Duties Description

Position Description:

The Office for People With Development Disabilities (OPWDD) is seeking to fill the Chief of Investigations position to lead the Office of Investigations and Internal Affairs (OIIA). OIIA conducts investigations and reviews of instances of reportable alleged abuse/neglect significant incidents and/or serious notable occurrences in both state operations and voluntary provider agencies involving people receiving developmental disabilities services. Additionally, OIIA conducts investigations into allegations of OPWDD employee misconduct involving potential fraud, corruption and theft of funds, community grievances as deemed applicable via the Commissioner.

These activities are conducted in conjunction and cooperation with other investigatory and law enforcement entities including the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs (Justice Center) and the Office of the State Inspector General (OIG), Office of the Attorney General, OMIG, including Federal, State and Local enforcement entities.

The Chief of Investigations is a member of the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities Leadership Team and reports directly to the Commissioner. The Chief of Investigations serves at the executive level, providing executive management and oversight to the Office of Investigations and Internal Affairs. (OIIA) OIIA has staff assigned to each of the (six) DDSOO regional field offices located in Western NY Buffalo, Finger Lakes Rochester, Central NY Rome, Broome NY, Binghamton, Sunmount, Tupper Lake, Capital District, Schenectady, Taconic DDSOO, Wassaic, Hudson Valley, Thiells, and NYC DDSOOs in Kings County, Metro Manhattan, Bernard Fineson, Queens, Long Island and Staten Island.

OPWDD has the responsibility and oversight of a comprehensive and integrated system of person-centered services and support for people with developmental disabilities. This encompasses administration of a $5 billion annual budget serving approximately 136,000 people with developmental disabilities through a state-wide workforce of 20,000+ and provider work sites in every county of the State.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Under executive direction of the Chief of Investigations, OIIA is organized into 8 Bureaus: Central Office, Special Investigative Unit and 6 Regional offices that direct and oversee all major statewide investigative activities, to include but not limited to all Significant Incidents and Serious Notable Occurrences within State Operated OPWDD Facilities, including Incidents of Abuse and Neglect delegated back to OIIA by the Justice Center within and outside (Voluntary Provider agencies) of State Operated OPWDD Facilities.

The Chief of Investigations and the more than 100 investigators and administrative staff are responsible for meeting all statutory requirements related to the thorough and fair investigation of all delegated and assigned 624, 625, 483 and 488 defined Significant Incidents and Serious Notable Occurrences within State Operated OPWDD Facilities, and in certified and licensed provider agencies, which includes any incidents classified as Abuse Neglect that is delegated back to OPWDD for investigation.

Additionally, the incumbent directs investigations of employee misconduct which may include the misuse of state vehicles, time and attendance abuse, and misuse of OPWDD computer systems or other such activities that may constitute State employee corruption or fraud in cooperation and consultation with the OIG. In this capacity, the incumbent directs a staff of more than 100 investigators and administrative staff assigned to six regional offices throughout the State. The position works closely with OPWDD’s Office of Division of Administration, Labor Relations, Counsels Office, the Chief Information and Security Office, the Chief Information Officer, NYS Office for Information Technology Services, and NYS Office General Services Transportation unit.

In addition to the outside agencies referenced above, the Chief of Investigations is the agency’s POC and will work with the Office of the State Attorney General, the Office of the State Comptroller, CMS and with local, state and federal law enforcement entities including the New York State Police, the FBI, and local prosecutors’ offices in an effort to coordinate investigations and ensure the protection of people with developmental disabilities and that individuals who engage in misconduct, abuse, and/or neglect are appropriately held accountable for their actions.

Duties include, but are not limited to: ensuring cases are investigated ethically and fairly; using acceptable investigatory practices that are legally defensible and are also completed in a timely and efficient manner; conducting or assisting with investigations, including interviewing witnesses, interrogating suspects and writing investigative reports; serving as the agency’s expert investigator by providing high level and operational investigatory policy advice, ensure that OIIA operations, policies, and procedures adhere to acceptable practices, and providing testimony and other oral and written information regarding the agency investigatory operation; and serving as the liaison, and primary lead with outside law enforcement and investigatory entities.

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Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree and eight years of relevant experience.*

Substitutions: four years of specialized experience or associate’s degree and two years of specialized experience may substitute for bachelor’s degree; J.D. or master’s degree may substitute for one year of specialized experience; Ph.D. may substitute for two years of specialized experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

The ideal candidate for this position will share OPWDD’s commitment to advocating on behalf of people with developmental disabilities as well as advancing and enhancing services and supports. Further, such candidate would possess a deep understanding of the investigatory principles and practices involved in protecting people with special needs.

