Background Investigation Unit Technician IV

State of Colorado • Denver, CO

11d • Hybrid

About The Position

This position serves as a key tactical and strategic partner to assigned CDHS facilities, programs, and HR colleagues. To foster active collaboration and effectively meet the Department’s operational needs, this role requires on-site presence, including regular in-person attendance and participation at various facility, office, and off-site functions. This position exists to provide technical assistance by using judgement, technical knowledge, computer skills, and employing research tools available to the Department employees, agencies and public through the interpretation of laws, rules, policies and procedures, and processes directly related to background investigation functions. Background investigations are database driven and primarily consist of data-entry and comprehensive search-based evidence gathering. Assists the Background Investigation Unit (BIU) manager and other BIU employees by applying knowledge of and/or interpreting information and advise/educate others on technical background investigation issues or matters. Researches and draws on learned knowledge to exercise judgement in providing quality customer service. The position reviews and makes recommendations to overall content, order, and format of background investigation procedures and processes. Delivers solutions to internal and external customers in a timely, accurate, and highly understandable format to ensure the continued success of the BIU.

Requirements

• Four (4) years of relevant experience in performing pre-employment background checks.
• Experience should include running CBI and FBI reports and researching court records.
• Experience analyzing and interpreting convictions and determining employment eligibility as it relates to policy and legal statute.
• Experience using various databases and vendors to conduct in-depth record searches that provide criminal history, child abuse history and/or at risk-adult abuse history.
• A combination of related education in Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, a Law-Related Field, Sociology, or Human Resources and relevant experience in performing pre-employment background checks.
• Experience should include running CBI and FBI reports and researching court records.
• Experience analyzing and interpreting convictions and determining employment eligibility as it relates to policy and legal statute.
• Experience using various databases and vendors to conduct in-depth record searches that provide criminal history, child abuse history and/or at risk-adult abuse history equal to four (4) years.
• State of Colorado residency at the time of application (unless otherwise identified in the posting), and residency within the state throughout the duration of employment in this position.
• Ability to travel to attend required meetings, work events, trainings, etc. throughout Colorado.

Nice To Haves

• Proven track record of managing confidential employment records in full compliance with HIPAA, PII, and internal privacy protocols.
• Successfully conducted and documented complete background investigations, including the secure handling of CJIS (Criminal Justice Information Services)
• Demonstrated ability to apply State Personnel Board rules and federal/state employment laws to resolve complex HR cases
• Ability to draft professional reports, memos, and email correspondence, including assisting with creating and presenting unit presentations to leadership.
• Demonstrated proficiency in two or more enterprise IT systems
• Managing multiple concurrent projects/tasks from initiation to completion, meeting established milestones and deadlines.
• Ability to resolve systemic or interpersonal challenges by developing creative solutions that resulted in a measurable increase in process efficiency.
• Successfully integrated new policy changes and process improvements into daily workflows within required deadlines
• Consistently met or exceeded weekly productivity targets while managing a multitasking environment with minimal supervision.
• Relevant years of State service, prorated for part-time, that contribute to a candidate's position-related knowledge, skill, ability, behavior, or other posted competency should be considered as a preferred qualification and given weight under the process.
• Relevant years of State service will be considered as a preferred qualification and given the weight of at least 15% of the overall score under the process.

Responsibilities

• Serve as CDHS's technical expert in the area of pre-employment criminal backgrounds checks, which includes: a fingerprint-based national criminal history search, a Colorado Court Database search, a pre-employment drug test, a Medicare fraud check, fitness-for-employment check, a TRAILS database check (for those with contact with children), and a Colorado Adult Protective Services (CAPS) database check (for those providing direct care with vulnerable adults).
• Utilize independent judgement to research, analyze, interpret and apply rules, procedures, statutes, policies and practices regarding a covered worker’s suitability for employment under C.R.S. § 27-90-111, while minimizing the potential for hiring and employing persons with a propensity toward abuse, assault, or similar offenses against others for positions that provide them with unsupervised access to vulnerable persons.
• Ensure CDHS doesn’t consider arrests that have not resulted in a criminal conviction when the criminal case is not actively pending, convictions that have been pardoned, and convictions that have been sealed or expunged.
• Utilize independent judgement to determine if a misdemeanor offense committed in another state, but the elements are substantially similar to the elements of an offense described in C.R.S. § 27-90-111.
• Assist appointing authorities in analyzing the requirements under C.R.S. § 24-5-101(4), by considering the information found in the background check that relates specifically to the covered worker's ability to successfully perform the duties of the position without risk.
• Use independent reasoning in order to determine whether the four (4) steps in this statute result in a covered worker's disqualification. These decisions are made on a case by case basis utilizing independent judgement to determine disqualifications.
• Ensure employees with access to Federal Tax Information (FTI), are cleared to do so based on an analysis of the results of a IRS Publication 1075 background investigation.
• Research subsequent arrest information received from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (“CBI†) against the information contained in the Colorado Court Database to independently determine if there's any additional arrest information.
• Utilizing independent judgement, decide whether or not a subsequent arrest is a disqualifier under C.R.S. § 27-90-111 or C.R.S. § 24-5-101, notify supervisors, appointing authorities and HR Business Partners (“HRBP†), and provide them with complete and thorough interpretive information as a baseline for their decision making concerning eligibility of a covered worker for continued employment.
• Ensure confidentiality compliance with Public Law 92-544 related to information provided by the FBI.
• Manage the billing process for invoices from our third party finger printing, CBI Name check, CBI finger printing and drug testing vendors.
• Run reports in the Background Tracking System (BTS) database for the billing cycle associated with invoice.
• Reconcile names and charges on the report with names and charges on associated invoice.
• Compare the invoices with actual tests conducted.
• Complete a receiving report for each invoice.
• Verify charges with the invoice.
• Dispute charges when they are incorrect.
• Create billing sheets for each CDHS agency and submit them to Accounting.
• Billing sheets list each employee in said agency that received the services reflected on the invoice.
• Accounting requests verification for each employee.
• Research discrepancies if an agency denies responsibility for charges.
• This position creates badges for volunteers, interns, contractors and students as well as replacement badges and special badging projects as requested by the programs.
• This position works with a team to develop procedures, evaluate/improve processes, produce informational summaries, data summaries, letters, etc.
• Assist manager with designing/modifying current BTS system, develop and deliver training to other CDHS staff.
• Make badges for volunteers, interns, students and contractors.
• Performs other job related duties as assigned or required.

Benefits

• PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan plus 401(k) and 457 plans
• Medical and dental health plans
• Employer supplemented Health Savings Account
• Paid life insurance
• Short- and long-term disability coverage
• 11 paid holidays per year plus vacation and sick leave
• State of Colorado Employee BenefitHub Resource Center
• Employee Wellness program
• Excellent work-life programs, such as flexible schedules, training and more
• Remote work arrangements for eligible positions
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree