Chief Investigations Officer

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POSITION SPECIFICS

Penn State is seeking an experienced investigations leader to serve as the inaugural Chief Investigations Officer (CIO) , responsible for building and leading the new Office of Investigations — a centralized, University-wide unit of approximately 8 full-time staff (plus part-time/flex investigative capacity) responsible for the intake, triage, and resolution of policy violation allegations and discrimination and harassment complaints (including cases arising under Title VI, VII, and IX), involving employee respondents. This is a new, senior leadership role central to the University's ability to resolve matters thoroughly, fairly, consistently, and efficiently, while serving as a trusted advisor to senior leadership.

Reporting to General Counsel, the Chief Investigations Officer will lead the Office of Investigations as one of two newly restructured functions succeeding the current Office of Ethics and Compliance (OEC) and Office of Equal Opportunity and Access (OEOA). The Office of Investigations will absorb applicable casework previously handled separately by OEC, OEOA, Labor & Employee Relations, and the bias incident reporting team, consolidating it into a single intake and resolution pathway for employee-related matters. The companion office, Office of Compliance and Civil Rights (OCCR), will retain and centralize subject-matter policy expertise — including Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, Employee Code of Conduct, Athletics Compliance, Youth Protection, ADA/disability accommodations for employees, and bias report management — and will serve as an embedded technical resource and consultation partner to the Office of Investigations throughout the lifecycle of a case.

Responsibilities:

Program Design, Standardization & Process Oversight

• •Establish and continuously refine the full case-intake-to-resolution process including protocols for matters where no policy violation is found, consistent with system capabilities and best practices
• •Develop and maintain a decision-tree rubric to guide consistent jurisdictional and pathway determinations across all incoming matters, informed by risk and community impact. Potential pathways include outside counsel investigation, internal investigation, administrative case review, referral to HR, Unit Head or another office, provision of resources/information
• •Standardize written work-product templates and complainant/respondent communications templates across all case types
• •Oversee the hotline and case management system, including data reporting and trend/issue-spotting in partnership with OCCR subject-matter experts

Investigative Leadership

• •Lead, manage, and mentor a team of investigators operating under a two-investigator model for full Investigations and a one-investigator model for Administrative Case Reviews, providing training, feedback, and day-to-day guidance
• •Consult with the relevant subject-matter expert(s) both before launching an investigation or administrative case review (to establish parameters, key factual questions, and legal framework) and before finalizing any report (to confirm all necessary investigative steps have been taken)
• •Remain neutral, independent, and objective at all times — including in controversial, high-profile, or politically-sensitive matters
• •Collaborate closely with OCCR, the Office of General Counsel, Human Resources, Labor & Employee Relations, and other key University constituents throughout the lifecycle of a case
• •Occasionally serve as a lead investigator on the University's most complex, sensitive, or high-profile matters, including interviewing subjects and witnesses, evaluating evidence, and drafting credibility assessments, findings of fact, and findings of responsibility

Reporting, Metrics & Administration

• •Organize, manage, and report on the work of the Office of Investigations to University leadership, including case volume, pathway distribution, time-to-close metrics, and outcome trends, measured against a documented baseline
• •Directly support the University's goal of reducing the median number of days to resolve employee compliance and discrimination/harassment allegations
• •Oversee the Office of Investigations' budget, expenses, and staffing

Qualifications:

Essential Education

• •Bachelor's degree required
• •Juris Doctor or advanced degree preferred

Essential Experience

• •At least ten (10) years of experience planning and conducting complex internal investigations, including witness interviews, evidence evaluation, and preparation of high-quality investigative reports
• •At least three (3) years of experience managing or supervising investigative staff or a comparable team
• •Demonstrated experience applying laws, regulations, and/or institutional policy to employment, Title IX, and/or civil rights matters (including Title VI and VII), with higher education experience preferred

Essential Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• •Strong analytical skills, with the ability to identify key issues, synthesize complex information, and apply relevant laws and policies across a broad range of subject matters
• •Demonstrated ability to design and operate a jurisdictional triage framework, distinguishing among investigation, administrative review, referral, and no-action pathways
• •Demonstrated ability to work effectively with diverse constituencies — including faculty, staff, administrators, and external parties — with discretion, diplomacy, and tact
• •Superior judgment, discretion, and confidentiality in handling sensitive and privileged matters; ability to maintain objectivity while treating all individuals with respect, dignity, and empathy
• •Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to draft clear, well-supported, legally defensible investigative reports reflecting both factual findings and policy/legal determinations
• •Demonstrated ability to build, develop, and supervise a high-performing investigative team, including both full-time and flex/part-time staff, within a service-oriented organization
• •Ability to build and maintain productive, collaborative relationships with senior University leaders, OCCR subject-matter experts, and campus-wide constituents across a large and decentralized institution
• •Exceptional organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple complex, concurrent cases in a time-sensitive environment
• •Fosters a climate of inclusion and is attentive to diverse perspectives and cultural norms across multiple organizational units and campus locations
• •Proficiency with Maxient or comparable case management systems, and Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Penn State is committed to providing an inclusive, welcoming, and lawful educational and working environment for all members of its community. The Chief Investigations Officer will be central to delivering on that commitment through a rigorous, well-documented, and efficient case resolution process across a large, multi-campus, decentralized institution.

BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES

This position requires the following clearances in addition to applicable background checks: PA State Police Criminal Background Che