Investigator, ISAU

Job Description

About the Office of the Inspector General (OIG or Office)

The Massachusetts OIG is at the forefront of promoting effective government and the responsible use of public money and property. The OIG is an independent state agency charged with preventing and detecting fraud, waste, and abuse in the use of public funds and public property. The OIG has broad oversight of how state and local governments use federal, state and local funds and property.

The Office is led by the Inspector General of the Commonwealth, who is appointed by the Governor, Attorney General and Auditor. M.G.L. c. 12A, § 2. The OIG is organized into three bureaus: Specialty & General Government, Legal & Compliance, and Operations, Training & Publications. The bureaus focus on specific agencies, issues, or functions. See Welcome to the Office of the Inspector General | Mass.gov for more information about the OIG.

Further details may be found at Chapter 12A (malegislature.gov).

Specialty and General Government Bureau

The Specialty & General Government Bureau is managed by the Deputy Inspector General. This bureau safeguards public assets through oversight of specific agencies (both statutory and OIG- created divisions), special government funding (like pandemic relief), and more broadly, procurement, state and local government.

Internal Special Audit Unit

The Internal Special Audit Unit (ISAU) monitors the quality, efficiency and integrity of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation's (MassDOT) and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operating and capital programs. The ISAU's oversight encompasses all MassDOT's divisions: the Highway Division, the Registry of Motor Vehicles, Rail and Transit, the Aeronautics Division, and the MBTA. By statute, the ISAU is mandated to examine and assess MassDOT's and MBTA's governance, risk-management practices and internal processes to ensure they are adequate and effective. As part of its mission, the ISAU conducts investigations and reviews to prevent and detect fraud, waste and abuse of transportation and transit dollars. To help protect transportation funds, the division collaborates with MassDOT and the MBTA to identify ways to lower costs, recover funds, and stop wasteful spending.

The ISAU also works to prevent and detect fraud, waste and abuse in the expenditure of public funds on transportation related programs and projects by regional transit authorities and cities and towns. The ISAU operates two confidential hotlines - one for the public and one for MassDOT and MBTA employees to report suspected fraud, waste, or abuse in public transportation spending.

Investigator, Internal Special Audit Unit: Position Overview

The OIG is seeking candidates who are passionate about public service and who are dedicated to improving the way government delivers public services. The OIG is at the forefront of promoting effective government and responsible use of public money and property. The successful candidate will be an integral part of the collaborative ISAU team that identifies ways MassDOT, the MBTA, and regional and local government entities can operate effectively and prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse of transportation dollars.

Investigators within the ISAU proactively develop plans to review and investigate transportation and transit operations and spending, as well as complaints received on the ISAU's public-facing hotlines. The OIG expects that investigators perform reviews and investigations of transportation and transit operations and spending, carry out a range of review and investigative steps, including background research, evaluating hotline complaints, participating in interviews with external parties, documenting meetings, and performing analyses using various forms of evidence.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Develop plans to investigate fraud, waste and abuse in the expenditure of public funds or the use of public resources.

• Conduct prep work, plan for and attend meetings with MassDOT, MBTA, and other state employees related to transportation and transit topics and prepare detailed meeting summaries.

• Perform a range of investigative duties, such as background research, gathering and evaluating evidence, reviewing documents, and analyzing data and financial records.

• Document review and investigatory analyses and test work to provide a basis for findings, conclusions and recommendations.

• Assist with research and response related to the unit's public-facing hotline for residents and employees of the Commonwealth.

• Draft facts, memos, investigative letters and reports that detail findings and recommendations.

• Work collaboratively with team of counsel and investigators, as well as other Office divisions, management and professional staff.

• Assist in review and investigative case planning.

• Create meeting agendas and questions for external meetings. Takes detailed meeting and interview notes, documents meeting summaries for supervisor review.

• Review and analyze data, documents and evidence from multiple sources, and develop conclusions.

• Draft administrative document requests and summonses.

• Draft sections of reports, letters and memorandums, and recommend corrective actions to improve MassDOT and MBTA processes and procedures.

• Support the day-to-day operations of ISAU's transportation fraud hotline by handling intake of complaints and referrals and communicating with the public.

• Provide administrative, grand jury and courtroom testimony when required.

• Perform additional duties as assigned.

• Interest in government and public integrity.

• Ability to organize and work on multiple projects, both independently and collaboratively.

• Excellent research skills and attention to detail.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Interpersonal skills and ability to interact effectively with a team with diverse expertise.

• Ability to remain flexible and show initiative when completing assignments.

• Relevant prior experience or undergraduate coursework.

• Experience working on investigations.

• Knowledge of fraud schemes or methodologies.

• Knowledge of state government, notably MassDOT and the MBTA.

• Experience working in an office setting.

• Experience with transportation or transit-related projects.

• Bilingual abilities.