Lead Coroner’s Investigator

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose — for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills and expertise. Join our diverse, inclusive and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.

What We Offer

The City and County of Denver offers competitive pay commensurate with education and experience.  New hires are typically brought into the organization between $34.39 and $43.84.  We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which include but are not limited to:

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service
• 457B Retirement Plan
• 140 hours of PTO earned within first year + 12 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday, 1 Wellness Day and 1 volunteer day per year
• Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

The City and County of Denver has announced furlough days, or unpaid days off, for most employees to meet a budget shortfall in 2025. There are two fixed furlough days for all limited (temporary positions with an end date) and unlimited (permanent) employees on August 29th, the Friday before Labor Day, and November 28th, the day after Thanksgiving. If you receive an offer for this position, your annual pay will determine whether you are required to take additional furlough days. Details will be discussed during the offer process for selected candidate(s). 

Location & Schedule

In this position you can expect to work on site at the Office of the Medical Examiner, located at 500 Quivas St. The Office of the Medical Examiner is a 24/7/365 organization. This position is expected to be on location for all shifts. Shifts are varying and can include days, nights, weekends, and holidays. Start times can vary.

Who We Are & What You’ll Do

Within the Denver Department of Public Health & Environment (DDPHE), the Office of the Medical Examiner (OME) investigates all violent, suspicious, and unexpected natural deaths that occur in the City and County of Denver. The goal of forensic investigation and autopsy is to develop logical, scientific, and unbiased information necessary to determine the cause and manner of death for the proper and accurate completion of the death certificate and autopsy report. The agency also offers death expert testimony/consultation, death scene response and investigation, and deceased identification and death notification. OME reports and other information can be found at: Office of the Medical Examiner.

We foster an inclusive culture by respecting the values, customs, and authenticity of everyone and by implementing equitable public health strategies so Denver communities can thrive.

The Office of the Medical Examiner has an opening for a Lead Coroner’s Investigator. This position performs lead work over the Coroner’s Investigations team.

Specifically, as the Lead Coroner’s Investigator you will:

• Performs lead work over Coroner’s Investigators regarding deaths reportable to the Coroner per CSR 30-10-606.
• Communicates details of investigations to the Medical Examiners as appropriate.
• Assist the Supervisor with all pertinent duties, as needed. Performs Supervisor-level duties in the Supervisor’s absence.
• Oversee shifts and assists in reviewing cases. Provides training, mentors new and current employees, and assists Investigators with difficult and/or complex investigations.
• Orchestrates and supervises investigative internship program by conducting regular 1-on-1 meetings, monitoring educational growth, acting as liaison between colleges and Public Safety, and other duties as needed.
• Represents DOME in community outreach and education opportunities.
• Along with all department staff, this position will actively participate on an emergency preparedness and response team to support DDPHE’s responsibilities outlined in the City’s Emergency Operations Plan. This may require being ‘on-call’ from time to time to help respond to emergencies. Additional training commensurate with assigned duties will be provided.
• Other duties as assigned.

This classification performs technical, physically demanding work supporting the Office of Medical Examiner, which may be performed outside of normal business hours in a variety of field settings within the Denver metropolitan area. This is both physically and emotionally demanding work that requires employees to occasionally assist in raising or lowering objects up to 100 pounds.

What You’ll Bring

We value diversity of ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, sexual identity, gender, religion, language, ability, and experience and exemplify this through the makeup of our team at all levels. You'll be right at home here if you cultivate strong relationships and push yourself, your work, the people around you and Denver to the next level.

Our ideal candidate has some or all the following experience, skills, and characteristics:

• Previous supervisory and/or lead investigator experience.
• Ability to provide dignity and respect while caring for deceased persons and their families in stressful and/or volatile situations and environments.
• Exceptional customer service skills, along with initiative, strong personal accountability, empathy, attention to detail, flexibility, and patience.
• Positive attitude and desire to be a leader, mentor, and team player.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Experience working in highly stressful situations and environments while also demonstrating professionalism and calmness.

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Education requirement: Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement, Psychology, Social Sciences, or a related field.
• Experience Requirement: Four (4) years of professional experience conducting comprehensive medicolegal death investigations. One (1) year of internship with the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner could substitute for one (1) year of required experience.
• Education/Experience Equivalency: One (1) year of the appropriate type and level of experience may be substituted for each required year of post-high school education.
• Additional appropriate education may be substituted for the minimum experience requirements.
• Licensure: Requires a medicolegal death investigator certification by the ABMDI. This job requires driving. Requires a valid Driver's License at the time of application.
• Condition of Employment: It is a condition of employment that the Denver Police Forensics & Evidence Division form for consent for collection of a DNA sample be completed at the time of hire.

Additional Document

Note: To be considered for this position, you must include the following on your job application (upload the attachment(s) to the Resume/CV section on the My Experience tab): In addition to your resume, please include a cover letter with your application in the required attachment section.

Application Deadline

This position is expected to stay open until September 11. Please submit your application as soon as possible and no later than September 11 at 11:59 PM.

About Everything Else

Job Profile

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The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law. 

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