Client Investigations Officer

Client Investigations Officer J. Webb Consulting Bakersfield, CA Job Details Full-time $100,000 - $130,000 a year 20 hours ago Benefits Health insurance Dental insurance Paid time off Employee assistance program Vision insurance Qualifications Operational analysis Teamwork HIPAA compliance Interviewing clients HIPAA Criminal Justice Policy analysis Bachelor's degree Healthcare privacy protection Senior leadership

Full Job Description Job Title:

ClientInvestigations Officer Reports to :

Senior Leadership Functional Group :

Client Investigations and Grievances (CIG)

Location:

California Central Valley Job Type:

Full-Time | On-site | Ability to

Travel Compensation:

$100,000 to $130,000 per annum, including bonus

FLSA Status:

Exempt Status Explanation:

The position qualifies for exempt status under the administrative & professional exemptions based on independent judgment over significant matters. Position Overview and Scope of Authority The Client Investigations Officer (CIO) is responsible for establishing and leading the organization's Client Investigations and Grievances (CIG) function. This position builds the function from the ground up by developing the functional strategic plan, standard operating procedures, investigation and grievance workflows, and standardized tools, templates, and documentation. The CIO oversees investigations and grievances involving clients and employees, including client-related abuse, neglect, compliance, and privacy matters, and employee conduct impacting client care and supports compliance with Regional Center, CCLD, and DDS requirements. The CIO serves as the primary point of coordination for external investigative and compliance-related communications, including direct interaction with DDS, regional centers, and CCLD. This includes managing inquiries, coordinating responses, supporting required reporting, and ensuring communications are timely, accurate, and consistent with regulatory expectations. The CIO designs and implements organization-wide standards for investigation intake, triage, evidence collection, documentation, reporting, and resolution. The CIO establishes guidelines for escalation and develops an approach for engaging legal counsel based on risk, regulatory exposure, and the nature of the matter. Through trend analysis and reporting, the CIO provides leadership with insight into systemic issues, compliance gaps, and improvement opportunities at both the Facility and at Headquarters levels, and tracks the implementation of approved recommendations and corrective actions. The CIO is responsible for determining whether matters fall within the scope of investigations or client grievances, for initiating investigations, for defining investigative approach and methodology, and for issuing findings based on evidence and applicable standards. The CIO recommends corrective actions, policy changes, training needs, or other remediation based on findings; implementation of corrective actions remains the responsibility of operational leadership. Key Responsibilities 1. Function Design & Capability Development a) Establishment and ongoing development of the CIG Function, including definition of CIG's mandate, functional strategy and operating model. b) Development, implementation, and ongoing maintenance of investigation and grievance standards, methodologies, policies, tools, templates, and documentation practices required to support consistent and effective investigations and grievance handling. c) Design of intake, investigation, grievance, and reporting frameworks that are consistent, scalable, and aligned with regulatory and organizational requirements. d) Continuous evaluation and enhancement of the CIG's capabilities to ensure effectiveness, consistency, and audit readiness. 2. Intake and Triage a) Intake of concerns, complaints, and potential issues from multiple sources, including formal reporting channels, ombuds-style intake pathways, staff reports, senior management requests, and administrative awareness of potential incidents. b) Triage and classification of matters to determine whether they require investigation, grievance handling, mandatory reporting, referral, or escalation. c) Initiation of investigations and grievances, including matters identified through internal reporting, leadership escalation, or requests for Special Incident Reports (SIRs). d) Development and maintenance of intake-level metrics and pipeline reporting, including volume, source, status, timeliness, and disposition of investigations and grievances to support management oversight and resource planning. 3. Investigations a) Conduct or coordinate client-related investigations and grievances involving abuse or neglect, rights violations, service delivery concerns, employee conduct affecting clients, regulatory noncompliance, and other incidents impacting client health or safety; purely employee-related matters remain solely within the remit of Human Resources. b) Collect, analyze, and document investigative evidence, including interviews, written statements, SIRs, client records, and other relevant documentation. c) Prepare written investigation and grievance reports documenting scope, findings, conclusions, and recommended actions, suitable for internal review, regulatory submission, or legal review. d) Establish and enforce standardized requirements for investigation and grievance reports to ensure quality, completeness, and analytical rigor consistent with federal Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Access Rule grievance expectations, including person-centered analysis and documented rationale. e) Coordinate with Compliance & QA leadership on investigations involving program standards, regulatory compliance, systemic issues, or clinical considerations. f) Coordinate with Operational leadership on investigations involving direct care staff, service delivery, staffing practices, or operational conditions affecting clients. g) Coordinate with Human Resources on investigations involving employee conduct intersecting with client care. h) Establish and enforce management of client investigations and grievances in accordance with applicable timelines, notice requirements, and procedural safeguards established by DDS, Regional Centers, and licensing authorities. 4. External Regulatory Coordination and Communications a) Proactive engagement with DDS, Regional Centers, CCLD, licensing authorities, and other oversight bodies to align investigative and grievance practices with regulatory expectations. b) Ongoing collaboration with external agencies to support consistent application of standards and inform internal policy and process development in response to regulatory change. c) Management of reactive communications with external authorities, including regulators and law enforcement, in connection with incidents, investigations, audits, inquiries, or enforcement actions. d) Representation of the organization in investigative and grievance-related communications and correspondence with regulators and law enforcement to ensure accuracy, timeliness, and regulatory compliance. e) Contribution to the development of industry practices through preparation of white papers and participation in regulatory or industry working groups and panels that influence investigation and grievance standards. f) Coordinate with Human Resources to seek legal counsel on high-risk investigations to preserve privilege, where appropriate, while supporting timely, compliant, and cost-effective investigation processes. 5. Tracking, Monitoring and Corrective Action Oversight a) Development and maintenance of centralized tracking mechanisms for investigation and grievance outcomes, findings, and recommendations. b) Analysis of investigation and grievance data to identify recurring issues, root causes, systemic risks, and trends across programs, facilities, or functional areas. c) Formulation of corrective action recommendations tied to identified findings, including policy changes, training enhancements, process improvements, or control measures. d) Monitoring and verification of implementation of approved corrective actions by responsible operational leaders, including assessment of timeliness and completion. e) Evaluation of the effectiveness of implemented corrective actions over time and reporting of status, trends, and residual risk to the CEO and, when appropriate, external oversight entities. Reporting & Oversight Structure The CIO operates within a governance & oversight framework intended to preserve investigative independence and minimize potential conflicts of interest while ensuring single-point accountability. More specifically, the reporting & oversight structure is as follows: CEO Council Member [ Administrative Oversight ]: Responsible for day-to-day administrative oversight of the CIO, including scheduling of investigations, and workload coordination. Additionally, the Elected CEO Council Member collects qualitative and quantitative feedback on the CIO's performance, for the CIO's bi-annual performance review, which is subsequently approved by the CEO. The Elected CEO Council Member does not direct investigative decisions, case selection, or investigative outcomes. CEO Council [ Functional Governance ]: Serves as the governing and Steering Committee for the

