Employment Retaliation Investigator

Job Code: 32001216
Salary Grade: NC10
Revision Date: 06/2018

Class Concept

This is professional investigative and consultative work in the enforcement of the North Carolina North Carolina Retaliatory Employment Discrimination Act (REDA). The mission of this office is to eliminate workplace discrimination in the State because of employees' protected activities related to occupational safety and health, workers' compensation, wage and hour laws, mine safety and health, genetic information or testing, National Guard Service, carrying the sickle cell anemia trait and participation in the juvenile justice system. Employees investigate, research, and analyze complaints of noncompliance, and, where merit is found in a complaint, facilitate resolution by conciliation, settlement, and litigation or issuance of right-to-sue letters, and by informing employers of their responsibilities and employees of their rights.

Work assignments are received from complaints and allegations. Analysis is necessary in responding to inquiries from workers, attorneys, employers, unions, the public, trade associations, and other state and federal agencies. Investigators make violation determinations, including back pay, economic loss and remedy determinations and calculations, and initiate conciliation and settlement efforts. Complaint resolution requires balancing a varied workload of cases from the simplest to the most complex, several of which have strict time limits and often cover vast areas of North Carolina geography. Judgment is required in resolving cases that do not present obvious or clear-cut evidence, while serving as broker or facilitator of settlement between parties, and initiating discussion of creative, non-monetary settlement possibilities.

Contacts are primarily with the general public in a myriad of occupations ranging from corporate executives to blue collar workers as well as teen-aged workers, employers, attorneys, accountants, legislative or media contacts, and representatives from other state and federal agencies.

Recruitment Requirements

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Thorough knowledge of the legal aspects of administering the North Carolina Retaliatory Employment Discrimination Act, and all acts protecting employees in the workplace: the Wage and Hour Act; the Fair Labor Standards Act; Occupational Safety and Health Act; Workers' Compensation Act; Mine and Safety and Health Act; and portions of law protecting against discrimination based on persons possessing sickle cell trait or hemoglobin C trait, genetic testing information, those who participate in the juvenile justice system, or those who serve in the North Carolina National Guard.

Minimum Education and Experience

Bachelor's degree preferably in occupational safety or health, industrial engineering, industrial relations or labor relations, law or related area from an appropriately accredited institution and three years of experience in discrimination investigations, legal or regulatory investigations, including occupational safety and health investigations, regulatory investigations, workers' compensation programs or other relevant investigatory experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.