Job Description

Director Forensic Identifications & Family Services

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DEPT OF HEALTH/MENTAL HYGIENE Posted On: 12/12/2025
Full-Time Location
MANHATTAN
No Exam Required Department
OCME - Forensic Ops Admin
Salary Range:
$157,000.00 - $170,000.00

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THIS IS A PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITY



The Office of Chief Medical Examiner investigates cases of persons who die within New York City from criminal violence, by accident, by suicide, suddenly when in apparent health, when unattended by a physician, in a correctional facility or in any suspicious or unusual manner or where an application is made pursuant to law for a permit to cremate a body of a person.




The core values of CARES guide our work for communities and inform our behavior toward each other and all those we serve.




Commitment: Dedicated to the mission at all times


Accountability: Responsible to each other and the community


Resilience: Adapt in the face of adversity


Excellence: Achieve and maintain the highest quality


Service: Innovate to meet evolving needs




The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) is seeking a highly skilled and strategically focused Director of Forensic Investigations & Family Services to provide leadership and oversight for the agency's critical decedent identification, fingerprint operations, family outreach, and overdose surveillance and social work functions. The Director will oversee the Identification Unit, the Fingerprint Unit, the Outreach Unit and the Drug Intelligence and Intervention Group (DIIG).




The Director will be responsible for ensuring the timely, accurate, and compassionate delivery of forensic identification services; directing investigations that support medicolegal death certification; coordinating cross-agency information-sharing; and leading complex, high-volume operational programs with wide-reaching public health and public safety implications. The role requires exceptional judgment, high-level collaboration, technical knowledge of forensic identification modalities, and the ability to manage multidisciplinary teams performing sensitive and mission-critical work.




Responsibilities include:


Provide leadership, strategic planning, and operational oversight for the Identification Unit, Fingerprint Unit, Outreach Unit, and DIIG. Oversee all decedent identification operations, ensuring accurate, timely confirmation using approved modalities including visual, fingerprint, medical imaging, dental, DNA, and contextual identification. Direct the Fingerprint Unit's review, acquisition standards, quality assessments, and submission of postmortem fingerprints, including training and support for complex acquisition cases. Manage Outreach Unit functions involving next-of-kin searches, notifications, due diligence investigations, and coordination with external partners such as HRA, PA offices, DVS, NYPD, and community organizations. Oversee administration of City Burial and the Temporary Interment Policy, ensuring compliance with legal requirements, deadlines, family communications, and dispute-resolution protocols in accordance with NYS Public Health Law 4201. Ensure compassionate, consistent, and legally compliant family assistance services, including disposition dispute management and guidance on viewing procedures or case inquiries.

Lead DIIG operations in overdose case identification, trend monitoring, public health surveillance, timely notifications, and data analysis.


Supervise DIIG's Family Support Team, ensuring high-quality social work services for individuals bereaved by overdose, including referrals to mental health and social service providers. Direct interagency overdose-prevention collaboration, including planning and facilitating RxStat meetings and OCME's Overdose Fatality Review sessions, engaging more than 30 partner agencies. Develop and implement operational policies, protocols, and quality assurance measures to ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, and accreditation standards. Manage budgeting, resource allocation, and staffing needs across all Forensic Investigations units. Prepare and deliver high-level reports, policy analyses, trend summaries, and operational briefings to OCME leadership and oversight entities, including City Hall and OMB. Foster strong working relationships with key partners including NYPD, District Attorneys' Offices, DOHMH, HRA, PA offices, DVS, and state and federal agencies. Ensure the secure handling of sensitive, confidential, and trauma-related information with discretion, professionalism, and adherence to agency policy. Maintain advanced proficiency in the use and parameters of the Case Management System and perform routine assessment of operational modules to identify new system needs and recommend enhancements. Maintains operational knowledge of disaster and continuity of operations plans for areas of responsibility. Provide 24/7/365 availability to respond to urgent matters of the division and agency, including incidents and participation in the agency's MESORT and disaster response and on-call schedule. Attending operational meetings as representative for area of responsibility and collaborates with other directors to facilitate and enhance operations across the division. Develop and Implement measures for quality assurance and control. Other duties as assigned.


SPECIAL NOTE:


Selected candidates will be required to provide a DNA sample by swabbing.


This position has been identified as essential. During emergency events, essential positions may require 24-hour availability.



WORK AUTHORIZATION:

Authorization to work in the United States is required for this position. Office of Chief Medical Examiner does not provide sponsorship for international employees for visa applications, extensions, or status changes, including STEM/OPT visas. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that they meet all qualifying requirements for this position at the time of application.




Please note that only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted for this position. FINAL APPOINTMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT & BUDGET APPROVAL.



CRIMINALIST DIRECTOR OF LABORA - 2184A

Minimum Qualifications

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college, with specialization in criminalistics, forensic science, chemistry, biology, physics, molecular genetics, genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology, entomology, anthropology, ecology or a closely related scientific or engineering field.

Preferred Skills

- Strong leadership experience directing administrative, operational, investigative, or forensic functions within a medical examiner, forensic science, public safety, emergency management, public health, or related governmental environment. - Proven ability to manage complex programs and multidisciplinary teams in high-volume, time-sensitive, and emotionally sensitive operational settings. - Deep understanding of decedent identification workflows, forensic fingerprinting processes, next-of-kin investigations, medicolegal death investigation practices, and overdose-related forensic investigations. - Excellent analytical, organizational, problem-solving, and policy-development skills, with experience creating or evaluating investigative protocols, quality standards, and performance metrics. - Experience with budgeting, resource allocation, and contract oversight within a government or large organizational setting. - Exceptional communication and stakeholder-management skills, including the ability to collaborate with City Hall, OMB, NYPD, DA's Offices, DOHMH, public administrators, and federal/state partners. - Knowledge of applicable regulatory frameworks, public health reporting requirements, and forensic accreditation standards (e.g., NAME, OSAC). - Proficiency with case management systems, data analytics tools, digital fingerprinting platforms, MS 365, and reporting tools used in forensic or investigative environments. - Experience in social services, next-of-kin support, trauma-informed practices, or family engagement is a strong asset. - Ability to manage sensitive and confidential information with discretion, compassion, and sound judgment. - Training or experience in incident command systems, emergency response operations, overdose surveillance, or mass fatality management is highly desirable.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education's website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

Residency Requirement

New York City Residency is not required for this position

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.

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Job ID
761667
Posted until
12/23/2025
Title code
2184A
Civil service title
CRIMINALIST DIRECTOR OF LABORA
Title classification
Non-Competitive-5
Business title
Director Forensic Identifications & Family Services
Experience Level: Manager Job level
M4
Number of positions
1
Work location
421 East 26th Street NY NY
Category: Health Director Forensic Identifications & Family Services