Applicants must take the Education and Experience exam to be eligible. Take the exam at Open Competitive Exams for Anyone
- Department of Citywide Administrative Services. Select Exam No. 6065 for Inspector (Consumer and Worker Protection). The exam closes on June 23,
- Permanent employees in the civil service title, comparable title (under 6.1.9) and 55a applicants are also eligible to apply.
**This position may be eligible for remote work for up to 2 days per week pursuant to the Flexible Work Pilot Program. ** The NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) is the nation’s leading municipal enforcement agency charged with delivering economic justice. DCWP leverages its authority to bring New Yorkers real economic relief and protect them from predatory, deceptive, and unfair practices that violate their rights as consumers and workers. This includes pioneering cutting-edge protections, such as the City’s Consumer Protection Law, Protected Time Off Law, Fair Workweek Law, and Delivery Worker Laws, including the Minimum Pay Rate for delivery workers. Through licensing more than 45,000 businesses in over 45 industries, DCWP ensures fair competition and a level playing field for responsible small businesses that are integral to New York City’s vibrant communities. DCWP also provides essential services such as free tax preparation and financial counseling to ensure New Yorkers keep more of what they earn and can plan for their futures. DCWP is committed to making sure New York City is a fairer, more affordable place to live. For more information about DCWP and its work, call 311 or visit DCWP at nyc.gov/dcwp, sign up for its newsletter, or follow on its social media sites, X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
The Office of Labor Policy & Standards (“OLPS”) enforces the City’s worker protection laws, including the Protected Time Off Law, Fair Workweek scheduling laws that protect fast food and retail workers, Delivery Worker Laws that provide minimum pay and other protections for app delivery workers, and wrongful deactivation protections for Uber and Lyft drivers. We also administer the Freelance Isn’t Free Act (FIFA) program, which assists freelance workers who have experienced wage theft and other violations. We obtain monetary compensation for workers for violations and bring companies into compliance. More information about our office is available at nyc.gov/workers.
OLPS is seeking an Investigator to investigate potential violations of NYC worker protection laws. Key responsibilities include:
- Maintaining a strong understanding of the laws OLPS enforces
- Interviewing workers, employers, and witnesses by telephone and in-person
- Obtaining, documenting, and analyzing documentary evidence, including employer policies, payroll records, employee schedules, time records and other employment-related documents
- Performing research using public sources, law enforcement databases, and other investigative tools
- Applying the law to facts gathered during an investigation to identify appropriate charges
- Writing investigation reports identifying violations uncovered during an investigation and containing recommendations for enforcement action
- Calculating money owed to employees and civil penalties owed to the City
- Engaging directly with businesses and attorneys to negotiate a resolution of the charges
- Drafting document demands, findings letters, and settlement agreements
- Testifying at the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings’ Trial Division about investigation findings
- Independently investigating and managing a high volume of cases, using appropriate judgment to elevate complex issues with a Supervising Investigator
- Investigating cases that are complex and/or broad in scope, in collaboration with investigation teams of data scientists and attorneys.
Minimum Qualifications
- A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent and four years of full-time, satisfactory experience conducting investigations or inspections for a consumer or worker protection agency; or
- A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college; or
- A satisfactory combination of education and/or experience, which is equivalent to "1" above. College education may be substituted for the required experience on the basis of 30 semester credits for each year of required experience. However, all candidates must have a four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent.
License Requirement: Possession of a Motor Vehicle Driver License valid in the State of New York at the time of appointment. This license must be maintained for the duration of employment.
Preferred Skills
Preferred Skills
- Knowledge and experience in labor standards investigations or low-wage worker issues;
- Analytic, research and writing skills;
- The ability to gather detailed information from workers through interviews;
- The ability to understand various laws, rules, and regulations sufficiently to analyze issues, identify evidence needed to evaluate compliance, and present findings and recommendations;
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including the ability to analyze data in Excel;
- Experience handling multiple assignments with competing deadlines with a high degree of detail and accuracy;
- Strong written and verbal communication skills; and
- Fluency in a language other than English, especially Spanish, French, Bengali, or Mandarin Chinese.
Residency Requirement
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.