Position/Program InformationEXAM NUMBER: P4886A-R
TYPE OF RECRUITMENT: Open Competitive
FILING START DATE: Applications will be accepted starting on
Thursday, October 10, 2024, at 8:00 a.m. (PT). This examination will remain open until the needs of the service are met and is subject to closure without prior notice.
About the Medical Examiner: The Department of Medical Examiner investigates and determines the circumstances, manner and cause of all violent, sudden or unusual deaths occurring within the County.
Each year approximately 18,000 cases are reported to the Department, of which about half fall within its jurisdiction. The Department of Medical Examiner conducts about 5,700 autopsies per year, making it one of the largest medical examiner’s offices in the world. It has also become one of the most technologically advanced offices in the world, due to the complexity of cases investigated, including numerous high profile cases.
What you will do: Oversees the 24-hour, 7-day operation of the forensic service floor and autopsy support services of the Department of Medical Examiner, through subordinate supervisors.
Essential Job Functions- Oversees, plans, organizes, assigns, and evaluates the work of all forensic autopsy support services, through subordinate supervisors.
- Develops, implements, and evaluates daily operations, processes, and procedures to achieve established goals and objectives in accordance with department and National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) accreditation standards.
- Oversees all required training needs on the autopsy operations support services workforce, including associated with proper techniques, procedures, and operations of forensic, photographic, radiographic imaging (x-ray and CT), autopsy equipment.
- Oversees administrative personnel functions, such as conducting interviews and selecting staff, establishing performance requirements, coaching and mentoring staff, coordinating grief and trauma related events, and taking disciplinary action in accordance with County policies. Uses software programs associated with administrative functions (e.g., word processing, excel spreadsheets).
- Oversees and participates in the development of the Department’s annual budget. Determines funds required for personnel, equipment, materials and supplies for assigned areas. Monitors and approves expenditures and implements adjustments.
- Manages inventory of supplies, equipment, personal protective equipment, and autopsy-associated services are maintained and replenished timely, through coordination with administration to ensure requisitions and contracts are in place and budgeted.
- Oversees the preparation of highly sensitive documents by utilizing technical software applications associated with radiology and photography of all homicides, traffic-related cases, in-custody deaths, and infant related deaths for civil and criminal proceedings.
- Oversees the evidence collection program and ensures that all physical evidence found on decedents are properly collected and preserved for later forensic investigations, including the packaging of all clothing on homicide, hit-and-run, unidentified, and in-custody cases for law enforcement agencies.
- Oversees the identification section that identifies unidentified decedents, including the removal, preparation, and processing of fingers, fluoroscopies and dental/body x-rays, and the reconstruction of skeletal fragments of dental bite-wings, jaws, skulls, and other portions of the body.
- Evaluates the effectiveness of the various programs and units by comparing program outcomes to program goals, and up-to-date accreditation requirements to determine whether to continue, modify, or discontinue programs, including the consultation on the most complex forensic procedures.
- Drives a vehicle to perform job-related and essential duties.
Requirements HOW DO I QUALIFY: Option I: Two years of experience as a Supervising Forensic Technician for Los Angeles County.
Option II: Four years of experience assisting pathologists in performing autopsies at the level of Forensic Technician II *, two years of which must have been supervising** forensic technicians.
PHYSICAL EXPECTATIONS: 3 - Moderate: This class requires that the incumbent stand or walk most of the time with bending, stooping, squatting, twisting, reaching, working on irregular surfaces, occasional lifting of objects weighing over 25 pounds, and frequent lifting of 10-25 pounds.
LICENSE: A valid California Class “ C ” Driver License is required to perform job-related essential functions.
A copy of a valid California Class "C" Driver's License must be uploaded at the time of the application filing. If you are unable to submit the required document(s) with your application, please send it via email to csears@hr.lacounty.gov within 7 calendar days from the application filing date. SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATON: We do not accept password-protected documents. Ensure documents are unlocked before attaching to your application or sending to the exam analyst. Successful applicants for positions that require driving must obtain and present a copy of his/her driving record from the California State Department of Motor Vehicles before final appointment. Applicants should not present a copy of their driving history until asked to do so by the hiring department. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether an applicant’s driving history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job. License must not be currently suspended, restricted, or revoked.
*In the County of Los Angeles, experience at the level of Forensic Technician II, is defined as u nder general supervision, photographs decedents and specimens and assists the pathologist in performing difficult autopsies using a variety of techniques to preserve medico-legal evidence; prepares bodies of deceased persons for autopsy examination and final deposition; receives, identifies and releases bodies and does other forensic technician work as required.
** Supervisory experience is defined as responsibility for planning, assigning, and reviewing the work of assigned staff, evaluating employee performance, participating in interviews and selecting new staff, and performance management.
Withhold Information: No withhold will be allowed. Required experience and training must be fully met by the last day of filing, and clearly indicated on the application.
ENDORSEMENT OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY QUALIFICATIONS: County employees who wish to meet the requirements using out-of-class experience must provide official documentation such as additional responsibility bonus, out-of-class bonus, temporary assignment bonus, or reclassification study from CEO Classification with your application at the time of filing or within seven (7) calendar days from application submission. Employees do not need to submit such verification if they hold or have held the Supervising Forensic Technician or the Forensic Technician II positions or a position deemed to be at equivalent level. Out-of-class duties should be accurately described in the application work history, and questionable experience will be verified through the departmental HR Manager when necessary.
Applicants must be able to perform the essential functions of this classification, with or without a reasonable accommodation.