CIO / CIG.

The CEO Council provides oversight of investigative intake, triage, prioritization, and review of investigation and grievance outcomes. The CEO Council is jointly responsible for hiring, termination, promotion, compensation recommendations, and approval of formal performance evaluations of the CIO, and provides direction on functional priorities and risk posture without involvement in day-to-day investigative execution. Chief Executive Officer [ Executive Escalation ]: Acts as the escalation authority for resolution of material disagreements, conflicts, or issues presenting elevated organizational, regulatory, or reputational risk. Any material disagreement between the CIO and the CEO Council is to be formally documented prior to escalation to the CEO for resolution. Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required, master's degree preferred in HR, Criminal Justice, Social Services, Public Administration, Compliance, or a related field.
• AWI (Association of Workplace Investigators) certification preferred or attainable within one year of hire.
• 5-7+ years of progressively responsible experience in workplace investigations, compliance, internal audit, regulatory oversight, or comparable risk management / control function.
• Demonstrated knowledge and application of CCR Title 17 and Title 22,
• Working knowledge of privacy and confidentiality requirements including HIPAA and applicable state confidentiality laws protecting client & employee information.
• Strong interviewing, documentation and analytical skills, along with the ability to produce investigative reports that are aligned with industry standards and are legally defensible.
• Demonstrated history of ethical conduct & compliance with organizational policies; relationships that create potential, or perceived conflicts of interest are disqualifying for this position.
• Ability to discretely handle sensitive matters and maintain appropriate levels of confidentiality.
• Training in trauma-informed interviewing, conflict resolution, or compliance auditing.
• This role requires a high degree of independence, impartiality and autonomy.

Pay:

$100,000.00 - $130,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Dental insurance Employee assistance program Health insurance Paid time off Vision insurance

Education:

Bachelor's (Required)

License/Certification:

AWI Certification (Preferred)

Work Location:

In person