Genetic Counselor

City of New York • New York, NY

11d • $81,751 - $93,000

About The Position

The Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) investigates certain deaths occurring within New York City, including deaths resulting from criminal violence, accidents, suicide, sudden or unattended deaths, deaths in correctional facilities, suspicious or unusual deaths, and cases involving applications for cremation permits. Its purpose is to protect public health and serve impartial justice through forensic science and medicine, while supporting families and communities.

OCME seeks to expand its genetic counseling, molecular genetics testing, and referral capacity to help prevent sudden deaths among living family members when a genetic cause is identified in a loved one who died suddenly and unexpectedly. The Genetic Counselor provides counseling before and after testing, supports and refers family members to clinical care, prepares reports, advises medical examiners, and contributes to education and medical literature. The listed duties are not exhaustive.

Requirements

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college, with a specialization in criminalistics, forensic science, chemistry, biology, physics, molecular genetics, genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology, entomology, anthropology, ecology, or a closely related scientific or engineering field.
• For Assignment Level I-B: at least one year of satisfactory full-time experience in criminalistics, forensic science, or analytic chemistry, or a satisfactory equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Higher assignment levels require additional qualifying experience or a satisfactory combination of education and experience: Level II requires two total years; Level III requires three total years; Level IV requires four total years, subject to the assignment-level pathways described in the posting.

Responsibilities

• Provide pre-testing counseling, including reviewing a decedent’s genetic test results and their implications for surviving family members, discussing advantages and disadvantages of family genetic testing, and explaining clinical evaluation and management options.
• Refer family members to clinical programs and provide information about family support resources.
• Obtain informed consent for OCME testing.
• Provide post-testing counseling by reviewing test results and associated recommendations and referring family members to appropriate clinical programs.
• Write genetic counseling reports and draft targeted variant testing reports.
• Guide medical examiners in interpreting genetic testing results.
• Maintain frequent communication with clinical partner programs.
• Participate in genetics and genetic counseling education, including lectures, grand rounds, and mentoring rotating genetic counseling students.
• Write manuscripts and posters for medical literature.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level