Additionally, the candidate will have at least eight years of Supervisory Law Enforcement experience, including practical experience conducting, directing and overseeing undercover operations.

Experience should include:

Utilization of electronic surveillance equipment, Video and GPS equipment.

Experience in Cyber Crime analysis, Cyber security and knowledge in the tools and resources for recognizing incidents of cybercrimes.

Knowledge of evidence collection and preservation techniques.

Knowledge of Federal and State statutes regarding search and seizure and evidence preservation.

Experience working with law enforcement agencies at the Federal, State, and local levels, and working on large scale, multiple–agency criminal and civil investigations.

Experience providing expert testimony and working closely with various District Attorney Offices, NYS Attorney General Offices, NYS Inspector General Offices, and the NYS Court System.

Experience working with criminal justice and non-criminal justice agencies such as financial institutions, Federal agencies, etc.

The candidate must demonstrate strong leadership and communication skills and a clearly demonstrated ability to plan and execute strategic decisions. The candidate must possess the ability to produce precise written and oral summations of investigative activities and results and must be cognizant of OPWDD employee protections as outlined in current labor agreements. The candidate should be able to evaluate policies for effectiveness, develop and implement data collection tools, and develop or modify policies based upon data analysis and agency needs.

Additional Comments

Preference will be given to OPWDD employees impacted by closures. If you are being impacted by closure, please indicate this on your resume.
All OPWDD employees must be eligible and maintain eligibility for full and unconditional participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Continued employment will depend on maintaining eligibility.
If you are employed by state government you may be able to receive loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on Direct Loans after 120 qualifying monthly payments have been made under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer. For more information on PSLF, please visit www.studentAid.gov/publicservice.
Employees on long term leave can bid on positions but must be able to report to work within fourteen (14) days and be able to perform the essential functions of their positions with or without reasonable accommodation (RA).
If an employee or job applicant believes that they need a reasonable accommodation, they should contact the Reasonable Accommodation Unit at (518) 486-7222 or email accommodationrequests@opwdd.ny.gov to obtain information and RA forms.
Savings programs such as the U.S. Savings Bond and the College Savings Plan.
Voluntary pre-tax savings programs such as Health Care Spending Account and the Dependent Care Advantage Account offer employees options to pay for uncovered health care expenses or dependent care expenses.
Access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) an assessment and referral service that connects employees with local service providers and support services to address their personal needs.
Life insurance and Disability insurance.
The New York State Deferred Compensation Plan is a voluntary retirement plan that offers employees the option to invest a part of their salaries for retirement on a tax-deferred basis.
Paid Holidays and Leave:

° Thirteen (13) paid holidays each year.

° Thirteen (13) days of paid vacation leave initially.

° Five (5) days paid personal leave each year.

° Paid sick leave each year, which may carry over from year to year.

Health Care Coverage:

Employees and their eligible dependents can choose from a variety of affordable health insurance programs. Employees are provided family dental and vision plans at no extra cost.

Paid Parental Leave:

Paid Parental Leave allows eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave at full pay for each qualifying event. A qualifying event is defined as the birth of a child or placement of a child for adoption or foster care.

Retirement Program:

Participate in The NYS Employees’ Retirement System (ERS), which is recognized as one of the best-managed and best-funded public retirement systems in the nation.

Professional Development and Education and Training:

NYS offers training programs and tuition assistance to eligible employees to maintain and increase their professional skills and prepare them for promotional opportunities. For more information, please visit https://oer.ny.gov/training-and-professional-development.

Additionally, the Public Service Workshops Program (PSWP) offers certain professional training opportunities for PEF represented and M/C designated employees that may grant continuing education credits towards maintaining professional licensure. For more information, please visit https://oer.ny.gov/public-service-workshops-program-pswp.
OPWDD is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer dedicated to creating and sustaining a culture of inclusion. We believe that we are most effective in managing and improving our service system with a diverse team of employees. With such a large workforce, we rely on the collective individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, self-expression, ideas and talent that our employees bring to their work. This speaks to our culture and is a key part of our successes. As we continuously recruit people for our team, we welcome the unique contributions that applicants bring in terms of their education, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation and beliefs.

***All people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.***

NYS Office for People With Developmental Disabilities jobs

Chief Investigations