Executive Director, Special Investigation Unit

Job Description

The New York City Department of Correction (DOC) is an integral part of the City’s evolving criminal justice system, participating in reform initiatives and strategies aimed to move the City towards a smaller jail system without compromising public safety. The DOC is responsible for maintaining a safe and secure environment for our employees, visitors, volunteers, and people in our custody. Importantly, safe jails enable DOC to provide people in custody with the tools and opportunities they need to successfully re-enter their communities. The DOC operates facilities and court commands across the five boroughs with more than 7,500 diverse professionals and knowledgeable experts.

The New York City Department of Correction seeks to recruit an Executive Director to oversee the Special Investigations Unit (SIU). Under the direct supervision of the Assistant Commissioner, and with latitude to exercise independent judgement and decision making, the successful candidate for this management level position will be responsible for conducting all investigations into allegations of misconduct and special investigation apart from Use of Force occurrences.

Responsibilities of this position include: supervising the activities and work performance of the Deputy Director of Investigation and assessing the supervisor’s effectiveness; assuming the role and responsibilities of the Assistant Commissioner of the Special Investigation Unit in his/her absence; making supervisory decisions in the absence of the Assistant Commissioner of the Special Investigation Unit for subunits including the Intelligence Team and K-9 Operations in the absence of their leadership; directing, coordinating, and monitoring the activities of a team of Investigators engaged in the performance of conducting preliminary reviews of alleged incidents including (but not limited to) allegations of: undue familiarity, breaches of confidentiality and ethical practices, introduction of contraband, deaths in custody, violations of established security protocols; ensuring that the quality of preliminary reviews and investigations, timeliness of reports, and levels of efficiency meet the standards determined by policy, law, and the Nunez consent judgment; directing the workflow and formulating the strategy of the Intelligence Team in conjunction with internal and external stakeholders and oversight entities; collecting internal data and drafting reports relating to SIU’s compliance with the Nunez consent judgment; acting as the Special Investigation Unit’s liaison with the Department of Investigation, the New York City Police Department, and/or district attorneys’ offices with respect to investigations as needed; serving as a direct liaison to the NYC Department of Investigation and the New York State Attorney General's Office to ensure that legally mandated notifications are properly forwarded and investigated when clearance is obtained for SIU to conduct investigation; manage and oversee the external investigative referrals to the District Attorney's Offices and Federal external investigative bodies that the DOC has partnered with; preparing, reviewing, and evaluating reports submitted for administrative action; working in close coordination with Federal, State and City investigation and law enforcement agencies; testifying at hearings and court proceedings; ensuring that certain persons in custody receive an SIU orientation regarding integrity and safety checks, and that identified officers are properly investigated, and the Person in Custody allegations are fully vetted.

Preferred Skills
- Experience investigating excessive use of corruption and alleged illegal activities
- Experience working with prosecutors in developing and presenting cases, and testifying at court
proceedings is a plus
- Ability to be objective and thorough in conducting investigations of law enforcement personnel, inmates,
confidential witnesses, and informants
- Experience conducting investigations using a variety of data sources (i.e., eJusticeNY, CLEAR, IIS,
IFCOM, Webcrims, Rap sheets, various watchdog registries, social media platforms, etc.)
- Excellent communications skills, strong analytical, research, problem solving, presentation and writing
skills
- Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) proficiency
- Successful candidates must clear a background investigation and possess a valid NYS driver’s license
- Firearms qualified

CONFIDENTIAL AGENCY INVESTIGAT - 31142

Qualifications

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college, and four years of satisfactory full-time experience in the field of investigations, auditing, law enforcement, criminal
justice, or in a major operational area of the agency in which the appointment is to be made, 18 months of which must have been in an administrative, managerial, or executive capacity or supervising a staff performing investigations or related work; or

2. Education and/or experience equivalent to "1" above. However, all candidates must have the 18 months of experience in an administrative, managerial, executive, or supervisory capacity as described in "1" above.

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.