Category: About

Employment

January 1, 2022

Join our team! Mount Auburn’s dedicated staff are responsible for the daily care and stewardship of this National Historic Landmark, accredited arboretum and botanical garden, and active cemetery.

CURRENT OPENINGS

Mount Auburn is currently seeking qualified candidates for the following positions:

  • Open Position: Seasonal Preservation Staff
    Under the supervision of the Preservation Manager perform a variety of preservation related tasks which include but are not limited to washing monuments, monument and masonry repair, resetting of monuments, and cast iron post and sign painting or repair. Employees work must appropriately reflect the Statement of Preservation Values and Commitments approved by the Trustees … Continue reading
  • Open Position: Horticulture Intern at Mount Auburn Cemetery
    This position will provide training and experience to a student enrolled in a horticulture program or individual with ornamental horticulture experience, looking to increase their field experience. The Horticulture Intern will have hands on experience maintaining a variety of landscapes including, but not limited to perennial gardens, native meadow, ornamental shrub borders and implementation of … Continue reading
  • Open Position: Greenhouse/Nursery Apprentice at Mount Auburn Cemetery
    This working position will provide practical greenhouse and nursery production experience to a student or recent graduate of an accredited horticulture program. The applicant will be involved with overall operations of the greenhouse and nursery, including the production of bedding crops, propagation, IPM, floral decoration and sales. The apprentice will participate in continuing education programs … Continue reading
  • Open Position: Family Services Event Coordinator
    The Family Services Event Coordinator assists families with the planning and coordination of private memorial services, cremation events, and graveside burial services. The coordinator serves as the primary point of contact with all families scheduling funeral-related events on the Cemetery’s campus, guiding each through all stages of the event planning and coordination process. The coordinator … Continue reading
  • Open Position: Private Events Manager at Mount Auburn Cemetery
    POSITION SUMMARY: With oversight of Mount Auburn’s private events program, the Private Events Manager supports Mount Auburn’s vision as a place that celebrates all seasons of life. The Manager develops rental packages that accommodate a diverse range of needs and event types, including but not limited to funeral-related gatherings. The Manager is responsible for expanding … Continue reading
  • Open Position: Client Relations Manager
    The Client Relations Manager is responsible for delivering exceptional service while supporting the needs of families, customers, clients, and the Cemetery Services Department. The Manager oversees the fulfillment of the Cemetery’s legal and contractual obligations by managing Mount Auburn’s perpetual and annual care programs and its memorial setting and memorial inscription services. The Manager is … Continue reading
  • Open Position: Director of Finance
    The Director of Finance reports to the Executive Vice President and CFO (EVP&CFO) and is responsible for oversight of all routine financial transactions; oversight of the monthly financial statements and year-end closing of books; manage the annual audits for the Cemetery, Friends and Retirement Plan; supervises the Accounting Manager and Accounting Coordinator; assists the EVP&CFO … Continue reading
  • Open Position: Seasonal Gardener at Mount Auburn Cemetery
    Role and Responsibilities:Works as part of a crew to assist Mount Auburn horticulturists to execute landscape maintenance and horticulture projects at Mount Auburn as assigned by the Director of Horticulture, including but not limited to weeding, mulching, watering, pruning, bed preparation, planting, edging, fertilizing, and picking up branches.• Assist in performing daily situational awareness within … Continue reading
  • Open Position: Seasonal Turf & Ground Maintenance Specialist at Mount Auburn Cemetery
    Role and Responsibilities:Performs lawn mowing, trimming, mulching, and blowing of leaves, and various other grounds maintenance tasks as requested.• Operate riding mower, walk-behind mower, and hand mower throughout the Cemetery in a safe manner, being mindful of obstacles such as monuments, corner posts, sign posts, trees and shrubs• Perform grass trimming around monuments, buildings, signposts, … Continue reading
  • Open Position: Horticulturist at Mount Auburn Cemetery
    The Horticulture Department is looking for an enthusiastic person to fill the position of Horticulturist. Reporting to the Director of Horticulture, the individual will oversee a Mount Auburn horticultural area and will be responsible for landscape maintenance on a day-to-day, week-to-week, and month-to-month basis, including weeding, mulching, irrigation, irrigation, pruning, bed preparation, planting, trimming, irrigation, … Continue reading
  • Open Position: Sales Coordinator at Mount Auburn Cemetery
    The Coordinator is responsible for delivering exceptional service while supporting the needs of families, customers, clients, and the Cemetery Services Department. They support the daily functions and operations of the Cemetery Services Department and provide attentive and helpful service to all who enter the Administration Building, regardless of the reason for their visit. Specifically, the … Continue reading
  • Open Position: Lead Arborist at Mount Auburn Cemetery
    Lead Arborist supervises and performs tree maintenance, including pruning, cabling, bracing, fertilizing, planting, spraying, and tree removals. Climbs with rope and saddle and operates an aerial lift. Performs a variety of other arboricultural and horticultural tasks as needed, such as pest monitoring and shrub pruning. With Director of Horticulture Operations, decides on daily priorities and … Continue reading
  • Open Position: Arborist at Mount Auburn Cemetery
    Arborist performs tree maintenance, including pruning, cabling, fertilizing, planting, spraying, injecting and tree removals. Climbs with rope and saddle and operates an aerial lift. Performs a variety of other arboricultural and horticultural tasks as needed, such as plant pest monitoring and shrub pruning.• Perform all necessary tree pruning, removals, storm damage repairs, cabling, and other … Continue reading
  • Open Position: Part Time Security & Visitor Representative Mon / Tues
    The Security Department at Mount Auburn Cemetery is seeking an enthusiastic individual to fill the position of Security and Visitor Services Representative working part time Monday and Tuesday 2PM to 10PM. Reporting to the Security Supervisor, the Security and Visitor Services Representative is responsible for patrolling the Cemetery grounds throughout the assigned shift and enforcement … Continue reading
  • Open Position: Part Time Security & Visitor Representative Sat / Sun
    The Security Department at Mount Auburn Cemetery is seeking an enthusiastic individual to fill the position of Security and Visitor Services Representative working part time, Saturday and Sunday 8AM to 4PM. Reporting to the Security Supervisor the Security and Visitor Services Representative is responsible for patrolling the Cemetery grounds throughout the assigned shift and enforcement … Continue reading
  • Open Position: Security and Visitor Services Representative at Mount Auburn Cemetery
    The Security Department at Mount Auburn Cemetery is seeking an enthusiastic individual to fill the position of Security and Visitor Services Representative. Reporting to the Security Supervisor the Security and Visitor Services Representative is responsible for patrolling the Cemetery grounds throughout the assigned shift and enforcement of Cemetery rules and regulations. The representative displays compassion, … Continue reading

