Administration & Human Resources
Investigator
$48,206 to $55,437 a year
Posted until September 27, 2026 · posted August 28, 2026
Requirements
Diploma + experience
Exam
Competitive title
A job title where you show you are right for it by passing a competitive exam: multiple-choice, practical, education and experience, or a mix. On our job pages this shows as "Civil service exam title".
Mostly for people already in city service. The posting says:
“Only permanent employees in the title and those that are reachable on the civil service list are eligible to apply.”
New to city jobs? Start with the ones open to anyone.
From ≈ $23.18 an hour · $1,854 every 2 weeks, before taxes (40-hour weeks).
NYC minimum wage is $17/hr. This beats it by $6.18/hr, with health insurance and a pension on top.
What you'd have made
$1,848 If you'd started this job 2 weeks ago, at this pay, before taxes.
An hour of this job pays for about 7.7 subway rides ($3 fare).
Price anything in hours of this job
Overtime added $4,192 on average that year, and it isn't guaranteed. Base salary of active employees paid a yearly rate, fiscal year 2025 (July 2024 to June 2025). Source: NYC's payroll data
Check yourself
What they actually ask for.
High school diploma plus experience
- A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent and two years of satisfactory, full-time experience as an investigator evaluating credit worthiness, searching for assets, verifying information concerning education, experience, and other personal qualifications bearing upon character and fitness for employment; or performing investigations involving the research, compilation and/or location of evidence or information in order to build a case or uncover activities of a criminal, corrupt, unlawful or unethical nature; or
- An associate degree or 60 semester credits from an accredited college; or
- Education and/or experience equivalent to "1" or "2" above. Undergraduate college credit can be substituted for experience on the basis of 30 semester credits, from an accredited college, for one year of full-time experience. However, all candidates must have at least a four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent.
Quoted word for word from the official posting. The label above is ours, read from this text; if they disagree, this text wins.
The work
What the job is.
DCAS's mission is to make city government work for all New Yorkers. From managing New York City’s most iconic courthouses and municipal buildings, to purchasing over $1 billion annually in goods and services for more than 80 City agencies — what we do ensures that all agencies can deliver on their mission.
Read the rest, from the posting
Our reach touches every facet of city government and is instrumental to the successful day-to-day operations of the City of New York.
Our commitment to equity, effectiveness, and sustainability guides our work providing City agencies with the critical resources and support needed to succeed, including:
- Recruiting, hiring, and training City employees.
- Managing 55 public buildings.
- Acquiring, selling, and leasing City property.
- Purchasing over $1 billion in goods and services for City agencies.
- Overseeing the greenest municipal vehicle fleet in the country.
- Leading the City's efforts to reduce carbon emissions from government operations.
When you work at DCAS, you're not just working for one agency, but in service of them all. It's an opportunity to provide impactful support, quality customer service, and help protect the future of New York City for generations to come. Visit our website at nyc.gov/dcas to learn more about the work we do.
The New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), Human Capital Line of Service, Bureau of Examinations, performs responsible work in the establishment of qualifications for civil service positions, as well as in the development, validation, rating and administration of competitive civil service examinations, and certification of lists of eligible applicants.
The Investigations Unit is responsible for conducting background investigations of candidates for City employment to ensure they are of good moral character and meet their respective minimum qualification requirements.
Fingerprints are processed digitally to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the results are then reviewed by the Investigations Unit.
Candidates with the most serious criminal convictions and derogatory employment information are investigated directly by DCAS for appointment, including investigations before appointment.
The Bureau of Examinations seeks to appoint one (1) Investigator to work in the Investigations Unit. The selected candidate’s responsibilities will include, but not be limited to, the following:
- Conduct investigations to determine eligibility of candidates for City employment.
- Record information in mainframe and other data management systems, including the Personnel Investigation Control and Tracking System (PICTS).
- Prepare narrative investigation reports and checklists for the Supervisor and the Director.
- Conduct face-to-face and virtual interviews.
- Interface with candidates, DCAS employees, other agencies (City, State, and Federal), private organizations, and other supervisory personnel.
- Perform special assignments for the Senior Director of Investigations.
- Perform related work.
Only permanent employees in the title and those that are reachable on the civil service list are eligible to apply.
This position is also open to qualified persons with a disability who are eligible for the 55-a Program.
Please indicate in your cover letter that you would like to be considered for the position under the 55-a Program.
To Apply:
Please go to www.nyc.gov/jobs, or www.nyc.gov/ess for current NYC employees, and search for Job ID # 748887. No phone calls, faxes or personal inquiries permitted.
Only those candidates under consideration will be contacted.
Skills they'd like
- Possess strong in-person customer service experience.
- Possess strong desire to work with diverse groups of people.
- Possess excellent and effective communication skills (written and oral), including the ability to understand and be understood in English.
- Ability to handle sensitive situations and maintain a high degree of confidentiality.
- Ability to analyze problems and handle potentially difficult situations.
- Comfortable working in a fast paced and dynamic atmosphere, handling multiple activities at a time.
- Ability to adhere to deadlines.
- Ability to work well independently and within a team.
- Possess strong computer skills, including experience with the Microsoft Office Suite.
- Possess strong attention to details.
Before you apply
The fine print.
Where you have to live
Live in NYC within 90 days (usually)
New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.
How to apply, from the posting
Only permanent employees in the title and those that are reachable on the civil service list are eligible to apply.
This position is also open to qualified persons with a disability who are eligible for the 55-a Program.
Please indicate in your cover letter that you would like to be considered for the position under the 55-a Program.
Read the rest
Please go to www.nyc.gov/jobs, or www.nyc.gov/ess for current NYC employees, and search for Job ID # 748887. No phone calls, faxes or personal inquiries permitted.
Only those candidates under consideration will be contacted.
Sources
Straight from the city.
Updated every day from the city's job data (last city update September 21, 2026). You apply through the official posting.
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