handed approach

• Strong stakeholder management skills and the ability to work across a geographically dispersed organisation

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal

• A practical and solutions-focused approach to problem solving

• Genuine empathy and an ability to understand the people behind the processes

• The confidence to work with senior leaders, operational teams and external stakeholders

• Comfort working in mortuary environments and around deceased persons

• Willingness and flexibility to travel nationally on a regular basis

A background as a qualified embalmer or mortician would be highly regarded, but it isn't the only pathway into this role.

If you're from a clinical or regulated environment and have the leadership, governance and people capability to step into a specialist national operation, we'd be very interested in hearing from you.

Why you'll love it

• A genuine national leadership opportunity with broad influence

• The chance to shape and strengthen mortuary operations across Australia

• A role focused on standards, capability, care and continuous improvement

• The opportunity to work with experienced specialist teams and senior operational leaders

• Significant scope to develop national frameworks, training and capability pathways

• A highly purpose-driven environment where the work genuinely matters

• A role where your expertise can directly improve both operational standards and the experience of the people delivering care

• The opportunity to build genuine relationships with teams on the ground rather than being based solely in head office

• Regular national travel across Australia

• Open to candidates based in NSW, VIC or QLD

This could be the next step for you if...

You're an experienced clinical or operational leader who has spent your career working in environments where standards matter, people matter and getting things right matters.

You know how to build a framework, but you're equally comfortable walking into a mortuary, sitting down with the team and understanding what's actually happening on the ground.

You can navigate compliance and governance without losing sight of empathy and care.

You're comfortable working around deceased persons and understand the importance of treating every person, family and team member with dignity and respect.

And you're looking for an opportunity where you can take that experience and use it to make a meaningful difference on a national scale.

If this sounds like you, we'd love to hear from you.

MAYDAY Recruitment is managing this opportunity on a confidential basis. Apply now or get in touch for a confidential conversation.