STAFF AT A GLANCE

Mount Auburn employs 55 full-time staff and 40 seasonal and part-time staff. Additionally, the Cemetery is supported by the work of 10 interns and 100+ volunteers.

Mount Auburn’s staff represent a wide range of professional backgrounds including arboriculture, customer service, curatorship, education, facilities care, financial management, fundraising, gardening, horticulture, human resources, information technology, landscape management, planning, preservation, security, and visitor services.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT

Mount Auburn Cemetery is committed to providing a respectful, ethical and fair work environment conducive to the productive accomplishment of our organizational goals.  We treat all employees with fairness, respect, dignity, and integrity.

The Cemetery competes for talent with a variety of organizations but finds the most parity in job levels, descriptions, and skill requirements with other comparable organizations such as cemeteries, historic sites, and botanic gardens and/or arboreta. 

The Cemetery’s employees are privileged to work with other people who share a desire to build, serve and sustain a strong community of dedicated non-profit professionals through leadership and advocacy.  We provide a naturally collaborative atmosphere in which people take true ownership of their roles and yet seek each other’s input to facilitate the best possible solutions to organizational and operational challenges.  We share important information openly with one another and invite new ideas and constructive organizational assessment.  And, we strive to provide everyone with the opportunity to achieve a manageable work/life balance.

Traditional compensation and benefits programs are important components of our overall Compensation and Benefits Philosophy.  Fairness in the design and administration of these programs is of paramount importance to the culture.  We regularly calibrate the amount and, where possible, the mix, of both cash compensation and benefits programs.   Although we have traditionally strived to deliver competitive health and retirement benefits, coupled with median base-pay levels, we recognize that it is important to be flexible and are committed to revisiting our approach as budgets allow.   We periodically utilize multiple, highly-regarded published compensation and benefits surveys to benchmark our reward programs.

We recognize, encourage and reinforce strong organization, team, and individual performance where possible.  We cultivate a strong feeling of fairness in pay and recognize that certain skill sets demand more compensation than others while attempting to strike an equitable balance with respect to other factors such as individual performance and length of service.  We are also mindful that our overall ability to spend is limited by our financial resources.   We are committed to reasonable levels of compensation and benefits and intend full compliance with all federal, state and local regulations.

