AGO Senior Investigator/Analyst - Digital Forensics, Medicaid Fraud Control Division

 Persons requiring reasonable accommodation in the application process or requiring information in an alternative format may contact the recruitment team at HREmployment@atg.wa.gov. Those with a hearing impairment in need of accommodation are encouraged to contact the Washington Relay Service at 1-800-676-3777 or www.washingtonrelay.com.

Position and Salary

The Attorney General’s Office is recruiting for a permanent full time AGO Senior Investigator/Analyst (Senior Special Agent Digital Forensics) in the Medicaid Fraud Control Division. This position is located in Olympia, Washington, and is represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE). 

Salary Range 66: $78,468 - $105,612 annually 

The base pay offered will take into account internal equity and may vary depending on the preferred candidate’s job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

The following stipends may apply based on position requirements:

• Incumbents assigned to our Seattle office location receive an additional 5% King County Location Pay stipend.  
• Incumbents assigned to a position designated as requiring dual language skills will receive a 5% Dual Language Requirement Pay stipend.  

The AGO provides a workplace that is understanding of work-life balance and promotes advancement by offering a wide variety of professional development and growth opportunities.

Excellent benefits   

Washington State offers one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation, including Medical/Dental/Vision for employees & dependent(s); Vacation, Sick, and Other Leave; 11 Paid Holidays per year; Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) plans; and Life Insurance.  Beyond these traditional benefits, we offer Dependent Care Assistance, Flexible Spending Accounts, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Tuition Waiver, Deferred Compensation, Employee Recognition Leave, and more. With the goal of employee health and wellness, we also offer:

• Flexible schedules and part-time/hybrid telework options;
• A Wellness Program, an Infants in the Workplace Program, and the Employee Assistance Program, which provides counseling, webinar, and other cost-free support resources;
• Numerous employee-driven affinity groups to foster community and connection, including Bereavement, Elder Care, Parenting, POC, LGBTQ+, Veterans and more. The AGO is a place to belong and make a difference!

About the AGO Medicaid Fraud Control Division: 

Established in 1978, the Washington State Medicaid Fraud Control Division (MFCD) is a Law Enforcement Agency responsible for both criminal and civil investigation and prosecution of healthcare provider fraud committed against the State’s Medicaid program. The division also investigates and prosecutes complaints of resident abuse or neglect in nursing homes, adult family homes and assisted living. RCW 74.66 and 74.67.  

The work of the Office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Division (MFCD) focuses on both criminal and civil law enforcement. The 75% federally funded MFCD‘s mission is combating provider fraud, abuse and neglect in residential facilities and involving Medicaid recipients in non-institutional settings. 

MFCD’s Headquarters is located in Olympia, Washington with some team members also located at the AGO's Spokane Office and Seattle Office.  The Division currently has a staff of 66 FTEs, including attorneys, special agents, digital forensics investigators, data analysts, clinical health investigators and professional support staff. 

MFCD involves protecting not only the Medicaid program of roughly 22.9 billion dollars per annum, but also its most vulnerable persons, typically elderly persons in residential facilities or persons abused or neglected by a Medicaid Provider.  In many of our cases, there is no precedent, so MFCD is consistently on the cutting edge of legal theories and issues.  The cases range from abuse and neglect of persons in nursing homes, large scale organized individual and corporate civil and criminal fraudulent activity to national whistleblower actions.  Our staff is a highly professional, fun and seasoned analytical investigative team.  MFCD is unique in that all cases have an attorney, special agent, data scientist and medical specialist assigned with legal support.  This, and the great people who make up the division, gives MFCD a particularly terrific team atmosphere. 

Duties and Essential Functions of a Senior Special Agent Digital Forensics:

Environment and summary of duties:

This is an expert level position that is responsible for planning, coordinating and conducting the digital forensics portion of highly complex criminal and civil investigations. MFCD has three primary areas of jurisdiction consisting of Medicaid Fraud committed by Providers, Abuse and Neglect of Vulnerable Adults and Drug Diversion of Schedule II narcotics. 

Crimes investigated include but are not limited to homicide, sexual assault, rape, theft, money laundering and leading organized crime. Civil investigations stem primarily from violations against the False Claims Act and can be investigated at a state or federal jurisdictional level.  

