Assistant Director of Forensic Anthropology

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

JOB DESCRIPTION
The Assistant Director of the Forensic Anthropology Unit reports to the Director and supervises other staff. The incumbent serves as the lead for lab accreditation and quality assurance requirements under ISO 17020. In addition to supervisory responsibilities, the incumbent independently conducts scientific analyses performed on specimens submitted to the Forensic Anthropology Unit and responds to certain types of death scenes. Typical tasks include but are not limited to the following:
- Case management, assignment, and supervisory functions.
- Perform daily casework involving analysis of skeletal, decomposed, mummified, burned and/or fragmented human remains.
- Analyze cases for the purpose of decedent identification and/or assessment of skeletal trauma.
- Supervise and participate in the peer-review process for casework.
- Respond on site to death scenes as required (e.g., burials, scattered remains, fire scenes, mass fatalities, etc.).
- Supervise and participate in decedent identification efforts which utilize NamUs for case upload and decedent tracking; conduct detailed analysis of OCME cold cases to successfully resolve challenging identifications.
- Manage the ongoing identification efforts related to World Trade Center remains. Responsible for management of associated case files and serves as the primary point of contact with World Trade Center family members.
- Collaborate with other members of the Forensic Anthropology Unit, Forensic Pathology, Medicolegal Investigations, and Special Operations in the main office and off-site locations.
- Manage anthropology casework and the timely completion of reports.
- Testify as an expert witness in forensic anthropology.
- Communicate effectively with lay, technical, medical, and legal audiences.
- Participate as a critical member of the agency’s disaster response team, working in the field and in the mortuary.
- Ensure adherence to departmental SOPs, best practices, and laboratory accreditation requirements under ISO 17020.
- Provide training for OCME and law enforcement personnel on laboratory and field techniques relating to Forensic Anthropology.
- Other duties as assigned.

CRIMINALIST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR - 2184C

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.

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.