Posting Date

Application Deadline

Pay Range

Job Type

Department

About the Position

Are you passionate about serving your community and helping others?

As a Morgue Operations Assistant, you'll have the opportunity to manage decedent storage by coordinating the admission and release of decedents for the 4th largest Medical Examiner jurisdiction in the nation! You'll contribute by ensuring decedents are handled with dignity and respect, maintaining chain-of-custody documentation, maintaining cooler space and organization, and interacting with next of kin, funeral homes, agencies, and other stakeholders.

***Please note that this is a Night Shift position with a schedule of Friday - Monday, 9:00 PM to 7:00 AM.

About Us

Join a team dedicated to providing reliable and trustworthy medicolegal death investigations in our community! The Office of the Medical Examiner is a county agency charged under Arizona law to perform medical investigations of certain types of deaths under their jurisdiction. The goal of these investigations is to determine the medical cause and manner of death to help improve public health and safety. We are looking for service-minded individuals to join our collaborative team to help the people of Maricopa County.

Proud to Offer

• Work with a greater purpose
• Tuition reimbursement
• Exceptional work-life balance
• Opportunities for growth and development within Maricopa County
• Low-cost, high-value healthcare for you and your qualifying dependents
• Child care benefits, including access to the Maricopa County Kids Club, dedicated to serving Maricopa County families
• Paid vacation, sick time, and parental leave
• Extensive wellness program, including an incentive
• Enrollment in the Arizona State Retirement System, a defined retirement benefit requiring an 11.98% per paycheck contribution rate that includes a 100% employer match on Day 1
• Want to learn more about the County’s Qualifying and Compensation Philosophy? Follow this link to learn more! Work With Us | Maricopa County, AZ
  

We Require

• High school diploma or GED
• Two years of experience in direct contact with decedents in a medical examiner/coroner’s office, funeral home, or health care environment, to include the utilization of chain of custody forms.

OR

• Two years of experience performing clerical duties in a health care, funeral home, law enforcement, or similar office environment, including at least one year of direct decedent/patient contact.

OR

• Two years of experience performing office, administrative, and clerical duties, and a minimum of six months volunteering with the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner.

OR

• An equivalent combination of post-secondary education in a life science, nursing, healthcare administration, or criminology field may substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis.

We Also Value

• Experience working or volunteering in a medical examiner/coroner’s office

• Experience working with decedents

• Experience working with callers in a highly emotional state

• Clerical experience in a health care setting

• Direct patient care experience

• Bilingual skills (read, write, and speak in Spanish and English)

• Experience working with DAVE (the state’s vital record system)

• Successful completion of college-level coursework in anatomy and physiology

• Successful completion of a medical office assistant training program

Job Contributions 

Remains Management Responsibilities

• Admit decedents to the OME by accepting the remains from OME or transportation services personnel, confirming the accuracy and completeness of the chain of custody paperwork, and completing admission steps in accordance with policies
• Act as a custodian of decedents by ensuring remains are secured, utilizing equipment to move decedents in the coolers, and performing scheduled cooler audits. Assist in the cleaning, sanitizing, and organization of decedent coolers
• When indicated by policies, obtain photographs, fingerprints, specimens, or other time-sensitive items from decedents
• Release decedents to the party responsible for completing the final disposition of the remains by removing the decedent from the cooler, verifying the case number and identity, and completing appropriate chain of custody paperwork
• Report cooler and equipment concerns and maintenance needs to supervisors
• Provide assistance to co-workers, transportation services, or funeral home personnel when moving a decedent is potentially dangerous for one person
• Ensure equipment exposed to biohazardous material is cleaned following each use

Property, Evidence, and Chain of Custody Responsibilities

• Act as custodian of decedent property by ensuring that all items are appropriately documented, secured, and released with appropriate chain of custody paperwork
• Facilitate the release of evidence to law enforcement and complete the associated chain-of-custody documentation

Database Documentation and Clerical Responsibilities

• Navigate and maintain information in a case management system and shared task tracking databases, collaborating with internal and external stakeholders when necessary
• Ensure physical documents are completed appropriately, scanned, and filed within the Department’s record management system
• Maintain the examination calendar and schedule forensic examinations in accordance with policy
• Contact the decedent’s family to provide exam status updates, the next steps for the family to pursue, and ensure they understand OME timeframes
• Review data in the case management system and associated forms to ensure accurate verification of the decedent's identity and personal property before release to the appropriate agency under established protocols
• Coordinate the release of decedents to funeral homes, family/relatives, or other approved agencies
• Route case inquiries from family members, funeral homes, law enforcement, and other agencies to the appropriate OME personnel
• Document all calls to the Admitting section and their details into the case management system
• Ensure approved visitors are checked in and badged in accordance with policy before they are allowed to enter the OME facility
• Additional duties as assigned

Working Conditions

• This position is sensitive in nature and requires significant strength and emotional stability
• Requires physical handling of decedents and in an environment with malodorous conditions and exposure to biohazardous materials
• Requires the ability to push/pull up to 100 pounds and lift up to 75 pounds
• The Admitting section must be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays
• The hours for this position are full-time and can include holidays, nights, and weekends. Shift work may be required, and there is a possibility of working alone for part or all of the shift

Selection Procedure

• Consideration will only be given to candidates who submit online applications

• Candidates will be contacted primarily through email and their Workday online application profile

• Must pass a pre-employment background and/or fingerprint investigation as required by statute or policy, including drug and alcohol testing requirements for positions designated as safety-sensitive

Maricopa County is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants. If you require a reasonable accommodation during the application process or to perform the essential functions of the position under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), please contact [email protected] to initiate the interactive process.

Apply Now!