Medicolegal Death Investigator

Posting Date

Application Deadline

Pay Range

Job Type

Department

About the Position

Are you passionate about serving your community, analyzing medical information, and examining scenes? As a forensic professional, you'll have the opportunity to use your medical and investigative knowledge to support the 4th largest Medical Examiner jurisdiction in the Nation!

The Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner is seeking a motivated, knowledgeable, and detail-oriented Medicolegal Death Investigator to join our team! You'll contribute as the "eyes and ears" for Medical Examiners on scene and work to locate pertinent details and medical records relating to the death.

About the Office of the Medical Examiner

Join a team dedicated to providing reliable and trustworthy medical investigations of deaths in our community! The Office of the Medical Examiner is a county agency charged under Arizona Law to perform medical investigations of certain types of deaths. The goal of these investigations is to determine the medical cause (disease and/or injury) of the death to help improve the public's health and safety. Our investigations inform families, the public and its agencies, and other community stakeholders in the hope that future deaths may be prevented. We are looking for individuals to join our collaborative team to provide compassionate service to the people of Maricopa County.

Proud to Offer

• Perform work with a greater purpose

• Tuition Reimbursement

• Growth and stability since 1871

• Opportunities for growth and development within Maricopa County

• Low-cost, high-value healthcare for you and your qualifying dependents

• Enrollment in Arizona State Retirement System

• Paid vacation, sick, and parental (birth/adoption) leaves

• Maricopa County participates in the Arizona State Retirement System. This defined retirement benefit requires a 12.29% monthly contribution rate and includes a 100% employer match on Day 1

• Extensive wellness program with $60 monthly medical premium discounts

• Employee discounts for goods and services

• Learn more at

We Require

• One year of experience as a full-time Medical Examiner Investigator or Deputy Coroner in a Coroner or Medical Examiner's facilityOR

• Two years of experience as a vocational medical specialist, such as corpsman/military medic, emergency medical technician (EMT), or paramedic, or as a forensic investigative specialist, such as crime scene technician or investigator

• Experience may be substituted for the minimum requirements on a year per-year basis with an associate degree or completion of 60-semester units from an accredited college or university in a Natural Science, Life science, Nursing, or Criminology field. Coursework must have included 15-semester units in medical terminology, anatomy, biology, chemistry, investigations, forensics, or physiology

• High School Diploma or GED

Other Requirements

• Certification from the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigations (ABMDI) or must obtain a certification within eighteen (18) months from employment/hire date

• Valid Arizona driver's license upon hire

We Also Value

• Bachelor's degree or higher in a Natural Science, Criminology, or related field

• Three years of experience as a vocational medical specialist, such as corpsman/military

• medic, emergency medical technician (EMT), or paramedic, or as a forensic investigative specialist, such as crime scene technician or investigator

• Bilingual in English and Spanish

• Experience in forensic medicolegal investigation

• Experience working or volunteering in a Medical Examiner or Coroner's Office

• Certification in good standing as a Diplomat or Fellow of the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators

• Educational certificate in death investigation

Job Contributions

• Receive notification of deaths from agencies and outside parties and determine if jurisdiction is within the Medical Examiner's criteria

• Conduct death investigations to obtain information and evidence to assist Medical Examiners with the determination of the cause and manner of death

• Direct the recovery, transportation, and processing of bodies and related evidence

• Collects on-site scene information and evidence to include drawing of bodily fluids and specimen, taking pictures, securing physical evidence on the body or within proximity of the body, and noting other physical evidence or circumstances relevant to the death

• Respond to various scenes of death, including traffic fatalities, industrial deaths, SIDS and infant deaths, overdoses, undetermined, suspicious, water-related, heat, and environmental exposure deaths

• Conduct doll reenactments on cases of infant deaths when needed to determine cause and manner of death

• Investigate the physical and medical aspects of natural deaths by telephone when appropriate

• Conduct interviews eliciting pertinent past and present history from persons associated with the decedent

• Obtain and review medical histories and records from private physicians or health care agencies

• Prepare written reports of the investigation

• Record comments in the Vital Statistics Information Management System regarding death certificates being reviewed

• Order X-rays, toxicological studies, and follow-up reports and gathers other pertinent evidence prior to autopsy

• Communicate and consult with law enforcement personnel, funeral homes, and other agencies to expedite disposition of the case

• Coordinate with organ donor agencies to facilitate requests for organ and tissue donations

• Attend various training programs to maintain high standards and implement new methods of investigation

• Give sworn testimony when necessary in a deposition or before a court or other legal tribunal

Working Conditions

• Sufficient strength and physical and emotional stability to work under adverse conditions. Hours are full-time and include some holidays, nights, and weekends shift work may be required

• Must work with decedents in a decomposed state and understand and perform the complex task of removing decedents from diverse and difficult death scenes

• Ability to lift and carry 100 pounds

Selection Procedure

• Only the most qualified candidates will be considered

• Consideration will only be given to candidates who submit online applications

• Candidates will be contacted primarily through email and their Workday online application profile

• Must pass a pre-employment background and/or fingerprint investigation as required by statute or policy, including drug and alcohol testing requirements for positions designated as safety-sensitive

Maricopa County is an equal opportunity employer.

Apply Now!