Senior Equal Investigator

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is North America's largest transportation network, serving a population of 15.3 million people across a 5,000-square-mile travel area surrounding New York City, Long Island, southeastern New York State, and Connecticut. The MTA network comprises the nation’s largest bus fleet and more subway and commuter rail cars than all other U.S. transit systems combined. MTA strives to provide a safe and reliable commute, excellent customer service, and rewarding opportunities.

Under the direction of the Deputy Equal Opportunity Officer, the Senior Equal Opportunity (EO) Investigator partners with Agency management to develop, coordinate, implement, enforce, and monitor policies and procedures to ensure proactive measures to prevent (or eliminate) discrimination as required by Federal, State, and local statutes. This position serves as a senior-level investigator and Equal Opportunity subject matter expert (EEO and Title VI) for the Agency’s HR, Planning, Government and Community Relations, and Operations business partners, leaders, and employees.

The Senior Equal Opportunity Investigator conducts highly complex, sensitive, and multi-faceted investigations of allegations of discrimination made by employees, applicants, customers, and community members, and counsels employees, supervisors, and managers regarding alleged acts of discrimination while managing and monitoring the activities of other MTA EO investigators.

• Fundamental duties of the Senior Equal Opportunity Investigator include, but are not limited to:
  • Receives, investigates, and makes recommendations to EEO management on formal and informal complaints from applicants, employees, customers, community members, and organizations pertaining to Title VI, Title VII, ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, Environmental Justice, and Limited English Proficiency directives.
  • Provide oversight and guidance to complaint and conflict resolution work by EO Investigators that includes assisting with complex issues, facilitating difficult conversations, designing and implementing interventions, providing strategies for formal conflict resolution, as well as conducting formal investigations and issuing written findings and determinations.
  • Manage the record keeping function for investigations, including electronic and written materials, and ensure the accuracy of the data.
  • Ensures that all inquiry and investigation activities are completed in conformity with Equal Opportunity Guidance, Equal Opportunity best practices and effective investigative procedures, and established MTA policies and processes.
  • Teams with supervisors, managers, executives, and other groups in the resolution of complaints of discrimination and discriminatory harassment and related EO concerns. Serves as the coordinator and primary contact for the Agency’s formal EO investigations and the life cycle of investigatory inquiries.
  • Manage the process for presenting investigatory results to Agency leaders on a need to know basis by ensuring that investigative reports are thorough, answer all investigative questions, and reach appropriate conclusions based on the results of the investigation.
  • Other duties assigned by senior management.
• Specific programmatic responsibilities of the Senior Equal Opportunity Investigator:
  • Primarily responsible for providing counsel, advice, and assistance to employees, applicants, customers, and community members/organizations concerning allegations of discrimination, harassment, and disparate impact.
  • Remain current and knowledgeable of nondiscrimination laws, rules and regulations to maintain a comprehensive understanding of the various type of evidence required to prove that a violation has occurred; detect discrepancies in information and/or distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information/evidence to support or discredit the allegations of discriminatory practices; make evaluative judgement based on the application of statutory or regulatory provisions and administrative procedures when deciding as to whether there is reasonable cause to support a finding that a violation of MTA’s policy on…