Head of Investigations & Compliance Strategy

Penn State University; University Park (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Penn State University seeks an experienced investigations leader to establish the inaugural Chief Investigations Officer, responsible for building the new Office of Investigations — a centralized unit of ~8 full-time staff to handle intake, triage, and resolution of policy violations and discrimination/harassment complaints across the University.

Reporting to General Counsel, the CIO will lead cross‑functional collaboration with OCCR, HR, and campus leadership, ensure neutral, thorough

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; JD or advanced degree preferred.
• Ten years of experience planning and conducting complex internal investigations.
• At least three years of experience supervising investigative staff.
• Experience applying laws and policy to Title IX/VI/VII in higher education.

Responsibilities

• Design and oversee the full intake-to-resolution process for investigations.
• Develop a jurisdictional triage framework and standardized templates.
• Lead, mentor, and train investigators with a two-investigator model for core cases.
• Collaborate with General Counsel, HR, OCCR, and campus stakeholders throughout cases.
• Draft credible findings and manage reporting to senior leadership.

Skills

Investigations leadership

Team management

Policy interpretation

Analytical thinking

Written communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Discretion & confidentiality

Case management systems

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Juris Doctor or advanced degree

Tools

Maxient

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Job description

Penn State University seeks an experienced investigations leader to establish the inaugural Chief Investigations Officer, responsible for building the new Office of Investigations — a centralized unit of ~8 full-time staff to handle intake, triage, and resolution of policy violations and discrimination/harassment complaints across the University.

Reporting to General Counsel, the CIO will lead cross‑functional collaboration with OCCR, HR, and campus leadership, ensure neutral, thorough