The Digital Forensics Sr. Special Agent (DFSA) works closely with MFCD staff including Special Agents, Clinical Healthcare Investigators, AAG's, Data Scientists, and Paralegals.    

The DFSA conducts digital forensics examinations in a lab and on-site during service of court-ordered searches of locations in question. This includes traveling throughout the state to assist Special Agents in identifying, preserving, imaging, extracting, analyzing and documenting electronically stored information obtained from digital items and Internet Service Providers pursuant to authorized legal process as they relate to MFC investigations.  

The DFSA will work out of the Olympia office in a state of the art digital forensics Lab that is outfitted with the most current and effective forensic tools to assist in your success as a DFSA.  

Scope of Duties:

DFSA duties include but are not limited to: 

• Preparation of preservation letter and search warrants;
• Assist in the service of on-site search warrants across Washington State using numerous tools along with best practices to preserve and acquire data from a variety of digital items such as computers, laptops, servers, mobile phones. Images and extractions are processed and analyzed in the Digital Forensics Lab;
• Safeguards the integrity of the data by collecting, preserving and handling evidence in accordance with established rules of evidence and statutory requirements for use in court by prosecution and defense;
• Recover hidden, encrypted, or deleted information related to the case; 
• Works with and understands complex cloud based services in the performance of their functions and develops strategies for cloud access;
• Processing data from third party providers (locating data within the scope of the warrant, etc.);
• Provide investigative support within the High Tech Investigations Unit including approved covert operations; 
• Documenting & presenting findings to the case team consisting of AAG, Special Agents, Data Scientists, Paralegals, and Clinical Healthcare Investigators;
• Testifying as the subject matter expert in court;
• Continuing Digital Forensics training;
• Updating and validating lab equipment;
• Participate in the digital forensics portion of multi-jurisdictional investigations in Medicaid Fraud and Abuse and Neglect of Vulnerable Adults cases (pursuant to the mission of MFC), by bringing together the partner agencies and developing digital forensics case investigation plans; 
• Provide assistance to federal, local and Washington State law enforcement agencies as required in cases involving Medicaid funds; 
• Develop and provide guidance, as a subject matter expert, to partner agencies; assist those agencies in the furtherance and successful outcome of the digital forensics portion of ongoing investigations within the scope of the MFC jurisdiction. Coordinate the digital forensics aspect of criminal investigations with local law enforcement, prosecutors and Assistant Attorneys General to support criminal prosecutions or civil actions pursued against violators on matters that fall within the scope of the MFC jurisdiction
• Assist Assistant Attorneys General in litigation as requested, to include but not limited to providing follow up investigation and testimony

This recruitment announcement may be used to fill multiple open positions for the same classification, in addition to the position(s) listed in this announcement. 

Ideal Candidate Profile 

The ideal candidates will have a strong work ethic, are detail oriented, and work well independently and in a team setting. They will have worked as a digital forensic investigator and learned the skills and best practices necessary to conduct a complete forensic investigation. They will be comfortable with high profile cases, presenting and assisting special agents and AAG’s with data recovered, function as a subject matter expert in court, while also being nimble enough to stay current on training, maintain certifications, and provide timely written reports. Typical successful backgrounds for this position include:

• Digital Forensics Investigators
• Law enforcement investigators
• Private investigators
• Military (Army/CID, USAF/OSI, Navy/NCIS, etc.)
• Federal investigators   

Required Education & Experience 

Positions require a Bachelor’s degree and ten years of experience conducting investigations, which include the authority to independently plan and conduct investigations in civil or criminal cases. Additional qualifying investigative experience may substitute year for year for education. Applicants may be required to go through an extensive background check and may be required to have a valid driver’s license.

OR

Five years’ experience as an AGO Investigator/Analyst. 

SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

The most competitive applicants will possess the following qualifications:

• A minimum of five years’ experience in Digital Forensics.
• Experience and proficiency in Digital Forensics performing hands-on forensic analysis of digital devices (PCs, networks, internal & external hard drives, servers, cell phones, email, text messaging, etc.)
• Computer Forensics Tool certifications, such as Magnet Forensics Axiom, Exterro Forensic Tool Kit, and/or mobile forensics certification.
• Ability to apply knowledge of network computer systems, common communication software, including Outlook, and familiarity with electronic e-mail systems; knowledge of different operating systems, including Windows, DOS, variations of Unix, including Linux, and Mac OS; the Internet; hardware in standalone computers; various electronic storage media including internal and external hard drives, and multimedia card/flash memory; data archiving technology; USB/Firewire technology; and digital forensic software / hardware.
• Knowledge of coding, SQL, and other query applications is a plus.
• Strong interpersonal skills: working successfully with all levels of staff, troubleshooting, and problem solving skills
• Ability to work independently in a lab environment, independently in a remote setting, and as part of a team in an office setting.
• Diligent, dependable and professional. 

Excellent written & oral communication skills: summarizing complex ideas into easily understandable points (writing), presenting concise information succinctly and with authority (oral)

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: 

A background check consisting of employment history, professional references and educational verification (e.g., degree, license, or official transcript) may be conducted. Prior to any offer, the applicant selected will be required to submit to and pass a fingerprint-based criminal background check conducted by the Washington State Patrol, Criminal Records Division. The incumbent will submit to additional background checks as a condition of employment every five (5) years thereafter.

About the Washington State Office of the Attorney General   

Join an agency whose work impacts the lives of every resident of Washington State.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) touches the lives of every resident in this state. We serve more than 230 state agencies, boards, commissions, colleges and universities, as well as the Legislature and the Governor. The Office is comprised of nearly 700 attorneys and 800 professional staff, all working together to deliver the highest quality professional legal services to Washington state officials, agencies, and entities. This includes:

• Economic justice and consumer protections (safeguarding consumers, protecting youth, seniors, and other vulnerable populations)
• Social justice and civil rights (addressing discrimination, environmental protection, and veteran and military resources)
• Criminal justice and public safety (investigative and prosecutorial support, financial crimes)
• And much more! 

Our agency also has national reach, representing the State of Washington before the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals and trial courts in all cases that involve the state’s interest.  If you want to make a difference, we may be the perfect fit for you!   Learn more about the AGO here.   

Commitment to Diversity

Diversity is critical to the success of the mission of the AGO. This means recognizing, respecting, and appreciating all cultures and backgrounds-- and fostering the inclusion of differences between people. Appreciating, valuing and implementing principles of diversity permits AGO employees to achieve their fullest potential in an inclusive, respectful environment. One recent measure of the AGO's commitment to diversity can be found in its nomination for Rainbow Alliance and Inclusion Network's "Outstanding Agency Award" in 2019. Our commitment to employee wellness is reflected in earning the 2021 Zo8 Washington Wellness Award. 

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: 

In addition to completing the online application, applicants must attach the following documents to their profile in order to be considered for this position:

• A letter of interest, describing your specific qualifications for the position;
• A current resume detailing experience and education. 

READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION COMPLETELY: 

• Carefully review your application for accuracy, spelling and grammar before submitting.
• You may not reapply to this posting for 30 days.
• The initial screening of applications will be solely based on the contents and completeness of the “work experience” and “education” sections of your application in www.careers.wa.gov, completeness of the application material submitted, and responses to the supplemental questionnaire.
• A resume will not substitute for completing the “work experience” section of the application.
• All information may be verified and documentation may be required. 

Equal Employment Opportunity and Accommodations Requests 

Honoring diversity, equity and inclusion means that as an agency, and as individuals, we are committed to ensuring that all employees and volunteers enjoy a respectful, safe and supportive working environment. Only by fostering the inclusion of people from all backgrounds, cultures and attributes, can AGO employees and volunteers achieve their fullest potential and best advance the goals and mission of the AGO. 

The AGO is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation/gender identity, age, disability, honorably discharged veteran or military status, retaliation or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. Persons requiring reasonable accommodation in the application process or requiring information in an alternative format may contact the recruitment team at HREmployment@atg.wa.gov. Those with a hearing impairment in need of accommodation are encouraged to contact the Washington Relay Service at 1-800-676-3777 or www.washingtonrelay.com. 

For questions regarding this recruitment or assistance with the application process, please contact Jenny Wilding @ (360) 753-6216 or Jenny.Wilding@atg.wa.gov. 

If you are having technical difficulties creating, accessing or completing your application, please call NEOGOV toll-free at (855) 524-5627 or support@neogov.com.