State of Oklahoma Careers

Death Investigator

Tulsa County Full time

Job Posting Title

Death Investigator

Agency

342 OFFICE OF THE CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER

Supervisory Organization

Medicolegal Investigations

Job Posting End Date

Refer to the date listed at the top of this posting, if available. Continuous if date is blank.

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the posting end date above.

Estimated Appointment End Date (Continuous if Blank)

Full/Part-Time

Full time

Job Type

Regular

Compensation

$56,900

Job Description

Location:

Tulsa Oklahoma. The selected applicant will be assigned to and must reside within one of the following counties: Tulsa, Creek, or Wagoner.

Salary:

This position is on a 7-year pay scale, starting at $56,900.00. With positive performance reviews, employees receive incremental increases until they reach the top of salary band, after 7-year period. Salaries are non-negotiable. Additional incentives are available after ABMDI certification benchmarks are met.


Description of Duties:
The selected applicant must meet the physical and mental requirements of the job. They will be subjected to violent, traumatic, unusual, unnatural, suspicious, and various other types of death investigations. This job requires an investigator to be a visible representative of this agency and adhere to agency policies and guidelines, as well as maintain the role of ambassador of the agency both on and off duty. An investigator will be required to gather information from a variety of groups and individuals that include law enforcement agencies, physicians, nurses, lawyers, grieving family members, and funeral directors. 

The job is also physically demanding, requiring the stamina and strength to work assigned shifts under all environmental conditions, drive safely for extended periods of time, endure frequent periods of sleep deprivation, lift, and move bodies (often more than 100 lbs.) as well as climb, bend, stoop, crawl or otherwise work in a confined or difficult conditions to investigate deaths and aid in decedent removals in various postmortem interval states.

This job will require the ability to investigate any death reported to OCME, assume appropriate jurisdiction over deaths that fall under the statutory duties of this agency, and conduct required scene investigations. Strong writing and communication skills are required; documentation for each death call received is required, regardless of final OCME jurisdiction. Follow up tasks such as notifying providers of patient deaths, gathering medical records, requesting EMS and law enforcement reports, and acquisition of relevant labs and/or items to aid in decedent identification are also required.

This job will also require the candidate to perform in the autopsy lab setting, at times. Duties in the lab may include data entry, photography, lab specimen draws, evidence collection, fingerprinting, evidence inventory, and any other job duty, appointed by the Investigations Supervisor.

The selected applicant will be required to complete training with the other in-house medicolegal death investigators, in Tulsa, OK. The length of training will be determined based on the level of skills development of the applicant, but you can expect a minimum of 8 weeks. Training will require periods of time away from family and friends, with various work hours. Upon completion of training the investigator will be assigned to field duty which will require the ability to function in a solo capacity. 

Coverage Area:
Tulsa District: Assigned to and must reside in one of the following counties- Tulsa, Creek, or Wagoner.

The Eastern Office covers 25 counties, however as a state agency, if a scene need presents in any of the 77 counties, a response will be coordinated between both offices. There will be times when an investigator is required to travel outside of their normally assigned coverage area to complete scene investigations due to other employee time off/sickness, or unique situations requiring OCME response.

Upon completion of training, the selected applicant will begin duty in their assigned district. Specific equipment items will be provided to you, including but not limited to a uniform allowance, cell phone, laptop, hot spot, shared vehicle, camera, etc. that have strict usage requirements.

Work Assignment/Scheduling:
If you do not currently live in one of the 3 listed counties, you would be required to reside in one by the end of training. OCME will not reimburse or provide travel expenses for commuting while in training.   


Shifts are subject to change based on scheduling needs related to employee requests or sickness/call-in. OCME is a 24/7/365 operation, meaning investigations is staffed every day of the week (to include weekends and holidays) for all hours. The work schedule is made up of various shifts that are assigned by seniority bid, quarterly.

All Investigators are subject to working nights, weekends, holidays, and during inclement weather events.

Special Requirements:

If you are engaged in a scene investigation at the end of your shift, you will be required to complete that investigation and report even after the scheduled “off” time.

The applicant is required to complete college level report writing. Most components of the job are computer related, and proficiency in basic computer applications is required, alongside attention to detail.

Must maintain physical and mental stamina to perform the work and willingness to accept the physical and mental discomforts inherent in the work. 

Applicants considered for hire must pass a rigid character and background investigation, be at least 21 years of age, and possess a valid Oklahoma Driver’s License and social security card or work visa.

OCME does not pay any moving expenses and does not provide a relocation package. 

*Education and Experience:

Knowledge of medical technology (disease and medications), experience in emergency medical services or prior field agency employment in another medicolegal investigative office which is responsible for a similar product to that of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Oklahoma.

A degree in crime scene processing, a relevant forensic field, or law enforcement (with practical experience in death investigation) is preferred. 

ABMDI certification is preferred or will be required/obtained by your two year employment date.

*At the option of the Chief Medical Examiner, years of experience in related fields may substitute for education or other stated qualifications.  

Equal Opportunity Employment

The State of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of genetic information, race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, or disability.

Current active State of Oklahoma employees must apply for open positions internally through the Workday Jobs Hub.

If you are needing any extra assistance or have any questions relating to a job you have applied for, please click the link below and find the agency for which you applied for additional information:

Agency Contact