Additional Information OUR ASSESSMENT PROCESS: This examination will consist of three (3) parts:
PART I: A multiple choice and/or simulation assessment(s)
weighted 70% measuring:
- Management Judgement
- Willingness to Learn
- Empathy
- Working Relationships
- Sharing Knowledge and Guidance
- Analyzing Information
- Learning Quickly
- Generating New Ideas
- Using Time Efficiently
- Working to High Quality Standards
- Adapting to Change
- Controlling Emotions
- Achievement
- Responsibility
- Management Potential
- Deductive Reasoning.
MULTIPLE CHOICE TESTS AND SIMULATION ASSESSMENTS ARE NOT REVIEWABLE BY CANDIDATES PER CIVIL SERVICE RULE 7.19. Candidates must meet the Minimum Requirements and achieve a passing score of 70% or higher on Part I in order to proceed to Part II. PART II: An Evaluation of Training and Experience (T&E)
weighted 15% measuring:
- Knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and medical terminology/concepts needed to assist in autopsy examinations
- Knowledge of the appropriate and professional use of autopsy and forensic-related equipment
- Knowledge of health and safety practices and procedures
- Knowledge of state laws and guidelines as applied to the operation of a medico-legal facility
- Industry Monitoring
- Using Technology
Candidates must meet the Minimum Requirements and achieve a passing score of 70% or higher on Part II in order to proceed to Part III. PART III: A Writing Assessment
weighted 15% measuring:
- English structure and content,
- Written expression
- Prioritizing information.
Candidates must meet the Minimum Requirements and achieve a passing score of 70% or higher on each weighted part in order to be placed on the register . NOTE: All notifications including invitation letters will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application. It is important that you provide a valid email address. Do not select "off" under Email Preferences within your profile or click "unsubscribe" on our notices if you would like the County of Los Angeles to notify you regarding your application status, test schedules, and other important information pertaining to your candidacy for this position. Please add:
- csears@hr.lacounty.gov
- awong@hr.lacounty.gov
- talentcentral@shl.com
- noreply@proctoru.com
- donot-reply@amcatmail.com
to your email address and list of approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk/clutter mail.
Los Angeles County will not consider claims of not viewing or receiving notification to be a valid reason for late test administration or rescheduling of a test component.
Multiple-choice and/or simulation assessment scores cannot be given over the telephone. TEST PREPARATION: Study guides and other test preparation resources are available to help candidates prepare for employment tests. While the guides will help you in preparing for the test, we advise you to review all related materials that you deem necessary.
- An interactive, Online Test Preparation System for taking practice tests may be accessed on the Department of Human Resources website at http://hr.lacounty.gov/ . Please click on "Find A Job" and then "Job Search Toolkit." Test preparation information is located under the "Employment Test Assistance" section.
- Additional online practice tests are available at https://www.shldirect.com/en-us/practice-tests/ .
TRANSFER OF TEST RESPONSES: - Applicants who have taken identical components recently for other exams may have their responses automatically transferred to this examination.
- This examination contains test components that may be used in the future for new examinations and your test responses may be transferred.
ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION: Applications will be processed on an as- received basis and promulgated to the eligible register accordingly. The names of candidates receiving a passing grade in the examination will be placed on the eligible register in the order of their score group for a period of 12 months following the date of promulgation.
VACANCY INFORMATION: The eligible register resulting from this examination will be used to fill vacancies at the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner.
AVAILABLE SHIFT: Any
APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION: Applications must be filed online only. We must receive your application
BEFORE 5:00 p.m., PT, on the last day of filing. Applications submitted by U.S. mail, fax, or in person will not be accepted. Apply online by clicking on the "Apply" green button at the top right of this posting. You can also track the status of your application using this website.
Plan to submit your online application well in advance of the deadline. You may be required to verify your email address. This only needs to be done once per email address, and if you already have a job seeker account on governmentjobs.com/careers/lacounty, you can verify at any time by logging in and following the prompts. This is to enhance the security of your online application and to ensure you do not enter an incorrect email address.
Fill out your application completely. The acceptance of your application depends on whether you have clearly shown that you meet the Minimum Requirements to Qualify as listed on this job posting. Provide any relevant job experience in the spaces provided so we can evaluate your qualifications for the job. For each job held, give the name and address of your employer, your job title, beginning and ending dates, number of hours worked per week, and description of work performed. If your application is incomplete, it will be rejected.
Important: Please note that all information included in the application materials is subject to verification at any point during the examination and hiring process, including after an appointment has been made. Falsification of any information may result in disqualification or rescission of appointment. Utilizing verbiage from the Class Specification and Minimum Requirements serving as your description of duties will not be sufficient to demonstrate that you meet the requirements. Doing so may result in an incomplete application and you may be disqualified.
Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (ARDI): The County of Los Angeles recognizes and affirms that all people are created equal and are entitled to all rights afforded by the Constitution of the United States. The Department of Human Resources is committed to promoting Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts to address the inequalities and disparities amongst race. We support the ARDI Strategic Plan and its goals by improving equality, diversity, and inclusion in recruitment, selection, and employment practices.
SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER: Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.
COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT PUBLIC LIBRARIES: For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County.
NO SHARING OF USER ID AND PASSWORD: All applicants must file their application online using their OWN user ID and password. Using a family member or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.
TESTING ACCOMMODATION: If you require an accommodation to fairly compete in any part of the assessment process, you will be given the opportunity to make a request when completing your application. Please note, you may be required to submit documentation from a qualified medical provider or other qualified professional to support your request for a testing accommodation.
Testing Accommodations Coordinator: TestingAccommodations@hr.lacounty.gov
California Relay Services Phone: (800) 735-2929 (TTY) and (800) 735-2922 (Voice)
Department Contact Name: Channon Sears
Department Contact Phone: (213) 441-1915
Department Contact Email: csears@hr.lacounty.gov
For detailed information, please click
hereClosing Date/Time: Continuous