Inspector General

State of careers Rhode Island • Providence, RI

9d • $175,000 - $225,000

About The Position

The Office of the Inspector General for the State of Rhode Island is established by Chapter 9.4 of Rhode Island General Laws. The Office is an independent and nonpartisan administrative agency whose purpose is to investigate the management and operation of agencies as it relates to the prevention and detection of fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the expenditure of public funds that harms the public interest. The Office was recently created by legislation that became effective July 1, 2026. As such, the first Inspector General will be tasked with establishing the organizational structure of the Office, hiring and supervising staff, and promulgating rules and regulations.

Requirements

• Hold a bachelor’s degree or higher in criminal justice, public administration, law enforcement, accounting, or related areas.
• Have 10 years of professional experience in auditing, investigations, law enforcement, accounting, or related areas.
• Hold any professional certificate from the Association of Inspectors General, including Certified Inspector General or Certified Inspector General Investigator at the time of the application (RIGL 42-9.4-3).

Nice To Haves

• Demonstrate a commitment to safeguarding the mission of public service. Candidates must provide prior professional opinions, positions, or actions that may influence the candidate’s approach to the role, which will be subject to public disclosure to the extent permitted under law (RIGL 42-9.4-3).

Responsibilities

• Investigate the management and operation of agencies to determine if there has been evidence of fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement, or any other abuse of governmental resources that harms the public interest, whether through acts or omissions.
• Investigate retaliation claims regarding whistleblowers.
• Report suspected acts of fraud, waste, abuse or mismanagement against or within an agency to the governor and, as appropriate to other state entities with jurisdiction over the matter.
• Conduct special investigations and management reviews of agencies at the request of the governor.
• Establish procedures to receive, investigate, and resolve complaints, including recommending whether disciplinary action or further investigation by appropriate local, state, or federal agencies is warranted and taking further action as appropriate.
• Instruct and educate agencies on the detection and prevention of fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement; conduct evaluations of relevant agency policies and procedures implicated by any investigation and create a remedial action plan to prevent recurrences of fraud, waste, abuse, or mismanagement that harm the public interest; and close an investigation when the inspector general concludes there is insufficient evidence that a violation has occurred. Closure of any investigation by the inspector general shall not bar the reopening of the investigation should circumstances warrant.
• Act as a liaison to agencies to promote accountability, integrity, and efficiency in state government.
• Maintain a statewide-toll-free telephone number, website, email address, and physical mailing address for the receipt of complaints and inquiries.
• Work collaboratively, including through any memoranda of understanding, for the purposes of efficiency, coordination, and avoidance of duplicative work with the attorney general, local, state or federal law enforcement, the ethics commission, and the auditor general.
• Enter into contracts for audits or specialists needed to perform the duties outlined herein. Provided, further, the inspector general shall coordinate with the auditor general to ensure efficient utilization of available audit resources.
• When formally requested by a municipal government through a city or town council resolution, the inspector general may accept a request from a municipality to investigate concerns regarding fraud, waste, abuse, or mismanagement of state or municipal government funds. All the powers, duties and procedures of the inspector general set forth in this chapter for investigation of agencies shall apply to any investigation related to a municipality.
• Follow investigative procedures pursuant to RIGL 42-9.4-6, conclude investigations pursuant to RIGL 42-9.4-7, access agencies and records pursuant to RIGL 42-9.4-8, issue oaths and subpoenas pursuant to RIGL 42-9.4-9, promulgate rules and regulations pursuant to RIGL 42-9.4-10, file reports pursuant to RIGL 42-9.4-11, submit a budget for the Office of the Inspector General pursuant to RIGL 42-9.4-12, and prevent retaliation and protect whistleblowers pursuant to RIGL 42-9.4-13.

Benefits

• For information regarding the benefits available to State of Rhode Island employees, please visit the Office of Employee Benefits' website at http://www.employeebenefits.ri.gov/.
• All employees hired after September 30, 2014 participate in direct deposit.

What This Job Offers

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