Investigator Trainee, CSC Docket No. 2021-1249

BackgroundThe Division of Agency Services (Agency Services) requests the creation of the non-competitive title of Investigator Trainee, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and the inactivation of the Supervisor of Clinical Laboratories and Chief, General Services titles.

By way of background, the Department of Health (DOH) petitioned Agency Services for the creation of the Investigator Trainee, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner title to facilitate filling critical vacancies and to promote succession planning in the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner consistent with its workforce development strategy.

The primary function of the Investigator Trainee title would be to learn to perform and conduct routine investigations of deaths reported to the Regional Medical Examiner Offices. The title would function as an entry level to the Investigator, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner title series. That series is structured as follows:

Investigator 1, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (56782H, I20)

Investigator 2, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (56783G, I23)

Investigator 3, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (56774C, R26)

After successful completion of the 12-month training program, the incumbent shall be eligible for advancement to the Investigator 1, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner title. To be consistent with the Investigator series, the Trainee title would be restricted to the DOH and to the County Medical Offices in the local governments.

Agency Services states that competitive testing is not practical for this title due to the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with the job as this is an entry- level trainee title and requires only a Bachelor’s degree including or supplemented by 12 semester hour credits in specific subject areas. The title has no experience requirement; hence there is no skill set to be tested. The required skill set would be gained on the job during the on-the-job training.

Agency Services also recommends that the titles of Supervisor of Clinical Laboratories and Chief, General Services be inactivated as the DOH indicates that it has no plan to use these titles in the future and these titles have been unencumbered for over five years.

Agency Services advises that it has provided notice and the opportunity to review the proposal to all collective negotiations units and all articulated issues have been reviewed and resolved. Finally, Agency Services requests that the changes specified become effective beginning on the first pay period following Civil Service Commission (Commission) approval of these actions.

CONCLUSION

RuleN.J.A.C. 4A:3-3.6(a) states, in pertinent part, that the Commission may determine that a new title or title series is necessary. N.J.A.C. 4A:3-1.2(a) states that the Commission shall allocate and reallocate career service titles between the competitive and non-competitive divisions. N.J.A.C. 4A:3-1.2(c) states that a job title may be placed in the non-competitive division on an ongoing or interim basis when it is determined that competitive testing is not practicable due to the nature of the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with the job.

AnalysisBased on the foregoing, ample reasons exist for the creation of the subject title and to allocate the Investigator Trainee, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner title to the non-competitive division of the career service. In this regard, the Investigator Trainee, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner title requires a Bachelor’s degree including or supplemented by 12 semester hour credits in specific subject areas with no experience requirements as the skills required to perform the job are gained through on-the-job training. Given the lack of an experience requirement, competitive testing is not practicable since the knowledge, skills and abilities associated with this title are evaluated during the mandatory training period. In this regard, appointees would be required to complete both a 12-month training period as well as the required four-month (or three-month in local service) working test period prior to attaining permanent status.

The Commission also finds good cause to inactivate the Supervisor of Clinical Laboratories and Chief, General Services titles. Specifically, the titles have been unencumbered for over five years and the DOH has no plan to use these titles in the future.

ORDER

Therefore, it is ordered that these requests be granted and the title of Investigator Trainee, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner be established and allocated to the non-competitive division of the career service, and the titles of Supervisor of Clinical Laboratories and Chief, General Services be inactivated. These actions shall be effective the beginning of the first pay period following the issue date of this decision.

ClosingThis is the final administrative determination in this matter. Any further review should be pursued in a judicial forum.