Financial Reports

January 1, 2022

Below please find the most recent financial documents for the Proprietors of the Cemetery of Mount Auburn, a 501(c)(13), and the Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery, a 501(c)(3).

FINANCIAL REPORTS:
THE PROPRIETORS OF THE CEMETERY OF MOUNT AUBURN

Audited Financial Statements for Mount Auburn Cemetery:

Tax Returns for Mount Auburn Cemetery:

FINANCIAL REPORTS:
FRIENDS OF MOUNT AUBURN CEMETERY

Audited Financial Statements for the Friends of Mount Auburn:

Tax Returns for the Friends of Mount Auburn:

Mount Auburn Leadership

September 20, 2021

Mount Auburn’s leadership is responsible for advancing the Cemetery’s mission, vision, and values.



MATTHEW STEPHENS | President & CEO

Matthew Stephens serves as Mount Auburn Cemetery’s 14th President & CEO. Stephens, a vocal advocate for the power of green spaces in urban environments and an outstanding business leader with strong experience in strategic planning, joined Mount Auburn in September 2021.

“Mount Auburn has always been a leader in reimagining what cemeteries can be and how they can be a resource to the broader community. I look forward to developing a wave of new energy to further galvanize Mount Auburn Cemetery as a locally cherished and internationally recognized cultural institution.”

With more than 15 years of leadership experience, Stephens has managed historic, public-facing organizations with complex missions. He most recently served as the Director of the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers, Japanese Tea Garden, and Botanical Garden. Previously, he led MillionTreesNYC under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, one of the most ambitious and complex urban greening projects ever completed, where one million trees were planted throughout New York City. 

Stephens is a graduate of Illinois State University and earned his Master of Science in Public Horticulture from the University of Delaware in the prestigious Longwood Graduate Program.

Photograph of Matthew Stephens by Richard Morgenstein.

EXECUTIVE STAFF

Under the leadership of Matthew Stephens, Mount Auburn’s executive staff work collaboratively to oversee the Cemetery’s core areas of activity and achieve its strategic goals.

Michael Albano, Executive Vice President & CFO

Ronnit Bendavid-Val, Vice President of Horticulture & Landscape

Beth A. Brown, Vice President of Institutional Advancement

Gus Fraser, Vice President of Preservation & Facilities

Bree Harvey, Vice President of Cemetery & Visitor Services

Ann Sweeney, Vice President of People & Culture

GOVERNANCE

Mount Auburn Cemetery is governed and supported by a Board of Trustees that bring expertise from the private, public, and non-profit sectors.

The Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery, an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization with its own Executive Committee, supports the conservation of Mount Auburn’s natural and cultural resources and promotes public appreciation of the Cemetery’s many facets through programs and educational efforts. Funds raised through the Friends support visitor services, education, horticulture, preservation, and historical collections.

Mission & Vision

October 1, 2020

OUR MISSION

Mount Auburn Cemetery inspires all who visit, comforts the bereaved, and commemorates the dead in a landscape of exceptional beauty.


OUR VISION

We envision a world that celebrates life’s seasons, preserves natural beauty, and remembers human stories.


OUR VALUES

Our values define our beliefs and commitments; they are guideposts for our daily work and our future plans. Every day we seek to embody them in our relationships with visitors, families, neighboring communities, and our own staff.

Openness – Welcome

Offering an open door and a welcoming face to all who come here, of every faith, background, identity, and circumstance. Embracing and inclusive to visitors, clients, employees, and volunteers of all identities and backgrounds.

Compassion – Dignity

Respecting all those who come to Mount Auburn for comfort, solace, respite, and work. Aspiring to be of comfort and service to all. Approaching everyone with a sense of caring and understanding. Demonstrating and embodying a belief in the inherent worth of all people.

Beauty – Serenity

Creating and celebrating beauty and fostering a place of serenity for all who seek it. Evoking the essential experience of Mount Auburn as a landscape, a place of beauty, and a source of serenity. Nurturing our defining aesthetic—human experience and nature together. The

Stewardship – Sustainability

Protecting and preserving the history, residents, monuments, structures, collections, and resources of Mount Auburn forever. Caring for the landscape and fostering its health and environmental sustainability in a dynamic and changing world. Leading others toward models and practices for environmental sustainability.

Integrity – Balance

Pursuing the highest standards in our work and practices; striving for quality and consistency of thinking, practice, and outcome. Balancing the many facets of Mount Auburn’s mission within a complementary whole; realizing that the excellence of each facet depends on maintaining the strength and quality of all the others. Encouraging harmony and proportion as essential aspects of Mount Auburn’s beauty and sense of serenity.