The Associate Vice President (AVP), Forensic Operations provides strategic and operational leadership for all forensic technician and death investigator services across the organization. This role is responsible for ensuring operational excellence, regulatory compliance, quality standards, and effective staffing and workflow management.
The AVP serves as a key leader and partner to executive leadership, medical examiners, pathologists, law enforcement, and other stakeholders to support high-quality medico-legal death investigation services. The role directly oversees operational leaders and indirectly supports all forensic staff across locations.
This position requires strong leadership, operational expertise, and business acumen, along with active engagement in forensic operations to maintain subject matter expertise, support staff development, and ensure quality and efficiency across all sites.
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
Operational Leadership
- Provide enterprise-wide oversight of forensic technician and death investigator operations across all locations.
- Develop, implement, and standardize operational workflows, policies, procedures, and best practices.
- Ensure consistent operational performance, quality standards, and service delivery across all facilities.
- Monitor staffing models, scheduling, workload distribution, productivity, and operational metrics.
- Lead operational improvement initiatives focused on efficiency, quality, turnaround times, compliance, and customer service.
- Collaborate with medical examiner leadership to ensure operational alignment with organizational goals and medico-legal standards.
- Assist with strategic planning, departmental growth initiatives, and organizational expansion efforts.
- Support emergency preparedness planning, disaster response operations, and after-hours operational coverage needs.
- Maintain regular and ongoing participation in forensic technician and/or death investigator responsibilities to support operational awareness, leadership credibility, staffing support, training, and quality oversight.
- Participate in operational coverage activities, scene response, technical workflows, call coverage, and/or case support activities as needed to maintain subject matter expertise and operational relevance.
- Serve as a hands-on operational leader capable of assisting with field and technical operations during staffing shortages, high-volume periods, critical incidents, or other operational needs.
Leadership and Personnel Management
- Directly supervise directors, managers, and supervisors responsible for forensic technician and death investigator teams.
- Provide indirect oversight, mentorship, and leadership support to all forensic technicians and death investigators.
- Foster a culture of accountability, professionalism, teamwork, communication, and continuous improvement.
- Participate in recruitment, hiring, onboarding, training, retention, succession planning, and performance management activities.
- Ensure leadership development and ongoing competency assessment of operational personnel.
- Address employee relations matters in partnership with Human Resources and executive leadership.
Quality, Compliance, and Regulatory Oversight
- Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, local, accreditation, and organizational requirements.
- Maintain adherence to chain-of-custody procedures, evidence handling standards, safety protocols, and confidentiality requirements.
- Support quality assurance and quality improvement initiatives related to forensic operations.
- Participate in audits, inspections, accreditation activities, and corrective action planning as needed.
- Promote workplace safety and ensure compliance with OSHA and other applicable safety standards.
Business and Administrative Responsibilities
- Assist with operational budgeting, resource allocation, and financial stewardship of forensic operations.
- Monitor operational expenses, staffing utilization, and productivity metrics.
- Support vendor relationships, equipment planning, supply management, and operational contract oversight.
- Prepare operational reports, presentations, and leadership updates for executive management.
- Partner with executive leadership on operational strategy, organizational initiatives, and service optimization efforts.
Stakeholder Collaboration
- Maintain effective working relationships with medical examiners, pathologists, law enforcement agencies, hospitals, funeral homes, attorneys, and government entities.
- Serve as an operational liaison for internal and external stakeholders.
- Support organizational initiatives that enhance service quality, client satisfaction, and operational effectiveness.
- Perform all job responsibilities in alignment with the industry's best security practices and regulatory guidelines to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of protected health information and other sensitive company data.
- Must be familiar with and abide by the Corporate Compliance Program and all Corporate policies, including the Privacy and Security policies.
NON-ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
- Work with other departments within PathGroup and subsidiaries.
- Nothing in the job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.
- Other duties as assigned.
