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Background Investigator

City of New York

New York, NYJob$52–57K/yrSeen 5 days agoSeen in employer's feed 5 days ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$52–57K/yr
Location
New York, NY
Work Authorization
Not specified

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Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Public Trust clearance

Job overview

The New York City Department of Investigation seeks two entry-level Investigators for its Background Investigation Unit. The unit investigates individuals being considered for City appointments to positions of public trust, including executive management, financial authority, digital security, legal, and investigative roles. Investigators assess information from individuals and varied sources, then prepare reports to support City agencies’ hiring and promotion decisions.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

InvestigationsInformation AnalysisInformation AuthenticationInvestigative ReportingCaseload ManagementCritical ThinkingSound Judgment

Qualifications

High School Diploma and Four Years Experience or Bachelor's Degree or Equivalent

Full job description

Job Description

The New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) is one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the country; its mission is to combat municipal corruption. DOI serves the people of New York City by acting as an independent and nonpartisan watchdog for New York City government, City agencies, and City employees, vendors with City contracts, individuals and entities that receive City funds.

DOI seeks two entry-level Investigators to join our Background Investigation Unit (“BIU”). Your investigations will play a vital role in ensuring the integrity of New York City's leadership as the BIU investigates City employees for some of the most critical positions. These include, but are not limited to, citywide executive management, employees with financial authority, access to the City's digital security and legal and investigative positions.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Conduct comprehensive, sensitive investigations of individuals under consideration for City appointments to positions of public trust.

  • Analyze, evaluate, and authenticate information obtained from the employee and diverse sources, including financial records, criminal history, employment records, education credentials, and other public and open-source intelligence.

  • Prepare clear, unbiased investigative reports to support City agencies in their hiring and promotion decisions.

  • Manage and complete a large caseload with time sensitive goals, within a team-driven environment.

  • Apply critical thinking and sound judgment to evaluate information, resolve discrepancies, and provide accurate investigative findings.

If selected, the candidate will be fingerprinted and undergo a background investigation. In addition, for positions that have a law enforcement and/or investigative function, the candidate's consumer credit history will be reviewed during the background investigation, and as otherwise permitted by NYC Administrative Code 8-107(24)(b)(2)(A).

To Apply:

All applicants, including current City Employees may apply by going to https://a127-jobs.nyc.gov and search for the specific Job ID # 806787.

Please do not email, mail or fax your resume to DOI directly. Submissions of resumes does not guarantee an interview. Due to the high volume of resumes DOI receives for positions, only selected candidates will be contacted.

Appointments are subject to Office of Management & Budget approval for budgeted headcount.

CONFIDENTIAL INVESTIGATOR - 31143

Qualifications

  1. A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State's Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization and four years of satisfactory full-time experience in an industrial or governmental agency in the field of investigation, auditing, law enforcement, security, inspections, or in a major operational area of the agency in which the appointment is to be made; or

2.A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university; or

  1. Education and/or experience equivalent to "1" or "2" above.

Additional Information

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.

Salary Min: $ 52,426.00

Salary Max: $ 56,536.00

How this job compares

Set against the 691 open Investigator jobs on Olive Jobs, counted October 27, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$52–57K/yr
  • New York median$70–89K/yr57 salary ranges
  • US median$70–104K/yr393 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $54K, is 28% below the New York median midpoint ($75K) — in the lowest quarter of Investigator salary ranges in New York.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 72 open Investigator jobs in New York and 691 across the US. 6% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in New York
Experience
Investigator postings that state a minimum ask for 3 years of experience at the median; the middle half ask for 2 to 5 years (482 postings).
Education
184 of the 691 open Investigator jobs (27%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on October 27, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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